Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-25

Blessed with a glorious climate, set on
q noble stage with mountain panorama
for background, and possessing in itself
a wealth of the picturesque. Santa Fe is
one of the most interesting Of the forty
eight state capitals of our Union. It is
as has been said. the oldest capital In the
United States. for it has been continuous
" the residence OF governor for more
than three centuries. Moreover. it was
the last capital to fly the flag of a Euro
pean monarch on United States soil, and
even yet it's foreign characteristics pre-
dominate.
Sante Fe, like all Spanish towns, is
built around central square or plaza.
Along one side Of the plaza, and facing
it. is the old governors palace, huge
one-story adobe structure, built long be-
fore the Indian. revolution Of 1880. and
used as the palace of the governors
Spanish, Pueblo, Mexican and American
until 1909, when the governor moved into
an uItra-modern neo-colonial mansion of
a strictly American character.
1t was in this old palace that the Span
ish colonists determined to abandon the
hopeless fight and flee for their lives
when the Pueblo revolt of 1850 over
whelmed them: here governed the Duke
of Albuquerque, the patron or irriga-
ton works; here the Spanish governor,
Alencaster. received the first American
visitor to New Mexico a bare century
ago; here Kearney raised the Stars and
Stripes; here Lew Wallace, as governor
OF the territory, wrote "Ben-Hur": here
now are housed the New Mexico Museum
and the School of American Archaeology,
which is seeking to bring to light the his
tory of civilized people who lived and
wrought in New Mexico long before Co
lumbus sailed into the west.
Not far away from the plaza is San
Miguel, the oldest church building in the
United States
San Miguel Church still used for
-. .oor Worship. The
0ulC IN low. original building,
a great part of which remains, was
erected in 1907, the year the first Eng
disappearing settlement in America was
made, at jamestown. But perhaps the
most interesting Of all the monuments
Of this ancient city Is the modest block
of granite set up in one corner OF the
plaza marking the end OF the Santa Fe
trail; most interesting because 1t COM
memorates the romance Of the old COM
merce Of the prairies and marks the
first binding tie between New Mexico
and the American republic.
There are caravan routes in Asia and
Africa wherein the wares OF commerce
have been transported by pack animals
for thirty and forty centuries unbroken
But not even the dangerous paths across
the Sahara or the difficult passage from
China to Russia through the Kalgan
pass and over the Desert Of Cobb can
exceed in romance and history can COM
pare in economic import, with the story
of the Santa Fe trail.
Hardly had the American flag, then
over the territory of Louisiana until. In
1904, William Morrison, an enterprtsing
merchant of Kaskaskia, ILL.,, sent out one
Baptiste Lalande with an outf1t or trad
ing goods to make his way into the
Spanish southwest. This Canadian ad-
venturer reached Santa Fe. and. having
sold his wares at enormous prices. de-
account to his principal. About the same
time James sPursley, a Kentuckian. left
st. Louis on a trading expedition to the
west. He fell in with q band OF Indians
Paducahs and Kiowas-fought with them
against marauding Sioux. discovered
gold in Colorado, was lost on the desert.
and, unwilling to assume the slightest
extra. burden, threw his samples of gold
away. and finally. in June. 1905. reached
Santa Fe.
There he settled and took up the trade
Of a carpenter. Carelessly he let the
Spanish know he
TAt Ont SAcret had found gold in
-, Colora o. but