El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-14

MI more interesting than he his
4s4 tory OF the Mexican Mormon
colonies which is being written in these
DAYS Of revolution in Mexico and the
~esultinz exodus of the Mormon people
to FL Paso and their founding of the
refugee camps
At the time the people of Utah were
celebrating the arrival Of the emigrants
into the beautiful Salt Lcke valley,
their brothers who had gone into Mex
leo to establish q replica of the great
Utah church colony, were treking over
the Mexican desert in covered wagons
md sre With hurriedIy gathered household
necessities, for FL Paso and safety
from the raVages Of the rebel looterS.
These pioneers found a desert when
thew crossed the southwestern border
in 1885. They left il II 1912 a prosper
GUS irrigated country with permanent
homes, schools. mills and factories set
in a garden spot OF green Driven from
these modern bones by the Mexican
reheIs- forced BY economic circum-
stances over which they had no con-
troll, to become temporary wards OF tne
United States government these hSroy
settlers are now encamped IN the aoan-
doned lumber yards and in the shelter
tents on the Texas & Pacific reSerVa-
ton. where they are waiting pauenI1y
for the time to come when they VIII pc
permitted by political conditions to re-
fuTn 70 the land they have chosen Tor
their permanent homes and where Insy
have worked wonders under the moSt
onists have gone to Utah and Arizona
and other settlements to remain untn
they may return to their MONIES, ouI
the majority of the refugees nave re-
NAMED IN FL Paso hoping against nope
fFat they might be permitted to return
IN time to harvest their fall crops and
prepare for the coming .i seaS SoIo,,.-
Earlier History OF the Co4on1es-
Much has been written OF the con-
temporary history of the exodus, Dot
little said of the earlier history OF
these colonies which forms one of the
infe-estinE chapters in the Mormon
The Mexican Mormon colonies were
founded in 1885 by people from Utah,
80 other sections of the mountainous
west Seeking cheaper land ana greater
economic possibilities for themselves
and their families, these poor, but truly
progressive people started on Whdt
nroSed to be one of the historic tricks
Of the Mormon church history AT the
time that they entered northwestern
Mexico, this section was populated only
by the feared Apache indians and rene
g5des from the Mexican republic The
first settlements were made IN the us
trict of Galeana, formerly part OF
far north as the river Braves, or RIO
Csrande. Whei. these pioneers in Mexico
acquired the narrow, sandy and forDlo-
ding CANYON, where beautlful nILle Co
IOuia Juarez is now located no Mexican
dared to venture there for lear OF the
rowing bands of blood craving Apaches,
infested
years following the advent of the col
The First House.
The first company of Mormons who
came into Mexico, camped just below
Ia Ascension The first house was
built at CoIonia Diaz and was small,
log schoolhouse. A revolution broke
out at La Ascension soon after the ar
rival of the colonists and the presidente
was killed The remaining authorities
sent/a messenger to Colonia Diaz. ask
ing that the cOloniSts come TO their
assistance to aid In holding the gov
eminent properly. The custom house
and all Of the government property was
Eiven into their keeping and they con-
ernmental aid was received A strong
revolutionary guard mad been placed
around the town to cut off all comnu-
nication with the outside world To
get a message to the central govern
meut through this line, one OF the pl-
oueer colonists was given 100 pesos and
sent with the cipher message TO the
nearest telegraph station rms Ilrst
BODY of settlers was ordered to leave
the country by the natives, but this or
der was countermanded by PRESIDENT
Porfirio Diaz, for whom Colonla Dlaz
had been named Much oppoSlIlon de-
veloped among the native clement
which was more or less lawless, and
from the stamp tax officers who as
sessed many heavy mes Ior tne COM COM
mission Of stamp errors on bills of sale
and receipts
Carried Civilization With Them.
There was not a single rod of wire
fence in the entire Galeana district
when these settlers first came Neither
was there a modern wagon, a shovel
ploW or any kind of farming imple-
ment There was no railroad closer
than the old Mexican Central and that
was many miles away. Neither wagon
nor foot bridges Spanned the mountain
streams and for weeks at a time dur
ing the rainy season all travel vas
stopped or travellers were forced TO
risk their lives and property by SWIM
ming swollen stream oxen were useo
almost exclusively for draft anIns,Is
and even this crude and primitive meth
Cd of transportation was not at its
best, for there were no yokes and the
crudest form Of a pole was used, being
and to it attached the poles of the
old fashioned pole plow or the equally
primitive two wheeled cart
school Is Established
If is significant that the first house
was a stockade school house Even be-
fore this was built at Colonia Dlaz,
school was established under cotton
wood tree. This was the beginning OF
a school system which includes every
settlement in the 10 colonies and which
incorporates in its teaching STAFF A.
and q fraction percent OF all the grown
persons Of the colonies. Education has
been the key to the development of the
Mexican church colonies In every col
ony. there is good graded school
nlcn Is Slpp0LLcu bg fJAAAAlcAA
sessment of the community units. At
CoIonia JuareZ the official headquar-
tiers OF the stake, Is the Juarez stake
academy. where four years Of academic
education is given by professors who
are trained in the universities Of the
United States for their special work
All students from the 20 colonies of
the stake are admitted to this academy
after completing the eight elementary
grades Of the colony schools.
The Juarez academy was opened on
Sept 20, 1897, with professor Guy C.