The Elbert County tribune., 1913-01-31

y. of age and interest is Fernandez d.
l--I Taos quaint old Mexican settlement
with a venerable history, dating bacl
TO the beginning of the seventeenth century. Las
OF all is Ranches de Taos prosperous agriculture
community, where ones interest is equally divided
between the typical old Mission church and the nu
merous dark-eyed senoritas
Years ago the Taos valley known the gran
ary OF the southwest; and In the days before bull
team traffic. ended this important mart and
distributing point. But when the railroads were
built the change in the course of travel and com
merce left Taos hopelessly isolated Progress has
passed 1t by and life moves on In the dreamy fash
ion OF the old land of POGO TEMPO. that this hus
tiing age has almost obliterated The old land
marks still undisturbed. the passion fol
change and Improvement is still unknown. and the
TAOS OF today Is much the the Taos of so
or 100 years ago with the element OF danger from
nomadic savages eliminated But those who desire
to see Taos as 1t is and 1t has been must needs
make haste The railroad builders headed that
way and when the shrek of the first locomotive
dispels the ghosts of the past. and awakeas the
valley from its agelong slumber it may be far more
pustlng and prosperous but 1t will never again be
half as interesting
Taos was the farthest outpost of Spanish cIyiliza
ton, and continued until in very recent years to
De frontier settlement the debatable border be-
tween civilization and the savage wilderness Tho
oid Pueblo communal buildings famous as being
the most perfect remaining specimens of aboriena nj
American architecture Close by is the tall tower
OF the ruined adobe church in which the last stand
Oh .ne puebio indian race for freedom made in
archaeological riddles of the southwest.
This consists of long lines of cobblestones
mostly arranged In rectangles with here and
there circle. When one first reaches the area
thus distinguished he will hardly recognize any
thing unusual; but after he has driven for miles
and miles, seeing the cobblestone squares OBJ
longs and circles in unbroken SERIES 1t begins to
dawn upon him that here Is something remark
able 1t is evident that these cobblestones were
the foundation stones Of adobe buildings and
that the lapse of ages has resulted in the wear.
Ing away Of the sun-dried bricks until the ancient
walls OF some prehistoric city have been incor-
porated with the soil OF the level plain, leaving
not trace behind. but the rounded stones
brought from the distant river. The foundation
stones OF this prehistoric and unnamed city cover
an area OF more than twenty-five square miles.
The pueblo OF Taos has existed upon its present
site for at least 500 years. Yet the Taos Indians
have no legend purporting to account for this
ancient community
1t is said that the first white settler in the
beautiful Taos valley. Spaniard named
Fernandez. who drifted north from Santa Fe
Two hundred years ago, and built for
himself adobe hut in a bunch of cottonwoods
three miles from the Indian village Hence he
was called Fernandez de Taos or Fernandez
of the Cottonwoods, and by and by the name was
applied to the locality well to the man
Before long other squatters began to follow his
lead settling In the neighborhood The
land belonged to the Indians but they were quite
willing to give liberal allowance to all white
comers. In this they displayed craft curiously
analogous TO modern European craftsmanship,
which seeks to prevent clash between two rival
powers by the creation OF buffer state" to keep
them apart.
The Taos Indians had suffered for centuries
from the incursions of tho Apaches. They
shrewdly reasoned that by creating fringe of
Spanish rancherias along the borders of their
own cultivated lands. they would shift the bur-
den of defense from their shoulders to those
of the newcomers. She scheme really worked
very well: and white settlers In the Taos valley
carried their guns with them to their grain fields
less than third of century ago In order to be
prepared to defend themselves against sudden
attack of the Apaches. while the crafty inhab-
ftants OF Taos titled their fields in comparative
security and peace OF mind.
In OF attack by large war party the
Taos Indians made common cause with the white
settlers. that the proximity OF the community
not without its advantages to the Spaniards
Owing to the abundance of fur-bearing animals
and other wild game in the adjacent mountains
the fertility of the soil. the convenience of the
place general distributing point and the fact
that It situated of the laterals of
the Santa Fe trail, Taos became the home or at
least the place of rendezvous, of the soldiers of
fortune who made the southwest the theater of
their exploits Kit Carson. Don Jesus Abreu
Charles Maxwell. Charles Bent. Ceran ST vrain
Charles Beaubien and many other makers of his
tory once made this little village their home, SO
that 1t is crowded with memorials OF heroic days
within stones throw of the plaza Is the house
in which Kit Carson lived. prostituted to the
base OF hay and feed warehouse. Less
than quarter OF mile distant is the grave In
which his dust lies. Close to this is the red
seal Of the Apaches-the graves of thirty Amer
fcan soldiers. with laconic inscription recording
the fact that they we're slain by Apaches in the
Embudo canyon. March 3. 1854