Gilpin observer., 1913-01-30

<>">. of age and interest is Fernandez de
- Taos, quaint old Mexican settlement
with venerable history, dating back
to the beginning OF the seventeenth century. Last
of all is Ranches de Taos, prosperous agricultural
community, where ones interest is equally divided
between the typical old Mission church and the nu
merous darkeyed senoritas.
Years ago the Taos valley was known as 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 hopelessy isolated. Progress has
passed 1t by, and life in the dreamy fash
Ion of the old land of POGO Tiempo that this hus-
tilng age has almost obliterated The old land
marks still undisturbed, the vandal passion for
cnange and improvement is still unknown, and the
Taos OF today is much the same as the Taos of 30
or loo years ago. with the element of danger from
nomadic savages eliminated But those who desire
to see Taos as it is and 1t has been must needs
make haste The railroad builders are headed that
way; and when the shrek of the first locomotive
olspels the ghosts of the past, and awakens the
valley from its age-ong slumber it may be far more
pushing and prosperous but it will never again be
half interesting
Taos was the farthest outpost of Spanish civiliza
tlon, and continued until in very recent wears to
pe frontier settlement the debatable border he
tween civilization and the savage Wilderness The
old Pueblo communal buildings are famous as being
the most perfect remaining specimens of aboripin,I
American architecture Close by is the tall to,or
OF the ruined adobe church. in which the last stand
os % the iuebio Indian race for freedom made in
zzIip
arcnaeolog1cal riddles of the southwest
This consists of long lines of cobbIestones.
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 cobbestone SQUARES oh.
longs and circles in unbroken SERIES 1t begins to
dawn upon him that here is something remark.
able 1t is evident that these cobblestones we're
tne 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 sell 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. a Spaniard named
Fernandez, who drifted north from Santa Fe
two hundred years ago. and built for
himself an adobe hut in a bunch Of cottonwoods
three miles from the Indian village. Hence he
was called fernandez de Taos 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 same neighborhood The
land belonged to the Indians. but they were quite
willing to give liberal allowance to all white
comers. In this they displayed a craft curiously
analogous to modern European craftsmanship,
which seeks to prevent a clash between two rival
powers by the creation Of buffer state" to keep
them apart. 4t,t
The Taos Indians had suffered for centuries
from the incursions of the Apaches. They
shrewdly reasoned that by creating fringe OF
Spanish rancherias along the borders OF their
cultivated lands. they would shift the bur.
den OF defense from their own 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-
itants of Taos titled their fields in comparative
security and peace OF mind.
In OF attack by large 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 a 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 bis.
that It is crowded with memorials of heroic days
Within n stones throw OF the plaza is the house
in which Kit Carson lived, prostituted to the
base uses of hay and feed warehouse Less
than quarter OF a mile distant is the grave I'm
which his dust lies. Close to this ia the red
seal OF the Apaches-the graves of thirty Amer.
ican soldiers, with laconc inscription recording
the fact that they were slain by Apaches in the
Embndo canyon. March 8, 1854