The Spanish American. [volume] (Roy, Mora Co., N.M.) 19??-19??, 1920-07-10
4tI at Carrizo

The Fourth Of July celebration at
Carrizo creek Sunday attracted a
good crowd and entertained it very
interestingly. The place is ideal for
a celebration, just off the edge of the
mesa, with large trees, running wa
ter, and a landscape Of hills and can
yons that must be seen to be appre-
ciated. It is only five or six miles
east Of Liberty schoolhouse, and all
the people from that community were
there. Being on Sunday, It did not
take them from their active efforts to
meet the food shortage by taking time
from their field. Several people from
Roy were there also and enjoyed the
novelty Of a day in the open. The
program in the morning was short.
Patriotic songs, a short address by the
S-A editor, substituting for Senator
Smith Of Clayton, and other real
speakers who did not come, inter
preted by RemigiO Lopez, also from
Roy, constituted the mornings pro-
gram. A picnic dinner on the bank
of the creek under the big trees was
an interesting feature, while sand
wiches, cakes, cold drinks and other
refreshments were dispensed at the
big community house on the hill
above. This large stone building was
used as a school, church and public
hall for a long time, but now they
have fine new church on the hill at
one side Of the canyon, new school
house on the other and the old build
ing is used for Community Center,
a modern public utility which other
communities on the mesa have talked
about but only a few advanced
thinkers really tried for, while these
people of the Canyon have enjoyed it
for years.
In the afternoon the crowd repair
ed to little mesa above and at the
foot Of the caprock, where race
course had been cleared Of soapweed
and other distractions, and number
of good races were pulled off, includ-
ing a relay race and pitching mule.
The crowd then returned to the COM
munity house, where dancing was in
dulged in until daylight next morning.
Among those who celebrated at
Carrizo were: Eufracio Gallegos and
wife from Gallegos, several families
of the Mitchels, Jim Christmas, Geo.
Lucases, Mrs. 7. M. Ogden, Carl Nu-
gems, Rev. Moores, Nels Wetterhus,
and lot of others from Liberty COM
munity, Messrs. Shepherd and Rankin
of Denver, Dave Ballards of Albert,
the Abernathys, MOcks, Woodlands,
Ogdens, Miss Alaska Gray, Cravens
Plumlee, and a number of young men
from Roy, and many others drove out
in the evening. Most of them visited
Carrizo for the first time and tried
several roads before getting the right
one. Those who went at night drove
miles of canyon roads before they
got there, but all had an experience
they will remember.
Tony Chaves was at the head of the
committee who planned and put over
the affair and is entitled to much Gre
dit for the effort.
The editor and friends acknowl-
edge the hospitality of Mr.. and Mrs.
DOroteo Martinez, who invited us to
their fine little home on his large
ranch on Carrizo, mile or two above
the celebration grounds where their
cool stone house offered shelter from
the hot sun and their flowers and
shrubbery made a pleasing contrast
with the plains and rocks surrounding,
while his big flock of sheep, his barns
and stacks of hay from his big vega,
his cribs full of corn and all the other
things that make a ranch prosper
were a part of the landscape. The
visit made US more dissatisfied with
town life than we were before.
The drive home through the beauti-
full ripening fields Of wheat and dark
green of the cornfields was the round
ing out of a perfect day. Save for
bushing few cars out of the canyon
where they were not equal to the
grades or sand, it was a day of unal-
loyed pleasure.