— Roadside History of New Mexico

The corner of Ft. Fillmore Road and South Main St., Las Cruces (Highway 478) – the only mention or trace of the old fort in the area.

Johnson’s New Military Map of the United States, a replica of a map printed for the United States War Department in the year 1861, places all the Forts, Military Posts, etc., and shows Ft. Fillmore, Arizona Territory, positioned aside the Rio Grande, just above Ft. Bliss, Texas and below Ft. Thorn, Arizona. My modern-day H.M.Gousha map of New Mexico shows a Point of Interest symbol for the "Ft. Fillmore Ruins" just below Las Cruces between State Road 478 and Interstate 10.

In the 1840s, settlers streamed westward; their need for security along the southern route to California was recognized. Mesilla, a growing economic colony and an important stop on the route to California, needed protection from raiding Apaches.

In Sept. of 1851, the U.S. Government established Ft. Fillmore near Mesilla to insure the security of settlers and travelers to the area.

The outbreak of Civil War saw Confederate Lt. Colonel John R. Baylor capture Ft. Fillmore after a brief skirmish with Union soldiers on July 25, 1861. Baylor proclaimed Mesilla the capital of the Arizona Territory and redrew the boundaries of Arizona and New Mexico east – west at the 34th parallel north latitude; Arizona below and New Mexico above the 34th parallel. Hence, what is now southern New Mexico was Arizona Territory until 1865 when President Lincoln had the boundaries redrawn to their present positions. Colonel Baylor’s Confederate troops left Ft. Fillmore later in 1861 to join other Confederate forces in Texas. Ft. Fillmore was then abandoned and officially closed by the Union in Oct. of 1862.

Eastward towards the Organ Mountains and I-10, the general area directly ahead is where Fillmore stood.

Despite Fugate’s book telling me there is nothing left of Ft. Fillmore, my desire to find traces of its presence prevails. On a recent Saturday I set off from El Paso in search of modern day truths regarding Ft. Fillmore.

I drive slowly northward on New Mexico State Road 478, searching to my right, paying attention to each sign I see, looking for either a historic marker or a road to the right telling me that the ruins of Ft. Fillmore are near. Reaching the southern end of Las Cruces, I make a U-turn and head south again. Ft. Fillmore eludes me, but I know it’s there; the map says so.

Reaching Mesquite, New Mexico, I turn around and head north again. No signs, no road, no fort. Despite the male penchant not to ask directions, I stop at Scotty II’s Grocery half way between Mesquite and Las Cruces seeking help. Bill Kirby, the clerk, tells me "If I remember right, ’bout all you’re gonna see is pecan groves. There’s a Ft. Fillmore Rd. about three miles down to the left; try it." I thank Bill and restart my journey with the hope that he is wrong.

Three miles to the south I find Ft. Fillmore Road and turn left. After a few hundred yards the road turns to dirt; elegant modern homes line its sides; pecan groves abound. Bill Kirby was right, but I still harbor hopes that something remains of Ft. Fillmore. After about a mile, Ft. Fillmore Road ends. There are "No Trespassing" signs posted, metal gates and irrigation ditches, but no Ft. Fillmore. In disbelief I look eastward towards the traffic on Interstate 10. No ruins visible.

"Dress Right, Dress" military style pecan groves.

My camera captures a large cottonwood, several groves of perfectly aligned pecan trees and the "No Trespassing" sign, but no remnants of primitive adobe buildings, no historical marker. A man drives up to the mailbox post seeking his mail. His response to my Ft. Fillmore query: "It’s all plowed up and turned to pecan groves."

I am saddened that I am unable to find Ft. Fillmore. The map’s information had raised my hopes that something of the post remained. The quest is not in vain, though, for I have had an enjoyable search, met new friends, taken a few interesting shots, and learned that even the best mapmakers can make unique mistakes.

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La Mesilla, New Mexico, has changed little since Billy the Kid and Jesse Evans died at the end of its lusty frontier atmosphere. Thick-walled adobe buildings erected by the remarkable men who trekked the heels of Don Rafael Rules from the heart of Old Mexico to settle in the spawning Rio Grande Valley are much the same as they were when 10-year-old Mary Maxwell, the daughter of one of La Mesilla’s forthright citizens, was carted off by a hungry mountain lion while gathering wildberries.

Henry Fountain painting of the ceremony at the Gadsden Purchase. Photo courtesy State Historical Society of New Mexico

The wheels of the Butterfield Stage were slowing. The town had its own laws, and these were solidly enforced. This was a time when its citizens settled their matters with a six-gun rather than wait for a slow-coming court decision.

La Mesilla lies about one mile south of Mesilla Park, on old Highway 80. The macadamized road is aptly marked, and it takes but a few minutes for a visitor to reach this peerless old town with its rows of graves extending far up the hill, a grim reminder of its shadowed history. The sleepy little community with its Old West atmosphere was once considered by Hollywood producer John Ford for a John Wayne movie.

Established in the early 1950s, La Mesilla was under Mexican rule until July 4, 1854, when Governor Merriwether met with Mexican officials, and it became American soil. This rendezvous, where signatures were duly witnessed, was held under a giant cottonwood tree that stood like a structure in the plaza. This was also the site of the famous Gadsden Purchase Treaty.

At the time when the United States purchased this untamed territory, La Mesilla’s population of 2,000 was largely made up of Mexicans who had not yet learned to speak English and were not happy at being "sold off. " There were many pouting faces and muttering voices among the assemblage that gathered for that momentous occasion at the Plaza. As the Stars and Stripes were hoisted to the limb of the cottonwood tree, the United States military band played the sweeter tones of music that could well have inspired composers of John Ford Westerns.

Among the procession of citizens that attended the ceremony was an irate Mexican who was determined that the Mexican flag should also fly. He climbed high into the cottonwood, carrying the Mexican flag he held so dear. When the American flag was unfurled into the gusty winds, he raised his own flag at the same time.

A great chorus of "Viva Mexico! Viva Mexico!" erupted with the force of a volcano and echoed off the surrounding hills with the force of a windstorm.

Although a conflict was avoided, the tension added fire to the otherwise peaceful ceremony. Armed American soldiers stood ready on one side of the oval-shaped Plaza. Their Mexican counterparts stood on the opposite side.

The young patriot who had raised the Mexican flag tried to climb down out of the tree, but, to his chagrin, was gestured back. He had to remain in a uncomfortable position in the tree for several hours while Governor Merriwether and administrators from Mexico made official utterances.

Today every citizen of La Mesilla is a loyal American. In both World Wars, the young men of the village have responded to the call of duty, and have fought and died bravely for their country.

The tree under which the signing took place has been replaced by the bandstand in La Mesilla’s plaza. Photo courtesy correspondence to author by Dave Walton, Temecula, CA. Historian

During the boisterous early days of the War between the States, La Mesilla was, for a brief period after its capture, headquarters for the Confederate Army. It was proclaimed so by Colonel John R. Baylor, the capital of the Confederate State of Arizona. La Mesilla was a busy place in these troubled times, and a mine of information passed through its boundaries that was vital to the outcome of the war.

The wrangle of politics caused a situation unlike any other known, for the residents of La Mesilla took their politics as seriously as Texas regarded cattle and the branding iron. The fight between the Republicans and the Democrats was called "battle of the bands." It began in August, 1861 and spread with astounding rapidity. Citizens were thrown into confusion. Many, panic-stricken with the sudden outbreak, took up arms, or ran in every direction seeking safety for their families.

The Republicans gathered at the house of Johnny Lemon; the Democrats met in the Plaza where they listened to Padre Gallego and other loyal Democrats warn them of the fearful fiends that would ravage and devastate the village.

General Gregg arrived with a full detachment of armed-to-the-teeth soldiers from Fort McRae after Washington had been informed of impending trouble between the two factions. They camped in those lands cut by erosion into odd-shaped hills with a few level places near the prairie lands for several days. The temperature was hot enough to melt ball bearings. Perhaps their presence avoided trouble. In any case, when it became evident that matters would be settled without gunplay, the General took his troops and galloped back to Fort McRae.

No sooner had the troops disappeared over the horizon than danger hung over La Mesilla like a vast funeral pall. The Democrats decided to antagonize their inhospitable neighbors by marching their band around the Plaza singing a song they knew would irritate the Republicans. The words were sung to the tune of Marching Though Georgia.

The Republicans retaliated by lining up their own band, led by Antonio Garcia playing heartily on his "flica" horn. They marched around the Plaza in one direction while the Democrats marched in the opposing direction, playing and singing just a loudly as their enemies. When they met at the end of the Plaza, the result was as volatile as a lighted match thrown into a can of gasoline.

It started with shouts of insults and curses and eventually erupted into flashes of sabers and revolvers. Before the sun set over this new and growing town, ten men lay dead in the streets, their wives and children rendered homeless without a bread winner. The dusty street in front of Grigg’s store was strewn with forty bleeding, wounded men. One individual lost his eyesight during the skirmish. Another had to have a leg amputated when gangrene set in and threatened his life.

Thinking fast, Old Man Griggs sent one of his clerks galloping hell-bent-for-leather on his fine Kentucky gelding, to overtake General Gregg and his regimental horsebackers. The general and his troops galloped the hard-packed soil back to La Mesilla with breakneck speed, but the damage had already been done.

A detachment of troops was left in town to discourage any further outbreak and the town quieted down. The dead were buried. Families rendered destitute depended on the charity of their neighbors. Both republicans and Democrats suffered; none escaped without experiencing a loss of some kind.

La Mesilla was in the third judicial district and no judge was appointed to the bench at this time; so no one on either side was ever tried for murder.

Among La Mesilla’s eminent visitors was Lew Wallace, whose greatest fame actually came from his novel, Ben Hur, which he wrote while governor of the Territory of New Mexico. Another was Kit Carson, famous Indian Scout and guide. Carson was a familiar sight on the dusty streets of La Mesilla where he carved his name on a tree that was carelessly cut down by a thoughtless resident and used for firewood. It is said that Carson ate regularly in the old La Posta Inn, a thick-walled fortress against rampaging Indians.

Sign history of Billy the Kid. Photo courtesy author’s collection

There can hardly be a resident left who can remember the days when Billy the Kid was lodged in the La Mesilla jail. Residents – especially youngsters – sought excuses to pass the old jailhouse, hoping they might see the famous outlaw peeking through the bars, or even that he might speak to them. The residents of La Mesilla both feared and admired young Billy.

Billy was often seen swaggering down the streets of La Mesilla laughing and joking with residents. A newspaper man visiting the little village representing the Las Vegas (New Mexico) Gazette, wrote: "He is about 5′8" tall, slightly built and lithe, weighing about 140, with a frank and open countenance . . . roguish blue eyes, light hair and complexion. He is in all quite a handsome looking fellow . . . and he had agreeable and winning ways."

Billy and his sidekick, Jesse Evans, frequented the noisy bars where they gambled and drank, always armed and always in ill-fitting clothes. Several other historical favorites drank and gambled with them – Frank Baker, Billy Morton and Jimmy McDaniels, the latter reportedly being the gent who gave his young companion the nickname of Billy the Kid.

A piece in the Gazette by this same reporter said the children of La Mesilla all had wooden guns and practiced the quick-draw and pretended to be their hero, Billy the Kid.

The Kid went on trial in La Mesilla for the murder of Sheriff Brady, and for the killing of Agency Clerk Bernstein of the Mescalero Reservation . While the trial was going on, the town was overflowing with curiosity seekers who came from all over the Southwest to get a look at the Kid. Hotels were full; the tills at restaurants and saloons never stopped ringing.

Many old time residents who witnessed this event left behind diaries and documents that have been handed down from generation to generation. Some reports said people cheered to the rafters when the Kid was acquitted of the Bernstein killing because no witnesses testified against him. But their exaltation was short-lived. There had been witnesses to the cold-blooded shooting of Sheriff Brady, and the jury found Billy guilty. He was sentenced to death by hanging, although many thought he should have been given only a stiff prison sentence.

Witnesses spoke of his loyalty to his friends, and recalled how Billy had taken an oath to kill every man who had been involved with the murder of his dear friend John Tunstall while he was unarmed. That was the thunder of the Lincoln County War.

Mrs. Aureliano Fountain Armendarez, granddaughter of Judge Albert J. Fountain, who played an important role in New Mexico’s history, was featured in an old issue of Frontier Times magazine, probably in the Sixties, as one of the most interesting citizens of La Mesilla. She was born and raised in then-nearly-century old Fountain house made of adobe, with deep windows set in two and one-half-foot walls. The ceiling was said to be high and a wide hallway divided the old mansion.

"One of Mrs. Armendarez’s most prized possessions is the large and beautiful collection of "Santos," one of which has been in the family for seven generations," the article said. "This is in the Santo Barbara which is painted in tin. There is likewise a Santo carved on wood by Jose Aragon, New Mexico’s Santo primero. There is a life-sized Santo that is carried on Good Friday processions every year. This is an old Spanish ritual performed in the United States only in La Mesilla."

Antonio Garcia (L) Circle shows bullet hole in his flica. Photo courtesy State Historical Society of New Mexico

Mrs. Armendarez reportedly owned the flag left behind when the Union soldiers evacuated Fort Fillmore a few miles southwest of Las Cruces. The same old brass flica horn that her father played on that incredible day the bands collided, hung in her corridor for guests to admire and take pictures of. A clump of lead filled the hole put there by a sharpshooter with a fierce aim.

Her neighbors passed by the steel doors that separated Billy the Kid from freedom while he was incarcerated in La Mesilla, having been used as a room divider in the Armendarez garage.

Every September the residents of La Mesilla dress up in their fanciest duds and welcome tourists to their Pan-American Fiesta, which draws hundreds of spectators. These festivities last from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening. Parades, lots of music in the Plaza and in private residents, are non stop during this event.

The main attraction of the Fiesta is a Saturday night dance when the Fiesta Queen is crowned. Every young Cinderella in town waits all year with anticipation of a dream coming true.

Treats of roast beef, barbecued lamb, frijoles, and other delicious Mexican and American food are enjoyed by everyone.

While many old towns of the so-called, Wild West have barely enough remains left to give some vague outlines – foundations, shapeless piles of stone, and brick, and streets overgrown with sage brush – the last hundred years has seen little change in La Mesilla, New Mexico.

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Visitors Center at Fort Selden.

One of the photos often seen in World War II literature is of General Douglas MacArthur wading ashore at Leyte in the Phillipines in 1944, honoring his “I Shall Return” promise to help liberate the islands from the Japanese. As a young boy 60 years earlier, the future General of the Army might well have waded barefoot in the muddy Rio Grande River in Southern New Mexico.

On a recent visit to Fort Selden State Monument, I was reminded of the fort’s connection with MacArthur, one of the 20th Century’s best known military figures.

Fort Selden is located about 15 miles north of Las Cruces, up the Rio Grande valley near Radium Springs.

You can get there on Interstate 25, but it’s a more leisurely drive up Highway 1-85, which follows the course of the Rio Grande northward.

Remnants of the fort’s adobe walls remain, and there’s a modern visitor center with a museum housing interesting exhibits depicting life in the U.S.Army of the late 1800’s. Visitors may view a short video telling the history of the fort, if they wish, before taking a self-guided walking tour of the grounds.

Fort Selden was one of a series of frontier outposts established by the government after the Civil War to protect western settlers from the Indians and from outlaws. The fort was built in 1865 and occupied off and on until it was finally abandoned in 1891. In 1884, career officer Captain Arthur MacArthur was assigned to Fort Selden as Commanding Officer. He brought with him his wife and two young sons, one of whom was the young future general Douglas.

The Indian threat in the region was winding down. The following year, however, Apache chief Geronimo and his band escaped from the reservation in Arizona and began raiding along the borders of Mexico, Arizona, and Southern New Mexico.  

Ruins at Ft. Selden

Walking among the stone foundations and adobe ruins of the fort, I could imagine young Douglas MacArthur and his friends running and hiding between the buildings, playing at Cavalry and Indians, their imaginations sparked by the latest army post scuttlebutt about the whereabouts of Geronimo. In 1886, a year after their escape, however, Geronimo’s band surrendered, and life at Fort Selden probably settled back into its normal dusty army post routine, especially unexciting for boys on the lookout for Apaches.

Fort Selden was laid out like many military posts, buildings arranged in a rectangle with a drill field in the center. The MacArthur residence quarters faced out onto the drill field, and are marked today by a sign. As a boy, MacArthur probably watched out the windows of that adobe apartment as the daily military rituals of reveille, forming the troops, and evening retreat took place. In later years, Douglas MacArthur would march the drill fields at West Point, first as a cadet, and later as Superintendant of the academy. Perhaps the seeds of his devotion to “Duty, honor, country . . . ” were first planted here at Fort Selden.

The MacArthur family left Fort Selden toward the end of 1886, moving on to a new assignment. Douglas later went to a military academy in Texas, then to West Point, and on to a long distinguished military career, ultimately achieving the rank of five-star General. He served in both World Wars and the Korean conflict. MacArthur was one of those characters in history whose lifetime bridged two eras, from the final years of the Indian conflicts on the western frontier to the beginning of the Atomic age at the end of WWII.

Military history buffs will especially enjoy a visit to Fort Selden. There are no camping facilities there, but it’s just a short drive up the road to Leasburg Dam State Park, which has some nice scenic campsites and RV facilities. It’s an interesting and peaceful spot to spend a day or a weekend, watching the sun set over the mountains and imagining what it must have been like here in those earlier times.

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Roasting chilies at the Hatch Chile Festival Photo by Carla DeMarco.

Just when the rest of New Mexico begins to cool at the dawn of autumn, Southern New Mexico begins to sizzle. The fiery happenings begin on Labor Day Weekend when the normally pacific village of Hatch is transformed into blissful pandemonium.

Hatch, known as the Chile Capital of the World, lies in the fertile Rio Grande valley, some 30 mostly-arid miles northwest of Las Cruces. The tiny town is the heart of New Mexico’s chile land; over 30,000 acres of the succulent pods are cultivated annually.

Chile pepper is Land of Enchanters’ mysterious and highly addictive vegetable that – depending on its heat level – may cause brows to sweat, noses to run, eyes to tear, and alas, guttural hiccups upon overdose. It’s a painfully pleasant experience New Mexicans welcome many times daily. Chefs use the chile both fresh and roasted – whole to stuff with cheese for rellenos, sliced to anoint burgers and steaks, and diced for sauces, salsa, stews, and other dishes that demand a pungent punch.

To usher in the chile season, Hatch hosts the Labor Day Chile Festival. The venue is split between downtown and the airstrip, two miles west on Highway 26.  The lively festival draws thousands of tourists from around the world and features a chili cook-off, arts and crafts galore, two-steppin’ music, sidewalk sales, chile eats and products, and a parade led by the newly crowned Ms. Chile.

The main purchase item is, of course, fresh picked chile portioned out in 40-pound burlap bags. Shuffling along with the big sacks, New Mexicans form queues at the roasting stations where the fleshy pods are toasted in giant metal baskets that rotate over a hissing propane flame. Sweet and delicious, a smoky aroma sweeps through the valley whetting appetites that beg for a chile fix – "now." Chile maniacs flock to the food carrels to devour pudgy burritos, two-fisted gorditas, cheese-laden rellenos or full to bursting sopaipillas . . . it’s a culinary adventure that both permanent and fleeting New Mexicans anticipate each harvest.

The Hatch Chile Festival is, indeed, a hot item on Labor Day weekend. And when the first batch of chile rolls off the roaster, celebrate the occasion by preparing Misty Weathers’ award winning green enchiladas (recipe below) for which she placed second in the 1988 Hatch Chile Cookoff.

Green Enchiladas

2 cans of creamy chicken mushroom soup
1 can water
2 dozen tortillas
1 pound grated cheese
Chopped onion
Garlic powder to taste
3 chopped roasted green chiles

Mix soup, water, garlic and chile. Cook soup for a few minutes. Warm tortillas. Roll small amounts of cheese and onions in tortillas and place in pan. Pour soup mix over tortillas and bake for 30-40 minutes.

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Technorati Tags: chile,festival,plantlife,Hatch,Dona Ana County

Chile is not going to come and go, like kiwi fruit. It’s going to stay, like rock’n'roll.
— Paul Bosland, "Mr. Chileman," New Mexico State University

Hatch, New Mexico calls itself the "Chile Capital of the World"

Chile is surely not going to go away in tiny Hatch, New Mexico. As a matter of fact, there’s a bit of a frenzy this time of year. It’s just the annual Chile Festival in Hatch, a forty-minute drive along the Rio Grande from Las Cruces. The madness happens on Labor Day weekend, with folks driving in from as far away as Tucson, Albuquerque and Fort Worth to load up their trunks with genuine Hatch chiles (that’s the New Mexico spelling as decreed by the state legislature).

To paraphrase Dallas guru Frank X. Tolbert, a chile festival is a kind of Brigadoon to aficionados. Upwards of 30,000 of them will take home this precious cargo – enough for enchiladas, chiles rellenos, caldillo and salsa for the next year.

 

 

Getting there

To join the multitude of chile fans, take Highway 185, a winding two-lane road that parallels the Rio Grande from Las Cruces through Radium Springs right into The Chile Capital of the World. You’ll see wisps of smoke alongside the road; roll down your windows and breathe in the heavenly scent of roasting chiles. Most of the houses will be festooned with ristras, strings of dried red chiles. Many of these are for sale, usually for less than those at the festival. Bring them home to hang on your porch, and when you’re through with them, you can grind them into chile powder. Note: If you’re in a hurry, just take I-25 north from Las Cruces and take the Hatch exit (about 30 miles).

After you get there

When you get to Hatch, be sure to check out the Hatch Chile Express at 622 Franklin, about three blocks off Hall Street, the main drag. Jim and Jo Lytle run this nifty little shop which features almost any variety of chile you could want, including habaneros, which are reputed to be the world’s hottest. Dried red chiles cover the roof – this is a good camera shot. You might even see Ted Turner and Jane Fonda, who own a nearby ranch. Fonda’s friends came for a housewarming a few years ago and cleaned out the Lytle’s stock of ristras. Prices run from $5 to$25.

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Where to eat For delicious restaurant chile, try Las Palmas at 104 Franklin Street. Here you can request the degree of hotness of your chile. Also, try B&E Burritos at 300 Franklin, just down from Chile Express. Their red and green burritos are a feast for chile lovers. Both restaurants are very moderately priced. Arriving at the festival The festival occurs at the Hatch Airport, just west of town on Highway 26. Just follow the signs or the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Admission is free, but there is a $3 per car parking fee. Browsing chiles at the Hatch Chile Festival. Inside the festival grounds you’ll find food booths featuring pungent chile dishes: burritos, enchiladas, gorditas, caldillo, chile verde con carne, tacos, chiles rellenos and chile-topped burgers. With the smell of chiles wafting toward you as you get out of your car, how can you not be tempted? Beer has been sold in the past, but no decision has yet been made whether or not to allow it this year. Many feel it destroys the family atmosphere, so you might have to do without. In the past, when beer was not sold, you could bring your own. Call to find out. Kids will find plenty to do inside the grounds. Carnival rides, pony rides, games of chance – all offer energy outlets for the little ones. Furthermore, there’s plenty of room for them to romp without getting lost. Temperatures are usually in the high 80s or low 90s, so be sure to wear a hat and put on sun screen. This applies to kids, too. The festival starts with a parade at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, and an old-time fiddling contest is tentatively scheduled for Saturday afternoon. There will be a big barn dance Saturday night at the airport from 9-1. You can buy chile in sack, roasted or unroasted.  Mind you, roasting doesn’t impart any special flavor to the chiles; it just makes them easy to peel. If you really want a delicious smokey flavor, bring them home and throw them in your smoker for 15 minutes. Use hardwood such as pecan, oak or mesquite. Peel and freeze the chiles in plastic bags to satisfy you craving all year. Caveat: Wear rubber gloves or coat your hands with oil before handling chiles. Keep your hands away from your eyes or you’ll be sorry. Remember this: Corn tassels signal harvest time, which peaks about Labor Day. So, if you can’t wait for the festival, just head to Hatch in mid-August. You’ll still find chiles, but not the hoopla.

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“Lovebirds” Photo by Carla DeMarco

Last spring, our second in Southern New Mexico, my wife and I discovered that this part of the country has the most shameless bunch of birds we have ever seen. I mean, it’s disgraceful!

They sing all day, sometimes even into the night, and they want us to think they are a charming delight, but we know what they’re really up to. It’s caboodling. That’s what they’re really up to. Birds can’t outsmart us!

I don’t know which species is the most disgraceful. 

The white wing dove, old "Johnny one note," may be the most persistent. All day long, these birds perch on power lines, fences,  roofs and tree branches, and they call out to each other, over and over and over. Occasionally, they pair up and fly away together, right out in the open, where anyone can see them, with the "C" word on their minds.

The mockingbirds are a sight, too. They not only embarrass us with those libidinous avian operatic voices, they stake out a territory and lay claim to it like they were in the California gold rush. Heaven help you if you’re a cat! Those mockingbirds not only cut up and carry on in public, they chase cats. 

The house finches, which look as if they stuck their heads in a bucket of red paint, try to imitate the mockingbirds’ song.  It’s not easy to mock a mockingbird. These little guys have a strange role model. If I sat in a tree and whistled at every lady bird around and chased after cats, my face would be red, too. 

I guess my candidate for the most scandalous bird of them all, though, is the boat-tail grackle. (Heavens, I’m almost embarrassed to say the name.) They not only broadcast their intentions with an astounding array of lascivious noises, sounding like an audio tape run backwards, they strut and stretch and display themselves like they were something special. But even the mockingbird is more respected. Could you imagine a song called "Listen to the Boat-tail Grackle," or a novel named "To Kill a Boat-tail Grackle?"

I know that by this time, you must be terribly concerned and asking anxiously what we can do about all this. Well, I have several suggestions. 

First, we have to form a committee. Anyone knows you can’t do anything without a committee. Washington has taught us that.

Next, I think we should all write letters to our local newspapers and complain right out in public about the behavior of these birds. That will undoubtedly line up wide support.

Then, I think we should write letters to the mayors and the city councils and encourage, no, demand!, that they pass ordinances against such bird behavior. That should take care of it.

If we don’t do something, we’ll have to put up with the scandalous sights and sounds of these caboodling birds again next spring here in Southern New Mexico. 

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Chiles displayed at the Hatch Chile Festival. Photo by Carla DeMarco

Some of the 1,136 residents of Hatch might say "Chile Capital of the World." And of course, they are sure to point out that New Mexicans spell their chili with an e on the end instead of an i. According to the Roadside History of New Mexico, in 1988 the New Mexico State Legislature passed a facetious memorial threatening to deport to Texas any New Mexican caught using the word "chili."

Hatch began as a stop on the Santa Fe Railroad between Rincon and Deming, first known as Hatch’s station. It was named for the commander of old Fort Thorne. When settlers arrived in 1800, the station was really three villages:  Colorado, Santa Barbara and Santa Teresa (or Placitas) near present day Hatch. These farming communities depended upon irrigation ditches bringing water from the Rio Grande. Sadly, they were at the mercy of periodic floods, and in 1886, Santa Barbara’s buildings were washed away and the farmlands were covered.

By the end of the First World War, Hatch had become a small town. A cloudburst in the Santa Teresa arroyo caused a flash flood that destroyed the town in 1921. After the Elephant Butte and Caballo dams were built, offering Hatch good protection from further flooding, the town again began to grow. Farming on the rich bottom land enabled it to prosper and it soon became known for the quality of its vegetables, particularly chiles.

Located on State Highway 26, two miles off Interstate 25 at Exit 41, and forty-eight miles northeast of Deming, the town annually celebrates with a Chile Festival during Labor Day weekend. The "Chile Cook-off" is the highlight and draws contestants from all over to vie in producing the tastiest or hottest chile dish. A ristra arrangement competition is another popular event of the celebration. Ristras are strings of red chiles hung up to dry for later use in cooking. They have become very popular as decorations also. If people buy the ristras to ship they are urged to make fine slits in the skins and allow them to dry prior to shipping. Otherwise, they will mold while making their way to a destination.

New Mexico has twelve chile producing counties, with Dona Ana leading. Chiles are the state’s top cash crop and ranks first in the amount produced and acreage planted, double that of its competitor, California. The dictionary describes chile as "a hot dried capsicum pod." The herb books list it as cayenne-capsicum, a wonderful healer and references to it have been found on plaques in Egyptian tombs. Other facts touted but not confirmed:  New Mexicans consume the most chile per capita and there are more retailers of hot chile products per resident than any other state.

For those who like hotter and hotter sauces, the theory is that you like the blast of endorphins your brain releases when the capsicum hits your mouth. A hint:  milk works better than water to douse it quickly.

Whether the plant was a wild chile from South America 6,000 years before Christ or was brought to New Mexico by the Spanish or has always grown in New Mexico, it thrives under the New Mexico sun and Hatch is the place to buy quality, newly harvested chiles in the fall.

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Anthony welcome sign. Photo courtesty Anthony Chamber of Commerce.

Few cities, towns, villages or individuals, without moving, find their address and even their country has changed. The towns named above are some of those few, because that is what happened to them. In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase changed the southern boundary of the U.S.

New Mexico and Arizona were not yet states. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 had vaguely described the U.S./Mexico border, but President Franklin Pierce wanted to insure the United States possessed a large strip of land that would provide the most practical route for a southern railroad line to the Pacific.

Railroad promoter and diplomat James Gadsden negotiated the purchase from Mexico of 77,000 square miles for ten million dollars. In 1854, the U. S. Senate ratified the deal by a narrow margin. This odd-shaped strip of land now forms extreme Southern New Mexico and Arizona south of Gila. The eastern most portion of the Gadsden Purchase includes the Mesilla Valley that lies on either side of the Rio Grande River, where the villages in this story are located.

Residents had been given the choice, following the Hidalgo Treaty, of living in Mexico or the U.S. However, these events in history took that choice out of their hands, and the Gadsden Purchase set new international boundaries. Thus, those in these villages who had lived in Mexico, although they had not moved, suddenly lived in the United States of America, in what is now New Mexico. The Spanish language is heard there more often than English, and some do not speak English at all.

On the eastern end of the Gadsden Purchase, the town of Anthony, that is divided by an invisible state line, has become known by locals as the "best little town in two states." The early center of commerce developed around a flour mill located about 1/2 mile north of the state line and slightly east of where the railroad now runs. Farmers would visit and conduct business when they brought grain to the mill to be ground. The first post office was established in New Mexico in 1884, and still, in 1999, both sides of town are served by one post office in New Mexico. The post office, as well as other state and county offices, form the service center for small towns between Sunland Park and Mesilla.

Anthony, New Mexico was at one time called Halfway House because it is located half-way between Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Two stories of how the post office in 1884 became Anthony exist. One says a local lady built a chapel in her home and dedicated it to her patron saint, San Antonio. When a post office was requested under that name, another city in New Mexico had already claimed it, so the English form, Anthony, was chosen. The other story is that it was named by a Catholic priest who had established a church there. At one time it was a stop on the Butterfield Stage route.

When the Santa Fe Railroad was built in 1881, they located the train depot on the Texas side of the state line and called it La Tuna. It is said that name was chosen due to the large number of prickly pear cactus that grew in the area. The Spanish name for prickly pear is La Tuna. The name was also given to the Federal Prison built at Anthony in the early nineteen thirties.

The area between Las Cruces and Anthony contains some of the richest farm land in New Mexico. Early crops of cotton, alfalfa and grape vineyards have been joined by large pecan orchards and onion, lettuce, and chile fields. The many dairies make insulage, alfalfa, and grain crops popular. Population estimates of this area are about 15,000 people living in the little hamlets and the wide open spaces, and encroaching seriously on the farm land in the Mesilla Valley.

On the New Mexico side, the Gadsden Independent School District is reported to have more bus miles than any other school district in the United States. The district extends from Sunland Park on the southern end to San Miguel and Mesquite on the north and across the mountain to Chaparral on the east. In contrast, the Texas side of Anthony makes up the Anthony Independent School District, one of the smallest school districts in the state. Anthony, New Mexico is not incorporated and is governed by Doña Ana County. The Texas side of town was incorporated under the name of Anthony, Texas in 1953, and is somewhat of a bedroom community for El Paso.

In 1988, Mary Ann Brown, a member of the Anthony Chamber of Commerce and born on Leap Year, founded the Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club. The Chamber voted to proclaim the New Mexico/Texas town "Leap Year Capital of the World" and to sponsor the one and only World-Wide Leap Year Birthday Club and celebration. Then New Mexico Governor Garrey Carruthers and Texas Governor William B. Clements joined in the special proclamation. Senator Pete Domenici read it into the Congressional Record Vol. 134, No. 146, Friday, October 14, 1988, of the 100th Congress. Quadrennial celebrations were held in 1992 and 1996. The Leap Year 2000 celebration is planned to be the biggest one yet. The dates set for it are February 26-29, 2000. Anyone born on February 29 is eligible for membership in the Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club at $20, renewable every leap year by February 1. For information write Mary Ann Brown, P O Box 1818, Anthony, TX 79821, 915-886-2540 or Anthony Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 1086, Anthony, TX/NM 88021. One person’s idea for something this unique can make the difference in tourism for an area, no matter how small the town.

One can take three routes for the approximately 25 miles to and from Las Cruces to Anthony:  via the old scenic route on NM Highway 28 on the west side of the Rio Grande; or through the valley on NM Highway 478 (formerly U.S. Highway 80); or if you’re in a hurry, Interstate 10 will bypass the farm lands and villages.

La Union, an agricultural community, is three miles southwest of Anthony on NM 28. Its post office opened in 1909, although the ages of the adobe houses indicate the village is probably older. The population is primarily Hispanic-American, some of those whose address changed, even though they did not move.

Chamberino, four miles north of Anthony on NM 28, was a refuge after the Mexican War for residents who could choose between citizenship in Mexico or the United States. Known as El Refugio and Los Amoles, it was in Mexico until 1854, the year the Gadsden Purchase was ratified, then became part of the United States. After many floods, the town was rebuilt on the higher, sandy, western mesa. The chile products have produced a retail establishment known as the Pepper Lovers’ Heaven at Pepper Tree Farm. Grapes and wine are other products in this area and La Vina Winery, said to be the oldest winery in New Mexico, is just off Route 28, a short distance to the west.

La Mesa, four miles north of Chamberino, is another area founded following the Gadsden Purchase. The tableland took its name from the nearby lava flow known as Black Mesa, although the town was originally known as Victoria. When the post office was established in 1908 it was named La Mesa. Populated with predominantly Hispano-Americans and a few Anglo-American pioneers, La Mesa is an agricultural community. The San Jose church was established in 1875, but was in a state of ruin by 1902.

San Miguel, three miles north of La Mesa, has a beautiful church. It was originally built in 1880, torn down in 1926, and rebuilt from volcanic rock. The village and post office were known as Telles until 1917. In 1926, the Stahmans bought 2,900 acres from the Santa Tomas Farm. Santa Tomas is on the map north of San Miguel, but apparently no village exists there at present. The Stahmans cleared the land and acquired more. Beginning in 1936, they planted pecan trees, with lettuce, cotton, and onions among them until the trees became so large the crops dwindled. There are so many pecan trees now they line both sides of the highway for three miles.

Chaparral is eleven miles across the mountain through Anthony Gap, east of Anthony. In Place Names of New Mexico it is described as a rural subdivision whose name means overgrown with scrub oak. Many manufactured homes and mobile homes are scattered over a wide expanse of land. Its zip code address is the same as Anthony’s. The eastern boundary is the Fort Bliss Military Reservation in El Paso.

Berino, five miles north of Anthony, just east of NM 478, is directly across the Rio Grande from Chamberino. Settled by Hispanic-Americans, this area is also a part of the Gadsden Purchase. Little historic information is available, but evidently it was called Cottonwood at one time with its own elementary school. It is now the home of McAnnaly Chicken Farm, a huge egg production plant.

Vado, four miles north of Berino, has had many names, among them Herron, Earlham, Center Valley and Vado. The population of this farming community was Hispanic and some African-Americans, many of whom moved here in the 1920s from Blackdom, a dwindling African-American community near Roswell. The proud people at one time established a negro college at Vado. The Herron family had opened a broom factory in 1886, explaining the name "Herron." Quakers from Indiana brought the name of Earlham that held from 1888 to 1911. Center Valley was named by a postmaster and existed for the years 1913-1919, then returned to the name to Vado.

Mesquite, four miles north of Vada, was a farming community established in 1882, named for the many mesquite bushes growing there. The post office was established in 1913.

East of Mesquite is Bishop’s Cap, a park in the southern Organ Mountains. It contains Conklin Cave, in which bones of ancient sloths, camels and cave bears have been discovered. Little other information is available.

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Looking toward Sierra del Cristo Rey Mountain from Sunland Park City Hall. Photo by Phyllis Eileen Banks

Does Sunland Park, just outside El Paso, Texas bring to mind horse racing? It is much more than that. It is not in Texas, either, but in New Mexico. Until 1960 this area was known as Anapra, where Don Juan de Onate crossed from the east side of the Rio Grande into New Mexico in the 1500s. Robert Julyan in The Place Names of New Mexico states, "Despite the complexity of postal dates and postal names, this longtime inhabited community . . . has preserved its separate identity despite its proximity to an industrial area of El Paso and to the Sunland Park complex . . ." Located just west of the junction of NM 273 and NM 498, the name is explained as meaning "this side of the river."

Roadside History of New Mexico by Francis L. and Roberta B. Fugate indicates that when a race track was planned the name was changed to Sunland Park and located on the New Mexico side of the border. State laws made the decision easy because New Mexico allowed parimutuel betting at race tracks and Texas did not. With the track only 500 feet from El Paso the horse racing enthusiasts hadn’t far to go. Now a casino has been added next door to the track.

The City of Sunland Park is located at the New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua, Mexico border and is just minutes away from the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, the only land crossing to Mexico in the area. It has all the amenities of a large city but none of the congestion. With 15,000 people, average age 28, Sunland Park is young, vibrant and growing. Incorporated in 1983, its enthusiastic city leaders invite residents to participate in the exchange of ideas. Planned projects include over 34 million dollars to be spent on infrastructure. The recently created Camino Real Chamber of Commerce has added a vital business support mechanism to the area businesses.

With more than 350 days of sunshine a year, mild winters, 9.2 inches of annual rainfall, low humidity and pleasingly hot summers, Sunland Park offers a year round favorable climate appealing to residents and tourists alike.

In addition to the attraction of the race track, a statue of Christ, one foot taller than the Christ of the Andes, overlooks Sunland Park. It is located on Sierra del Cristo Rey Mountain, in New Mexico, elevation 4675 feet. The mountain is composed of volcanic rock and is lower than surrounding peaks. It is visible for miles but is uninhabited due to inaccessibility. However, early travelers passed this mountain on packed mules originally giving it the name Sierra de Muleros (Mule Drivers Mountain). The monument is eight hundred feet above the level of the city on rugged switchbacks. The Cristo del Rey, 29 feet high carved from white limestone, has been visited by thousands of people on yearly pilgrimages to celebrate the anniversary of the Cross, October 17, 1940.

The monument overlooks New Mexico, Texas and Chihuahua, Mexico, the same three states that offer so much potential to the future of Sunland Park.

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Santa Teresa Port of Entry. Photo courtesy Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance

Santa Teresa is a young community at the junction of New Mexico Highways 278 and 9. It is about four miles north of the Mexico border, practically adjacent to Sunland Park, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. It consists primarily of residences in a gated community, although there are three or four churches nearby.

The community evolved from the dream of a country club. According to Roadside History of New Mexico by Francis L. and Roberta B. Fugate, "In the early 1970s, professional golfer Lee Trevino was one of the principal backers in the design and construction of a golf course and country club known as Santa Teresa." It was originally planned with luxury homes and an airport for fly-in golfers. Later Trevino withdrew but growth continued.

Real estate developers added homes and condominiums that appealed to residents of El Paso who wanted to escape urban sprawl. Now a few miles from the residential area is also an industrial park of which the War Eagles Museum is a part. This area attraction is a must see, especially to those of "The Greatest Generation," as it is a trip back to World War II, including 40s music.

Now, adding to the importance of Santa Teresa, a border crossing Port of Entry to Mexico has been established. The Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance describes the Port of Entry as "a 67-acre site that offers quick and easy access to Mexico without the lengthy delays common at nearby El Paso’s three bridges." A permanent facility is operated by the U. S. Customs Service. It has twelve inspection docks, no tolls, and large loads can be easily accommodated. The Santa Teresa Port of Entry offers connections to Puerto San Jeronimo, and access to Juarez and other places by way of the paved Casa Grandes Highway in Mexico.

In 1995, 42,000 vehicles arrived via this entry, increasing to 62,000 in 1996. The El Paso Customs District includes West Texas and New Mexico, and Santa Teresa Port of Entry is part of this district. Less than one mile east is a cattle crossing operated by the Chihuahua Cattle Growers, opened in 1992. It is one of the largest and most advanced cattle crossings along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. The 96-acre site has a facility capable of handling 30,000 head of cattle at one time.

The industrial growth in Santa Teresa can do nothing but build the economy. At present, it is an unincorporated town but that will no doubt change before long.

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