The Baca family riding into Magdalena Photo by Jacky Barrington
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It was Cruz Baca’s dream. Having grown up in the Riley area, then living around the high country, he wanted to ride the Rio Salado from its beginning all the way to Riley. Coming into Magdalena, New Mexico on horseback in time for the Old Timers’ Reunion was an added incentive.
“We tried it last year but just couldn’t get it together.” Baca said. This year the family started planning earlier, and Baca’s daughter, Tammy Atteberry, and her daughter, Kendi, (6 years old) from Fallbrook, California were able to join the trip.
Tammy, who hasn’t had much opportunity to ride lately, admitted the hardest part of the trip for her was speculating. “It was harder in my mind than it turned out to be.” The family laughed as they recalled Tammy showing up with three big bags and one box. They spent a day repacking Tammy and Kendi and had them down to “one small backpack each.”
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Cattle made from recycled materials relax by the Rodeo Grounds. Photo by Kelly D. Gatlin
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Magdalena has seen it all. From the days of lead, zinc and silver mining in the 1880s and cattle shipping when the railroad spur from Socorro reached the town in 1884 to test missies flying overhead, Magdalena has grown and shrunk and grown again.
One of the largest shipping centers west of Chicago, Magdalena was known as the Trail’s End of the livestock driveway from Springerville, Arizona. A wild town, with bars, hotels and gambling for the monentarily solvent cowboys, Magdalena earned its name peaceably enough around 1540 when a Spanish soldier saw the face of Mary Magdalene on the north side of the mountain that overlooks the present town. The face is shaped by a natural formation of rocks and shrubs, but the religious resemblance caused the mountain to become a place of refuge from hostile Indian attacks.
Today this historic town of 1100 inhabitants celebrates its heritage during Old Timer’s Reunion, the second weekend in July, with a parade, rodeo, dances and fiddle contests and crowning of the Old Timers’ Queen.
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