OT: New Mexico and the Old West

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Hi y'all,

 

The subject above tells you what this post is about .. and its only

about that subject .. so if it doesn't interest you .. tis better you

zap this post now. ;-)

 

Some might find it strange that a feller who lives in a country where

history is written in thousands of years (some as far back as 5,000 BC)

rather than in less than 300 years .. finds the history of the American

Old West fascinating. I think it might be due to that shorter history

being part of the history of my homeland. For whatever reason, I love

the mountains of New Mexico .. love the high, crisp, clean air .. love

to ATV through the wild canyons where tall peaks reach up hundreds of

feet on either side. I like to follow cold streams that are full of

fish and gold and silver and watch wild critters come down to drink.

 

Bottom line .. if you like wild, unspoiled country .. country where you

can loose yourself in areas that odds say you and your companions will

be the only humans within many miles .. then the area around the Gila

National Forest, the National Wilderness, and the rest of the area of

New Mexico is a good place to plan your next vacation.

 

New Mexico will again be a part of my extended vacation this summer.

 

My buddy and I panned gold in the mountains around Glenwood and I BS you

not when I say that there is not a stream around where one can't find

color in every pan .. the problem is .. color is all you find when you

get down to the black sand (which is iron) .. but its always there ..

tiny specks of gold. We figured that if we both worked hard for 12

hours or so we might collect enough to buy a six pack of beer. ;-)

 

Finally .. I like to visit the many Ghost Towns throughout the area.

 

This morning my buddy from Glenwood, NM sent me a URL for Mogollon, one

of my favorite Ghost Towns and one that we visit each time I go there.

 

I started checking and found some others that are also interesting ..

and most of these are within an hour drive of Glenwood .. some are much

closer than that. I think I could never get bored visiting these old

towns .. walking the same ground as characters in American history who

were bigger than life .. and feeling their presence .. if we try hard ..

we can feel them around us .. might even hear them .. or see them.

 

Below are but a few of the many Ghost Towns in that area .. and this

list is only a few of many in the SW corner of NM .. mostly in Catron

County where my buddy lives .. in the list below are 591 NM Ghost Towns.

 

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/nmalphabetical.html

 

A few I will comment on.

 

Alma ............. http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/alma.html

Alma is interesting due to some of the characters that used to visit

there. But this is true for any and all of the old towns found in all

areas of the Old West.

 

Cooney ........... http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/cooney.html

Cooney is at the foot of the mountain leading up to Mogollon .. just up

the road from my buddy's mini ranch. The rock you see is larger than

the photo depicts .. the entrance to the solid rock tomb is around 5

foot high. The back side of the rock extends out maybe another 25 feet

or so .. its solid .. the tomb was made by placing explosives inside and

then chipping away. Behind the tomb is the grave of Cooney's companion

and one other person.

 

Graham ........... http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/graham.html

Graham is also just around the corner from my buddy's place. Graham is

interesting in that its at the foot of the Whitewater Canyon. If you

wanna test your heart and stamina .. I recommend you take the long trail

to the top of Whitewater Canyon .. if you make it you can be assured

that you are in good shape. My buddy is a couple of years older than me

and had a triple bypass two years ago. But he runs the mountains often

and is used to the thin air (7,000 feet or so). We did the trek to the

top .. damn near killed me but I was NOT going to turn back. All along

the way we met yonkers in their 30s and 40s who were turning back .. its

a bitch of a climb and regardless of the shape one is in they will stop

every couple of hundred yards to take in the beautiful scenery. ;-)

 

Really .. there are many places along the trail where one MUST stop

because there are some beautiful rock formations .. and some of the most

inviting pools of water I have seen .. young folks do strip down and

splash from time to time. Though it says that the water line was torn

down there are still parts of it intact along the trail. I have many

great photos of that area. If you decide to take this trek .. you MUST

take a canteen of water along with you .. you MUST!

 

What the URL does not tell is that Geronimo and his band hid out in the

Whitewater Canyon for many years .. coming out when they wanted to hit a

settlement and such .. and if you go into the canyon you will understand

why the US Army was not able to get him out.

 

Mogollon ......... http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/mogollon.html

Mogollon is a most interesting town .. it has a cafe (Purple Onion) a

host of tourist shops .. a museum run by an old feller I have come to

know and like. He's in his 80s .. and has devoted his life to Longhorn

Sheep .. he hates Mountain Lions. ;-) Old feller still goes out into

the mountains and counts sheep .. tries to keep up with their population

and such .. a real nice feller. Above the town of Mogollon is a ancient

cemetery .. I think older than the town .. in which are buried mostly

Spanish souls .. all died from a smallpox epidemic. Some of the iron

work in that cemetery is outstanding work .. indicating that the disease

didn't spare the rich.

 

Frisco ........... http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/frisco.html

Frisco is interesting due to the history left behind by Elfego Baca who,

in 1884, set out to restore order as a self-appointed sheriff. That

alone made his mission tougher than normal in a wild area where cowboys

and Indians did what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it.

 

http://www.hiltonopen.com/Elfego0401.htm

http://www.utep.edu/twp/baca.htm

http://www.epcc.edu/ftp/Homes/monicaw/borderlands/22_elfego_baca.htm

 

Though he was still a teenager, he also cleaned up the wild and woolly

town of Socorro, New Mexico .. among quite a few others .. and some will

remember the 1958 Walt Disney movie, " Nine Lives of Elfego Baca. "

http://www.southernnewmexico.com/Articles/Southwest/Socorro/Socorro/ElfegoBaca-t\

amingSocorro.html

 

In 1959, Disney came out with another movie, " Elfego Baca: Six Gun Law " ,

which featured Annette Funicello as Chiquita Bernal. I was in love with

Annette when she was a Mouseketeer and if I were to go to a shrink today

odds are he would discover that the ONLY reason I married my ex-wife was

because she was the spitting image of this sexy little Mouseketeer. ;-)

http://www.mousestars.com/steve/annette/afmovie5.htm

 

Pinos Altos ...... http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/pinosaltos.html

Pinos Altos is, like Mogollon, is occupied now and has most of the basic

needs on site .. a grocery store and bar. ;-) I enjoy going to the bar

(not shown) .. next to the Opera House. The first time I went there, in

1969, it was dark .. filled with locals and my buddy and I sat at the

end of the bar. Around the corner from me sat an old Apache Indian,

dressed in a mix of Indian and White clothing. He was staring down the

bar .. deep in thought. I figured that in time he would say something

and I wanted him to because I was interested in speaking with him .. but

he was quiet. After a while, I asked my buddy (he had once lived in

Pinos Altos) if he knew the man .. he laughed and told me the Indian was

a wax figure. ;-) Folks .. I have been to Madame Toussad's Wax Museum

in London (well worth a visit) and the figures there are as lifelike as

the folks they represent, but none are better than the Old Indian at the

Pinon Altos Bar .. and the old feller still sits there today in that

darkened area .. staring down the bar.

 

Another site in that area that is worth visiting is the Gila Cliff

Dwellings National Monument .. though not as interesting as the Valley

or Goreme (Cappadochia) here in Turkey .. a site of ancient Christian

homes and churches carved into solid rock .. most of the churches

covered with frescoes .. http://www.about-turkey.com/tourism/goreme.htm

http://www.hitit.co.uk/tosee/cappy/goremeoam.html

http://cascoly.com/trav/turkey/goreme.asp

 

its still well worth seeing as its more natural .. and an important part

of America's history and culture. http://www.nps.gov/gicl/ .. and ..

http://www.darkisle.com/newmexico/gila/gila.html .. be prepared for some

steep paths and a long walk .. again .. take a canteen of water along.

 

This year we'll again visit some of these areas but concentrate on an

area visited last year .. Gallup, NM and surrounds. Gallup, NM is the

Heart of Indian Country .. the Epicenter of Native American history,

art, culture and tradition in the Old Southwest. There are many Indian

reservations around the area .. mostly Navaho, Hopi and Zuni .. and the

folks living there live in two worlds .. the White world and the Indian

World. My buddy taught school there for many years so he is not a

stranger to their world.

 

http://www.ci.gallup.nm.us/ ........ http://www.gallupnm.org/

 

The Navaho (Dine) are the largest tribe of North American Indians today.

http://inkido.indiana.edu/w310work/romac/navajo.htm

 

I find many similarities between the myths of origin of the Navaho and

those of the ancient and mysterious Anasazi .. though the smart guys

say its more likely that the Zuni and Hopi are the descendants of that

group of people. http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/nav/omni/omni02.htm

 

The Anasazi built the first super-highway in the USA .. over a thousand

years ago .. and they were skilled in astrology and astronomy.

http://raysweb.net/canyonlands/pages/anasazi.html

http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=anasazi_indians & OFFID=se1 & KEY=anasazi

 

Researchers are still trying to determine the cause of the disappearance

of the mysterious Anasazi People .. they have not figured it out yet ..

http://raysweb.net/canyonlands/pages/drought.html

 

We're also going to visit Chaco Canyon .. and other places in the area.

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o & d=98001311

 

In any case .. those who like to read the history of the old Southwest

and a bit on American Indians probably enjoyed this post .. and those

that don't like that history and didn't read it lost nothing. ;-)

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com