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FRAM I -LEA:MINT BE= 'T0 BANE PRESIDENT
Mrs. Bertha Gusdorf of Taos
Among the courageous women who accompanied their men to the Southwest
in the '50's and later in the !O's were the wives, many of them young brides,
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of German and Jewish merchants and clerks, to whom the country was especially
fearfnit, on account of complete difference in language and customs.
Among these pioneer women who came to New Mexico with the coming of
the railroads, was Mrs. Bertha Gusdorf„ who came to Santa Fe and a little
later to liat in 1878. At that time an immigrant girl bride of 18 years,
she made the long ardous journey from New York to Trinidad by train, oy
stage coack to Santa Fe and thence to Taos, over an almost impassable trail;
the latter part of the journey taking four days where now an automobile
makes the trip in two hours over a non too good road.
Bertha F. Gusdorf (Bertha Ferse) was born of Jewish parents in November,
1860, in the village of 0berlistungen near Cassel, in the Dachy of Hesse
Cassel, in the central part of Germany.
She attended school in her native village, similar to our primary and
grammar grades. Was married in the spring of 1878, to Alex Gusdorf, who had
returned to Germany after fourteen years in America, moot of which time
was spent in Santa Fe, Penasco and Ranchos de Taos, where he was in business
for himself, operating a large flour mill and other mercantile business.
The young couple came to New York, May 1, 1378, and traveled by train
to El Moro, Colorado, about five miles east of Trinidad, which at that till:6
was the terminal of the Santa Fe railroad while the contractors were bor-
ing the tunnel through the Raton Range. They than traveled by stage coach
to Santa Fe where they lived for a ;short time and then moved on to Ranchos
de Taos to make their future home.
Bertha Gusdorf
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At that time, Ranchos de Taos, even more so than at present, was
almost 100% Spanish-American. About the only Anglos living at Ranchos were
the teachers at the Alice hyson Mission, a Presbyterian iastitution. The
Anderson brothers with their families lceme to Ranchos in the &sae year (137S)
to enter the employ of Mr. Gusdorf in his flour mill.
The young German woman under the necessity of learning two languegee:
Spanish, to be able to talk to her neighbors and maids, and aiso Engli*-h to
talk to the Andersens and the few other Anglos in the village. This she
accomplished mainly by the trial -and -error method, aided by Mr. Gusdorf,
who had already spent about sixteen years in New Mexico. She now reads and
writes English and speaks Spanish fluently.
Mrs. Gusdorf's per daughters were born and soent their childhood years
in Ranchos do Taos. They are, Elsa, wife of C. D. 1+;eimer of Colorado Sprix,s,
born in 1384, and Mrs. Corrine Wylie, also of Colorado Springs, born in 1890.
In 1894, after the destruction of 4. Gusdorf's flour mill at Renchos,
by fire, supposedly of incendiary origin, the family moved to T&Ob where
Mr. Gusdorf went into business' with Gerson Gusdorf and J. J. McCarthy.
They lived for some time on the lot in the rear of the store building
now occupied by haedarris and the Taos Variety Store.
In 1909 they erected their new home on the Santa Ye road on the brow
of the hill over -looking the lower Taos Valley with the north slope of
Picurie mountain in the distance. At that time, adobe housea and Pueblo
architecture were not customary and Elie building vas sheathed wit1'. steel,
and the interior finish of bard wood. In later years he had it.stalled
steam het, fired with oil burners.
Bertha Gusdorf
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TO the limiter, who offered his congratulations, and wished her seventy-
five sore birthdays, she remarked that she did not care to live that long,
that *fifteen or twenty-five years mould be plenty."
Be this woman, who came to American in 18M, from Germany, u jewish
girl bride, has lived to see her children's children, find to pin the respect,
love and affection of the entire community, which when she came to it was
entirely foreiib in language customs, and race prejudicea.
SOUUCE OF INFORMATION
L. Bertha Gusdorf, Taofi, Nelv Mexico.