Document text
March 8, 1957
J
Marie Carter 1,000 words
Anthony, New Mexico
OLD TIMERS D/CTIONARX
IN
Detail
There is no doubt, that today and not to -morrow, is the propitious
time to collect and preserve some of the true stories of this Great South-
weet. For there are not many of the early settlers or old-timers left. Many,
who Tore the prth-finder for us, have çaeci. tway, leaving no records of
the heroic parts they played in the historical drama of our country.
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Take one old-timer for instance,— one of the oldest pioneers
of our community. Her house is old, too, but it has not withstood the ravage
of time near so well as she. When I asked her how long she had lived in
nkt bony.She laughed end replied'
"Gracious, child! rhy don't you ask me how long I've lived in
New ',1!xico? 'Caass If yen Fet any sense out of my story Tell have to start
from the baginninl over in Lincoln County, where we located before comini
to Dona Ana."
"ht year rns that?"
"1881. We moved to Anthony in 1397. My firat husband had been
out in this country before, but as I told you, IfteSoln, the, he druve a
freight train across the plains from Kansas to Colorado. It was slow travel,
too, 'cause they druve ox teams in them days. .Besides, if they wasn't watchint
for Indians, they was a elowin' up to let the buffalo go by.
-2-
were
"And where/you at that time?"
'Back in Missouri a waitinl, and when he come back home we was married,
and started on our honeymoon. After visttie some of his kin folks at
Farmington Missouri we bought us a covered wagon for the rest of the trip.*
"That must have been exciting," t said.
'Yes, it was. The first thing we run into, after passing the Navajo
Indian Iteservation a little ways, was about three hundred redskins on horse-
back, and I guess the only reason they didn't scalp us was the fact that they
was too drunk to see us. The, that could still drink was a reelin, from side
to side, and then that couldn't hold anymore were asleep on their horses'
neck. They was the real thing too feathers, blankets, bare legs and
moccasins. Some of them wore little aprons for pants.
"What tribe were they?"
"Navajos.*
"Were you afraid?"
t didn't flinch. And When they pa2sed on my husband patted me on the
shoulder. I guess he thought I was pretty brave."
"You certainly were," I said.
We had to be in them days. And on the upper Feneasco, where we first
settled, every man and woman faced the same problems. Then we moved
a little lower down, to Mayhill, New Mexico, the town my father, Henry
Mayhill, homesteaded. I was the first postmaster. Mayhill is in Otero
County. So is the Mescalero Indian Reservation. We had lots of Indian scares
and never knew *hat then wild Apaches were goin' to do next. I hated the old
squaws. Sometimes they'd knock at my door, and when //d open it, there they'd
be all wrapped up in blankets. They always traveled in pairs. They wanted
water but they couldn't understand me, and I couldn't understand them. So
they'd grunt away down in their throats, open their mouths, and point at the
hole in their faces."
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Mary Coe Ilevins was the wife of Jim Co., a man who knew Billy the
Kid and liked his. She gave birth to the second white child on the upper
Peneasco„ a creek, sometimes called a "river.' The upper and the lower
Peneasco was seperated by a dry basin for about twelve miles.
The Coe's moved to Anthony, New Mexico in the year 1897. They home-
steaded a ranch gortheast of Anthony, where they lived for forty -.five years.
It was a stock farm, and they pumped their water with a steam engine, which
Mr. Coe ran, while Mr. Co cut wood to feed it. After their homestead was
proved up they moved into town. In 1909 they sold their ranch to the
government for a target range. Mary Co. is now Mrs. 41evins, and is seventy-
five years old. She was born in Missouri in the year of 1962, June the 1st.
The other day I dropped into our local drygoods store to chat with
a friend, and old-timer, who has lived in our community since the year of
1901.
'What," I inquired, "did Anthony look like when you located here?"
"Lordy, met" she exclaimed, "I wish you could have seen it. All
this business section on the highway was jest a wagon road. We druve horses
8n1 buggies in them days, Int wagons, of course. It took us a *hole day
to get anywhere south to El Paso, or math to Las Cruces. S -cuss me."
She opened the stove door to expectorate; then eaplained; 'It's snuff. Bin
chewie it for twenty years, In' ain't got used to it yet."
I waited, until my friend had reclosed the stove door, then re-
sumed my quissingt
"Where was the principal business street when you located here?"
'nest of the Santa Fe tracks. Guess how many houses was on that
street? I see you can't guess," she added quickly, so I'll have to tell
you. There was five. I run a little notion store, 'n' Charley Miller run
a store next door. Re sold whiskey but had to quit, 'cause the Mexicans
would get drunk in his place inI start fights. One day he got so mad that
he took all his Whiakey barrels 'n' dumped 'em in thl street.'
"I suppose land was Cheap," said.
"I'll say it was. Good valley land ranged from eight to ten dollars
an acre," she said, 'Twenty-five dollars was a fancy price."
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The street referred to by this old-timer, in 1901, was a merit
country lane, with narrow trails brancing off in different directions One
trail turned north to the town of Mesquite. A second trail turned west to
the Rio Grande and Bosque, or low land.
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To -day, the ranch land known as the "Dairy Farm,' commands a top
price, but in 1901 it was bought by a Mr. Howser for six dollars an acre.
Mr. Rowser levelled the land and sold it to C.F. C-zrpenter for twelve dollars
an acre. Mr. Carpenter made some improvements and sold it to the El Paso
Dairy Farm Company. This company bought the ranch to raise alfalfa and grain
to feed their cattle. At the present time the principal crops are cotton
and sugar beet seed. The seed is shipped to Colorado to grow sugar beets.
In the early days of this town the chief amusements were picnics
and barbecues. The men usually barbecued the beef. Sometimes they re—
mained up all night preparing, cooking, basting, and turning it on the spit.
As one old—timer commented, "ye can't hurry barbecue.*
mta. C.C. Story, born 1972, Metropolis, Ills.
Came to Anthony, New Mexico, in a covered wagon. In the year
of 1901. Mrs. Story is a successful business woman.