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Marie Carter
Anthony,
New Mexico
OLD ?MRS' DICTIONARI
In
DETAIL
1000 words
In the early days of our community the old-Uniers found many
difficulties to ov(4rcome. Unacustomed, to the easy-going life of their
Mexican neighbors, they were not contented to fart a little, eat a frugal
mean of friloles, chili and tortillas, and finish with a cigarette.
They craved more luxuries and more entertainment than this primitive little
border town afforded. aence, life in Anthony, soon became a lonely,
monotonous grind. When asked one old-timer what he thought when he
first saw out town, his reply was slow, but to the point.
"Whew! I'd hate to tell you," he said.
"Why?"
"Because the only house that reminded me of home was a brand new
frame. "And, lady," he drawled, "there wasn't another one like it in
town."
"Where was it located?"
"Right over there on the highway where the Meanie Valley Electric
building stands."
"Did you like the food the natives cooked?"
"Not at first," he said, with a twisted smile, "but it didn't take
me long to learn, and in a short time, I was takin' my frijoles, tortillas
and chili straight."
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Frijoles are beans, but not white beans. The Mexicans buy the
mottled pinto beans. Tortillas are the wafer-like corn cakes made from
hand -ground corn flour. The Mexican housewife scorns the tortillas flour
sold by grocers. ',Alen making chili, they use the large, dark red, chili
pods. first they steam, dr roast the pods, then peel them, and use the
thick rich pulp to make chili sauce.
"Old Timer," I said. "You seem to knew a -great deal about this
Great Southwest."
"A little," was the modest reply.
"In what year did you come to this town?"
"1994. I cane over the Anthony ua."
The Anthony Gap is eest of Anthony, and cuts through the Franklin
mountain range. St. ththony's Peak, or Anthony's nose, is part of the
Franklin range. It has the appearance of a man with a huge nose.
The little town of Anthony, New Mexico, is located in the upper
part of the Hio Grande Valley, twenty miles north of El Paso, Texas,
and twenty-three miles south of Las Gruces (the crosses). The main street
is on the Highway of America. That historical road traversed by the
early Spanish Explorers, and to -day by thousands of motoring tourists.
Parallel with this famous highway is the Santa Fe Railroad. reet
of the railroad is the ever-changing Rio Grande, a river, that geve the\
old-timers considerable worry. Fort prior to the building of the Elephant
Butte 'am, they were at it's mercy. Almost every spring, from 1984 to
1904, it would rise, overflow, and spoil their crops. One eld-timer told
me that he quit planting seed in the spring, and went to building dams i
to protect his ranch.
"Yap, I war right here at thl time," chirped another old-timer,
and ax -cowboy. 'We sure did hep our neighbors in them days. Ve had
a flood in MSS that was purty bad, but in 1912 we coml purty nigh bein'
swmped (swept) in t' a dryer world." The old cowpuncher paused to pick
pis teeth with the end of a match.
Why the Whole Rio Grande Valley must have been inundated,*
I said.
"Well," he drawled. "I don't know thl meanin of that word, mum,
but we sartinly hid oceans of water. That war so darn much of at, that
we had to use a skive (skiff) to fetch (fetch) some of th' ranch folks t'
town."
"Some day I want you to tell me about your cowpuncher days,"
I said.
*Weil," he drawled, blowing the match out of his mouth, and
favoring me with a free shower, "if hits yarns ye want, dim right thar.
But ah don't tucker much t' stories, can ah ain't got no book larninI Ye
seep Imp ihm aorta innocent."
"Oh," I said, *Really?"
m/es„mum," is all he said.
**11141H14411W******
Shortly after talking to the old cowpuncher I met Judge Thompson.
"Judge," I began. 'I 'a curious about that little Catholic church
northeast of town. Was it the first one built in this community?"
"No, Wald," he answered. The first Catholic church was a very
small chapel. It stood on the other aide of the road. I should judge
about a hundred feet northwest of the present church."
'who built it?'
"A Meeicen woman," he said, "That is, she had it built. Her
name WRS Sabina Lopez d Gil. You, see, she didn't like the irrigation
eyetem, so she erected a chapel in honor of San Jose in the belief that
he would furnish her water. At that time the Three sints irrigation ditch
headed at Mesquite, 12 miles north of Anthony. From Anthony it continued
its course mouth, behind the present Bennett Drug Store, southwest of the
S ante Fe Tracks."
"What did they call the Broadway of America in the old days?" I
asked.
"Camino Beal. E.B. 6cott of Anthony, ran a stage route, which
began at Ll Paso del Norte, through El Paso Texae, up the Rio Grande
valley to 4nthony, north to Lae Cruces, and Dona Ana. A short distance
from Dona Ana it left the valley, end continued east of the Rio Grande
to San Marcial. North of Dona Ana, on the road to San Marcia', was the
famous Jornado del Muerto, or the Tourney of Death."
"But Why?" I inquired, "DIdn't they follow the route up the valley
from San Marcial t'ereueb Rincon, Hatch, eerr, Array, Falomas, Hot Springs,
and on up to the 4leohant Butte jam?"
"Beceuse it was uneafe. They mere afraid."
"Afraid? Afraid of whet?"
"Apache. Indians. Those blood —thirsty devils who concea ed them—
selves behind the heavy timber, embushee travellers end killed them for
the sake of killing. So they established rt road across the open country,
or Jornado del Muerto."
Camino deal, means, The King's Highway. El Paso del Norte, means
the North Pass, but it is now called, Juarez, Old Mexico. In the early days
the present El Paso was called, "Franklin." The route traveled by the
stage cut through the Black Range and Cabello Range mountains, across 85
miles of waterless country. In the summer, Jornedo del Mnerto, is a
hot —bed of unrelenting heat, and many a poor traveller has perished while
trying to arose it. There VAS also another stage mats called the "Butter,.
field 'tags itoute," which turned 7:est then it reached Mesille, Park,
twenty miles north of Ainthany. ãcei1la seams "Seat."