Document text
Edith L. Crawford,
Carrizozo, F. Vex.
Date: October 14, 1938.
Words: 1247
18 Topic:Pioneer Story
Source of informaticn:
Elisha Leslie.
I was born February 14, 1873, in Dublin, Erath County,
Texas, and came to New Mexico when I was ten years old. I have
lived in Lincoln County about fifty-three years.
My father, Robert Leslie, was born in Fulton County, Georgia,
May 17, 1853. My mother, Elizabeth ,:iard, was born in Georgia,
(I do not know the town or county) January 6, 1857.
My parents were married about the year 1871 in Dublin,
Texas. I do not know when they came to Texas. My father owned
a farm near Dublin Texas, and raised corn, small grains, potatoes,
and had a small bunch of cattle and a few horses.
14 father had some big heavy teams and sometimes used
them in doing construction work. I know that at one time he had
four teams at work for a rail -road company, but I do not remem-
ber just where this was. My father Met a men by the name of
Zack Farr, who came down into Texas from Lincoln County, New
Mexico. He was always telling my father what a great country
New Mexico was and wanted to sell my father a ranch that he had
in Lincoln County.
In the spring of 1883 my father decided to sell out his
farm near Dublin Texas, and move to Lincoln County. Two other
men that he knew wanted to come too, so these three men, my
father, a man by the name of Dink Arthurs, and a man named Yorke,
(I have forgotten his other name), decided to set out for Lincoln
County. They had three covered wagons, one to each family.
In our family there was my father and mother, myself, Lure, Jim
and Callie. (A brother, Leech, had died in Texas several years
before.) There was Mr. and Mrs. Arthurs and one boy and one girl.
Mr. and Mrs. Yorke had no children. My father and the other two
men decided to drive their cattle through. The other two men
hired two men, brothers, named Carter and I made a hand for my
father. We three rode horseback and looked after the oattle,
about 200 head.
Each wagon had their own provisions and each family did
their own cooking over a camp fire. Ste women and children slept
in the wagons and the men slept on the ground. Nash wagon had
their own chuck box and water kegs. The only fresh meat that we
had on the trip were prairie chickens and antelope that we Oho%
on the way. We did not see any Indians or buffalo and we had no
serious trouble. We grazed the cattle along and when we would come
to good grass and water we would sometimes stay as long as a week.
We crossed the Pecos river at Fort Sumner. We had heard
so much about the quioksands on this river and how dangerous it
was to cross it that my father got a pilot to guide us across.
We got all three wagons and all the cattle across without any
serious trouble.
Billy the Kid had not been dead very long and we went out
to see his grave. My father had met Billy the Kid at a railroad
construction camp but did not know his well.
From Fort Sumner we went down to Roswell and up the
Hondo river through the Mesoalero Indian reservation, through
Warm.. and on over to Weed, New Mexico.
We got to Weed in the fall of 1683. We were on the
road about three months. The two Carter boys left us at Weed
and I do not know what became of than. The Arthurs family
stayed in New Mexico only a year or so and went back to Texas.
The Yorkes lived around Weed for several years and the last I
heard of them they were still in the Penasoo country, in New Mexico.
My father stayed in Weed only about a month and then decided
to go to the Farr Ranch, which is about eight miles from White
Oaks, and is now known as the Felix Guebara Ranch.
4e drove our cattle from Jeed, through the mountains, to
the Farr Ranch. We stayed there at this ranch all that winter.
In the spring of 1884 my father filed on a homestead at the foot
of the Tuscon Mountains. My sister Callie died during the winter
that we were at the Farr ranch.
After we had lived on the homestead for several years my
father bought a small place in White Oaks and stayed there during
the fall and winter and sent us children to school there. After
school was out in the spring we would go back to the homestead.
It was near enough for my father to go back end forth to the
honestaad all the time and see how things were getting along.
One winter I got tired of cotns. to school and decided that
I would p.et out on my own, so I ran away from ahite Oaks and went
out to the Block Ranch and hired out as a bronc buster. I was
about seventeen, I guess then. I was a good rider and not afraid
to tackle any kind of horse. I worked for the Block outfit for
about five years. It was owned then by two brothers, Andy and
Mel Richardson.
About 1894 I went to Arizona. I opened a meat market at
Springerville, Arizona. I was married there in 1895 to Minnie
English. After I married I went to work for a man named Harris
Miller, who owned a ranch near Springerville. I worked for his
for about three years. 1,:hile I was working for him, breaking wild
horses, a horse fell on me and crushed me up pretty badly.
I wns in e hospital at bt. Johns, Arizona, for more then six
weeks. As soon as I was able to travel again I came back to my
father's pleas in the TUscon mountains. I knew that my days of
breeking horses wee over.
I homesteaded on e place of my own not very far from my
father's place. I raised a few cattle and horses and did some
dry farming. ky wife and I had four children, Ruby, Walker.
Lure end Alma. ,hen Alma was about three months old my wife died.
This VIPS about 1920. Ey mother-in-law, Ire. George English took
my children to care for. Er. and ELM. English lived on a place
about e mile from our plaoe.
About 1923 I moved in to Carrizozo New Mexico and opened
up e meet market. I brought my three oldest children with me and
sent them to school. Ruby, the oldest girl kept house for me.
In 1933, I was married to Mrs. Ruby Vright, of Albuquerque,
New Yexico. In 1934 we moved to hi to Oaks and I bought the
place that my father had owned there, and my wife and I still
own it and live there.
Vy father died in February, 1932, and my mother died just
a month later, March 17, 1932, in Alto. Oaks, New Mexico. Both
are buried there. My parents bed ten children, five of whom are
still living here in New Lexico, one in Colorado, and four are
dead. The names of the children who are living are, Elisha,
Lura, Robert, .ard, Ben and Ellis. ky brother ,,ard still lives on
the old place that my father homesteaded in 1884.
NA&ZATOk: Elishe Leslie, Aged 85 years. Olite Oaks, New Mexico.
Edith L. Crawford,
Carrizozo, N. Mex.
Corrections on PIONEER STORY of Elishs Leslie.
Page 1. P aragraph 5. my D'other and father has ten children,
Elisha, LUra Leech, jim and Crllie were born in Texas.
Robert, Ward, Ben, Jesse and Ellis, were born in New Mexi co.
Leeot died before we moved from Texas to New Lexlco. Callie
died the f1zst winter we lived in New Mexico, late in the
year 1363. 4- brother 41114 died about the year 1869, en.d
Jesse was killed in tn eutoraobile cceldont about the year
1229, all dl,:6 la Kew Mexico, except Leech.
PV.9. 24.
-.1-.2.12.11 4. Billy the; id's:: gvave is at Port &Immo r
New Yexico DeBace County.
-,:tkrare4...5.. Weed, New Mexico, in uow in Otero County,
in the an cramen to Mountains, -about four ullas southeast of Cloud-
cro ft, New .oxicio Alen we came to this country in 1863, Pll
of the .1,a ce s me n ti one d were in L'C.nco In Comity at tha t t 1111,
1314,e 3, -okiragraph 1. The -Peuasco oountry referred to in this
story wat3 formed by- a group ar ranchers who settled on a small
dry crt7eek. r‘r-lled Penasoo Creek, It 13 in Ita Sm,rnraento AO M.o.
tins aad that tim in Lincoln County.
Pe3p.rac rah Our home ste at we s in Lincoln County, in the
Tuscola rounta ins, about eight miles southeast of white Oaks, New
Mexico, :and about fourteen riles nor thwest of Capitan, !gml Mexico.