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dith L.Crewford
Carrizozo,N.Yex.
PIONEER STORY
k
MAP I 1193a
After returning to Texas in 1881, we stayed there five years.
Mr. Roberts went beck to terming end stock raising but we were not
satisfied to ttey in Texes. In September 1866 we sold our farm and
cattle, kept thirty head of horses end started out again for New
Mexico. Ly tether, W. L. Parker, my matter, one brother, two sisters
and a young man by the Lars of J'im 4elker, whom we brought along to
drive the extra horses, besides Vr. Roberts and myself and our five
children, made up this party. We CEIMA in two covered wagons, each
drawn by two horses. We cerped out at night. We were not so afraid
of the Indians as we were on our first trip as the Government had
calmed them down by this time, although the Indiens would steal horses
from the settlers whenever they had en opportunity.
It was a long drive between watering places end our stock suf-
fered for the want of water. We hauled our drinking water in kegs
and had to be awful saving with it. We would stop at the big stock
ranches, water our stock, fill up cur kegs and buy fresh meat. The
only meat we had on our trip was cotton tell rabbits that we killed
on the way. We arrived at Nogel, New Yexico, the last of November
1886. My husband was still looking for a rich gold mine, but all the
good claims had been located when we returned to Nogal, so he went to
hauling freight from Socorro New Yexico to White Oaks and Nogal New
Mexico. Nogel was a lively mining town in those days. There were
two stores, two saloons and a hotel. Lincoln County was a wide open
stock country then and when the round ups were over in the fall the
cow boys would come to Nogal to spend their summer wages. At the
dances the cow boys would get drunk and would have shooting scrapes
and they would shoot out the lights in the dance hell. I remember
.Zdith L.Crawford ords-GE-5
2.
Carrizozo,N.Yex.
one night they killed Bill Ellis in one of their drunken brawls.
He was a brother to Noah Ellis, who owred the I X rench, which
was about 27 miles south of ogel. Vogel wrs a wide open town,
there as a lot of money spent there. We lived there for several
years and than bought us a place of our own at Bonito City, New
Mexico, located on the Bonito River at the foot of the White MoUn-
tains. The land was very rich and fertile. He raised nice irish
potatoes, cabbege etc., and all kinds of garden stuff but tte.sim-
mer seasons were very short as we were so high up in the mountains.
de sold our produce at Fort Stanton, Nogal, Mite Oaks and Roswell.
We also raised cattle and sheep.
ry father and mother were both born in Texas. My father was
a freighter in Runk Texas. He raised stock too. They moved from
Rusk to Llano Texas, where they farmed and raised stock until they
sold out and came to New Mexico in 1888, with us. My father and
family left Nogal and went to San Pedro New Mexico, which was a
coal mini= town, and ran a hotel there. They stayed there for
about txo years and then came back to us on the Bonito. After a
short while they moved bock to Texas but were not satisfied so
they cams back to Nogal. One of my sisters died there.
By this tins all of my father's family had moved out west and were
living in and around Nogal except my brother Ben who was living in
Califcrnia. My father went out there to visit him and took sick
and died while there. My mother lived with my three sisters and
me until she died in 1909. Mr. Roberts and I had eight children,
three girls and five boys. One girl died while still a baby but
all the rest of my children are living. Mr. Roberts died in 1913.
NARRATOR: Mrs. Alice Roberts, Cerrizozo New Mexico. Aged 78 years.