Document text
Unriel Heekell
900 words
C'FiCH 4fitsT Or THA AID CRAiW3
tTTL=ANT OF CASON
In 1800 when Zudge K. Shupe was 18 years old, he broke
his right arm f,114 was forced to spend a great deal or time
in reeding rether then in the active lire of a 12 year old
boy. Among the books wh'ch helped to speed recovery woe the
Autobiography of Tit Carson. Ten years later lama* yoUng
man of twenty-two, he wont to Tres Piedras, New Usxice from
his hone in indspendence, Vircinia, end was employed by the
Stewart McConnell sawmill. He was again taken Ill and 4ur1ng
his convalescent's reread the famous Kit Carson autobiog
t4thy
His first visit into Taos ccme shortly after his illnows Ond,
was made prtic lazily to see the old Kit Carson headquerter4
and his crNve. Meanwhile Shupe had thought some of homeettied,ing
in that greet area south of Tres Piedras and west of the'Rio
Grande. or eiOiteen ,yeers he investigaLed the flow of the
arroyo aguaje main source of water for the country. He•had
covered this area thoroughly, rooming it on horse -beck for
hundreds of square miles, finding a suitable spot for hiS father
and uncle who bad left Virginiatte also settle in N (Onico.
So when the time came for nhupe to settle down it wes in luo9
that he decided on the present site of the town of Carson.
5h had decided that the Spanish names were too- difficult
to pronounce and s.nce there was the town Kit Carson LA Colo-
rado, and Carson •ity in Nevada, he felt thEt New iZexico should
have one town named after the famous trapper and scout., The
Shupe family were an old Vircinis family and tIlrough their many
dettlement of
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Contacts, interested two other fertilise in homesteading
with them. tleso wore the Itoder and Baucartner families.
A
Thetle three f4milies ware the firnt Of a VArmon group. Then
cane the Klints in the spring or 1910, another family- frou
Virginia. By thie time the spot had become khown so "The
Virinla !zettlement".
The 4*utip petitioned for a post offioe aad eeptember Oo
1912, is!r. 5. 1. aupe wan oppointed first post. mastsp. They
were also au,ighed a. school dintriot tnd l'iecanter 1, 1912,
sohoul opened. for the cl%!Jdren or etch% or ten fnmillee.
wee hold in 0 rNA411 fruma house and Mr. 9hupe wan the first
tesaort, Othor families anme In 191$ and ospaciaA.Iy IttrinF
thm yver 1914 there wt tAn inauX of n,Aw homesteaders.
This wbitiout ro boven contAl:rcting e road naromi the
imnde cmnyon, the one w!AcL ie still in Lop todoy.
ru-
vts to hir 11 wans or orrd, or the Arroyo
!tondo rotd oval. Zoha 'nunL4s toil bride.. It evr, t1;116
yacl: of 1‘14 thet it we thought aMArable by n tv,p or the
Lattr rainta in thn cohity to organize a 4ronvh or the
Yomon .;iftirch nnd ftlso :;unday- !Ahools The cot lament W6A
vinIted by :lona L.
:orrialt„ ;resident of the astern -Vitas
,•I on with leadqut,rters /a ,Amver.
wfte formed and gr.
elgter. 4100
'ranch org,Aii4stion
Awpe -ors appolntad tha trut JstLitjç
13over, soothe, early pioneer, was
.4acifty school su,,erintsndent. The ohurah grew and noon ofter
T3flitA.eaeflt of Varson
03
its organisation bed ninety-eight mealbere including children.
19 hell been the only church organiSstion in Careen.
Thin little settlement or couraceous homesteaders, 4ho
year after year, planted suitable dry fuming erpe and than
hoped that they would harvest enough to live on, grow' and
prospered until 19E0. A% the% census the precinct showA
248 persons. Then in 1923 high wages were botzle peld at the
sawmill at 100. Piedras and the mice mines nearksby•Assre *My
active. 'noon many of the homesteaders, who have been ixed-
die000ri+ed by the thereasing drought eneh year, left
their plows and the town of Carson to earn oLoy in other
fielOs or work. Tiut If. K. Tqlpe remained and oes clected Taos
CQunty irotwte alfil in 19riii sad 1V)0. Ity 1930 the populaLion
of Cerson had dwindled to loos thftu lb° inviiing Taos Junction,
Home five miles to the %'cit. Thte imv the railey station or
;he .)enver and _lo Grande ':!aistern end Mid tmon DAthing but a
railway butlding 11641e Carson wadi proopttrings,
clover, the
railroad had attrteted buoinesa and a smell cuntnity had been
slowly developing there ot 13ton, ('!'os nntion) while Carson
had boon going aownhill.
The year 1943-24 brought the gas% severe droucht cnd
thoe row farmers who still remained on their tumeatetde were
reduced to bringing water in barrels and 4anks loaded on trucks
and waeons haled rive nilas after being filled fro ttm !zio
(;rilde River itself. This buld water supply had to ttke care
or 140th 4ousi‘tholAS and stook puri,vses. This furthar rammed the
Se 1 t of ftroon
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pepult'Ation. Lxr a submarinul 1&U irckiaue by the
0owirmr,ont boudit lend to the south end west of this eres
Attach further reduced the po;:ulution of Corson.
1111) Carson dsa was finally built through the untiviAg
efforts of Illupe rind wev built to sinks reservoir or Vie
natural flow or water thonggh the ar:'oyo aquejes TOls cna,
one or the Poverament projects, was ished in Loreto, 1936 end
he* made irricoble land of pever 1 thousand scree which were
tlAralrx int waste lend.
'eAkin r:arsou expectA to prouper. cis rtrAllies hvve al-
rect4 returned atv4: others have ittz in inquiring about condi-
tions she, arc very hopsf;i1 of joining the settle1-4ent, 1,)urIng
thir ported the Aormon !!unay school htd Acttnued. There ere
et preGen% 3gistrc0. it .act, uecat,ccry to •iLlorg-nize the
church of the Tattqr Illy Mints atrot, 19th. It la toped, how.
evr, by 1;2,41 arid oth,ir strong ;Alfrnon loaders in the
community, that t!le will sAtin be !1)1, to otimi, on their
churah affiliations.
SWAM 'AP INT' 71
Personel knowleer of writer and interview Id; r. F. Shupe.