Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/New Mexico

NEW MEXICO, a Territory of the United States, is bounded on the N. by Colorado, on the E. by Texas and unorganized &ldquo;public lands&rdquo; adjacent to the Indian Territory, on the S. by Texas and Mexico, and on the W. by Arizona. It forms nearly a square, being about 335 miles in width from east to west and 345 miles in length from north to south on the eastern border, which lengthens to 390 miles on the west. As formed originally by the Organic Act of 1850, the Territory embraced Arizona and southern Colorado. In 1854 the &ldquo;Gadsden Purchase&rdquo; from Mexico added a strip along the southern boundary. In 1863 Arizona was detached and made into a separate Territory, and in 1867 the portion of New Mexico north of the 37th parallel was added to Colorado, leaving the Territory with its present boundaries, and an area of 122,460 square miles.

Physical Features.—The whole area is elevated far above the ocean, the table-lands of the north being 6000 to 6500, those of the centre 5000, and those of the south about 4000 feet above sea-level. The fall in the Rio Grande from the Colorado line to that of Mexico is about 3500 feet. The whole except the eastern portion is traversed by mountains, passing from north to south, not continuously but in broken ranges, which, for convenience of description, may be divided into three parts. The main range of the Rocky Mountains enters the Territory from the north, the highest peaks being the Costilla (12,615 feet), Taos, Mora (12,020), Truchas (13,150), and Baldy (12,661). This range disappears as a continuous chain near Glorieta. Running east from this as a kind of spur along the Colorado line are the Raton Mountains, the pass in which, south of Trinidad, is 7893 feet high. The railroad crosses this range through a tunnel. Commencing about 20 miles south of Santa Fé, and extending southwards on the east side of the Rio Grande, is a broken range, known variously in localities from north to south as the Cerrillos, Placer, Sandia, Chilili, Manzana, Jumanes, Oscura, San Andres, and Organ Mountains,—the last-named crossing into Mexico near El Paso. Nearer to the Rio Grande in Socorro county are the Fra Cristobal and Caballo Mountains. East of the above chain is a series of ranges, generally short, locally known as the Gallinas,

Jicarilla, Carrizo, Capitan, Sierra Blanca, Sacramento, Hueco, and Guadalupe Mountains. On the west of the Rio Grande another broken range runs south, commencing at the singularly conspicuous San Antonio mountain, close to the Colorado line, and known in its several parts as the Petaca, Valles, Nacimiento, Jemez, San Mateo, Ladrones, Oso, Madalena, Socorro, San Mateo (of Socorro), Black Range, Mimbres, and Florida Mountains, the latter extending into Mexico. Still farther to the west, and near the Arizona boundary, yet another series of comparatively short ranges is found, consisting of the Carrizo, Tunicha, and Chusca Mountains, which constitute part of the &ldquo;great continental divide&rdquo; separating the waters flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from those running into the Pacific, and more to the south the Zuñi, Datil, San Francisco, Escudilla, Tulerosa, Luera, Mogollon, Diablo, Pinos Altos, Burro, Sarampion, Hacha, Perro, Animas, and Peloncillo Mountains. These mountains are seamed with great &ldquo;cañons,&rdquo; which also penetrate the larger &ldquo;mesas&rdquo; or table-lands in various places, where in some way the covering of lava which is their usual protection has been removed. Between contiguous ranges or spurs of the same range are frequently found &ldquo;parks&rdquo; of great beauty and fertility. These specially abound in the western part of Colfax county.

New Mexico, while generally requiring irrigation for its cultivation, is more fully provided with rivers than any of the other mining States or Territories. Its waters flow east to the Mississippi, south to the Gulf of Mexico, and west through the Colorado and Gila to the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean. The Rio Grande, called also the Rio Bravo del Norte, passes completely through the centre of the Territory from north to south. It receives many tributaries, the principal being the Santa Fé and Galisteo from the east, and the Chama, Jemez, Puerco, and Alamosa from the west. Its valley is of great fertility, and capable of supporting a large population. The north-eastern part of the Territory, including the greater part of the counties of Colfax, Mora, and San Miguel, is drained by the Canadian or Red River, which flows into the Arkansas. The branches of this stream are very numerous, the principal ones being the Cimarron, Mora, Concha, Pajarito, and Ute. The Pecos rises north-east of Santa Fé , and, flowing south, gives value to a vast belt of land, until it crosses the Texas line and finally joins the Rio Grande itself. Its valley is unsurpassed for fertility and agricultural worth. Among other streams, the Tecolote, Gallinas, Hondo, and Penasco are tributaries to it. In the north-west is the Rio San Juan, from which that whole section is called the &ldquo;San Juan country.&rdquo; It flows west to the Great Colorado, and has as its principal branches in New Mexico the Animas from the north and the Chaco from the south. In the central west are the headwaters of the Little Colorado, and in the south-west those of the Gila, with the Mimbres, which flows south into Mexico.

Minerals.—In almost all parts of the Territory, except the pastoral plains, the precious metals are found, the mineral extending from the extreme north to the southern boundary. The eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, in Colfax county, abounds in gold, and Elizabethtown, its chief village, was the scene of great mining prosperity a few years ago. The metal is found in &ldquo;leads&rdquo; as well as in extensive &ldquo;placers.&rdquo; On the opposite side of the range arejboth gold and silver, and a little farther south, near Picuris, are large deposits of copper. Travelling southwards we find various minerals of value in the mountains east of Santa Fé; and the Cerrillos mining district, about 20 miles south of the capital, presents a rich deposit of silver not as yet fully developed. Here

also are the famous turquoise mines, the largest in America, which played so important a part in the early history of the Territory. To the west in the Nacimiento region is a great body of copper. At the &ldquo;Old Placers&rdquo; and &ldquo;New Placers,&rdquo; in the southern extremity of Santa Fé county, are inexhaustible supplies of placer gold, which were washed for many years by the rude methods of former times, but work here has been suspended pending the completion of extensive works now in progress which will provide a sufficient supply of water for large operations. The Manzana, Ladrone, and Madalena ranges, and, indeed, nearly all the mountains on both sides of the Rio Grande, contain rich mineral. Silver mines of great value are worked in the Socorro Mountains, directly west of the city of that name. The Black Range country is rich in silver and copper; and the more recent discoveries on the Percha river and at Lake Valley promise to be of extraordinary richness and extent. The vicinity of White Oaks in Lincoln county is specially noted for its free gold, and the San Andres, Caballo, and Organ ranges abound in valuable ores. The greatest development has taken place in Grant county, whose &ldquo;Santa Rita,&rdquo; &ldquo;Hanover,&rdquo; and other copper mines are well known; the vicinity of Silver City and Georgetown produce great quantities of silver, while the newer districts in the south-west, in the vicinity of Shakespeare and Lordsburg, are also rich in the last-mentioned metal. To the north of Silver City are the Mogollon Mountains, where valuable mineral deposits are found. The mines, especially those of silver, were extensively worked by the Spaniards down to the year 1680, when the revolt of the Pueblos, caused by the cruel slavery to which they were reduced in working for the precious metals, resulted in the filling up and concealment of every mine in the country during the thirteen years of Pueblo control. The shafts of these mines are frequently discovered. Development in recent times has been greatly retarded by Indian occupancy in some sections and their incursions into others; but now that these difficulties have ceased it is very rapidly progressing.

Bituminous coal is found in inexhaustible quantities in very many sections of the Territory, notably near Raton in Colfax county, along the Galisteo river on the line of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, and near the Chama river in the north-west. Anthracite coal of an exceedingly fine quality exists in large amounts near Cerrillos station, being superior to many of the coals of Pennsylvania, and by far the best fuel thus far discovered west of the Mississippi river. Iron is found in many localities, but has not yet been worked, the more valuable metals monopolizing attention. Mica mines of large extent and excellent quality are at Petaca, Mora, near Nambé, and in other localities. Lead abounds in many sections carrying silver, and notably in the Cerrillos mines. Plumbago is found in Colfax county; and cement of a very superior quality is made at Springer. Gypsum, fire-clay, and mineral paints are among the mineral resources of the Territory; and marbles and other excellent building stones abound.

Mineral springs of various kinds of great excellence are found in different localities. Prominent among them are the Las Vegas hot springs, the Ojo Caliente in Taos county, the Jemez hot springs, and the Hudson springs. These all have special medicinal qualities, and are of high temperature, the Ojo Caliente water being of 114° and the Jemez 168°. There are also important springs south of El Rancho in Taos county and east of Santa Fé.

Climate.—The climate is dry and the air clear through out almost the entire year. The temperature at Santa Fé, which is considered to have the best climate in the Territory, is sometimes as low in the winter as at New York, but

the dryness of the atmosphere prevents the cold from being felt to anything like the same extent. The more southerly towns are of course warmer, not only on account of the difference in latitude, but also because of their decreased altitude. The rainy season occupies about a month, varying in time from the middle of July to the middle of September, but even then a wholly cloudy day is seldom seen, the mornings being bright, with showers in the afternoon. The comparative death-rate from tubercular diseases in New Mexico is less than anywhere else in the United States, the proportions being—New England 25, Minnesota 14, Southern States 6, New Mexico 3. The average rainfall at Santa Fé for eight years (1874-81) was a little less than 14½ inches, whereas the average at New York was 43, Boston 45, Philadelphia 44, Washington 37, St Louis 42, and Savannah 48. The mean temperature was 48½°. The atmosphere is so clear and pure as to be proverbial. From the first characteristic arises the deception as to distances so generally experienced by strangers; and the second is evidenced by the fact that everywhere throughout the Territory the natives hang up their meat out-of-doors to dry, and use pieces of it as required, not the slightest taint arising from it during a series of months.