LIBERAL, Kan. - On the southwest corner of Kansas, the day dawns bright and sunny on this December morning. The air is crisp with temperatures in the low 30s, but the forecast is for low 60s later in the day - nice for this time of year.
Tom and I cross the Kansas state line and head southwest across Oklahoma's panhandle to Texas, and diagonally across the northwest corner of the panhandle to New Mexico. Another 60 miles takes us to Tucumcari on historic highway U.S. 66.
It's essential to stop at the Pow Wow Inn on Tucumcari's main drag that parallels that stretch of old U.S. 66. I cannot pass up the chance for those huevos rancheros at the Pow Wow Inn. Eggs, hash browns, refried beans, chopped lettuce, all on top of tortillas and topped with that fantastic green chile sauce.
Having satisfied that craving, temporarily, at least, we take I-40 for a short stretch over to Santa Rosa. Most tourists would continue on I-40 to Albuquerque, then take I-25 south all the way to Las Cruces. But roads less traveled are more interesting. At Santa Rosa, we take U.S. 54 south across rolling New Mexico rangeland. I have traveled that route when snow covers the rangeland, but today the ground is bare, with temperatures in the 50s.
We pass the near-ghost town of Pastura, to the old railroad town of Vaughn, to another crossroads town of Duran. It is now nearly deserted; its dilapidated buildings were once commercial buildings on a major rail stop. After that, it's the small town of Corona, then Carrizozo. Another 60 miles through the Tularosa Valley brings us to the town of Tularosa, and a few more miles to Alamogordo. From there, it's U.S. 70 across the Tularosa Valley, past the White Sands National Monument and the White Sands Missile Range to the Organ Mountains.
Up the east side of the Organ Mountains and over the San Augustine Pass, the Mesilla Valley of the Rio Grande and the city of Las Cruces, "The Crosses" in Spanish, come into view.
Some believe Las Cruces to have been named after three crosses erected on a hillside marking the graves of bandits, echoing an old tale of the valley of "Los Hermanos."
The Mesilla Valley is a floodplain of the Rio Grande, extending from the town of Hatch, south to the west side of El Paso, Texas. Las Cruces is the economic and geographic center of this valley.
This area was colonized by the Spanish in 1598 when Juan de Onate led an expedition from Mexico City to the Paso del Norte (site of present-day El Paso), then north along the Rio Grande to the site of present day Santa Fe. The area remained under New Spain's control until 1821, when claimed by Mexico. The Republic of Texas also laid claim to the area.
With the end of the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Hidalgo in 1841 established the United States as owner of most of this area. The U.S.-Mexico border was established south of the village of Dona Ana. A group of Mexicans moved south of the newly created border and settled in Mesilla. With that, by 1850 Mesilla became the leading settlement of the area.
The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 brought Mesilla and what is now the southern parts of New Mexico and Arizona into the United States. During the Civil War, Mesilla briefly served as the capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. It was recaptured by volunteers of the California Column and became headquarters of the Military District of Arizona.
As a major station along the Butterfield Stagecoach Line, Mesilla remained the major settlement of the valley. With the arrival of the railroad, that changed. Landowners of Mesilla refused to sell rights-of-way to the railroad. Residents of Las Cruces donated land for rights-of-way and land for a depot. The first train reached Las Cruces in 1881. Although not a terminus or crossroads, Las Cruces grew and became the dominant municipality of the area.
Those fortunate enough to own property in old Mesilla are very happy to cede dominance to Las Cruces. We appreciate the quaint, artistic character of romantic old Mesilla. Las Cruces can have the railroad, the population growth, and congestion that go with it.
Las Cruces is home to New Mexico State University, New Mexico's land-grant university. Another major employer of the area is the federal government on the White Sands Test Facility and the White Sands Missile Range. The city has also experienced growth as a retirement center.
With its recent growth, Las Cruces has grown from under 98,000 in 2010 to an estimated current population of over 214,000. The city has long outgrown its original downtown center. The six-block area of the old city was closed off in 1973 to form a pedestrianized shopping area.
In 2005, a master plan was adopted, centered on restoration of the old downtown area. The Main Street area was reopened to vehicular traffic. The area now contains museums, businesses, restaurants and art galleries, adding much-needed vitality. It is good to see the older part of the city coming to life again.
Tom and I enjoyed a couple of days visiting friends. I ran some miscellaneous errands, checked on my adobe in old Mesilla and found my tenants to be happy.
It's time to leave, and we take other roads less traveled, stopping for the evening in Great Bend, Kansas. Tom notes a sign, "hometown of Jack Kilby." The name means nothing to me, but Tom, an electrical engineer, recognizes the name as a Nobel Prize winner in physics. Kilby was instrumental in development of the integrated circuit that is so important to computer technology. He also invented the handheld calculator and the thermal printer.
It's an unplanned surprise to stumble onto the hometown of such a significant individual - another reason for taking roads less traveled.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in
the Monroe Times.
Tom and I cross the Kansas state line and head southwest across Oklahoma's panhandle to Texas, and diagonally across the northwest corner of the panhandle to New Mexico. Another 60 miles takes us to Tucumcari on historic highway U.S. 66.
It's essential to stop at the Pow Wow Inn on Tucumcari's main drag that parallels that stretch of old U.S. 66. I cannot pass up the chance for those huevos rancheros at the Pow Wow Inn. Eggs, hash browns, refried beans, chopped lettuce, all on top of tortillas and topped with that fantastic green chile sauce.
Having satisfied that craving, temporarily, at least, we take I-40 for a short stretch over to Santa Rosa. Most tourists would continue on I-40 to Albuquerque, then take I-25 south all the way to Las Cruces. But roads less traveled are more interesting. At Santa Rosa, we take U.S. 54 south across rolling New Mexico rangeland. I have traveled that route when snow covers the rangeland, but today the ground is bare, with temperatures in the 50s.
We pass the near-ghost town of Pastura, to the old railroad town of Vaughn, to another crossroads town of Duran. It is now nearly deserted; its dilapidated buildings were once commercial buildings on a major rail stop. After that, it's the small town of Corona, then Carrizozo. Another 60 miles through the Tularosa Valley brings us to the town of Tularosa, and a few more miles to Alamogordo. From there, it's U.S. 70 across the Tularosa Valley, past the White Sands National Monument and the White Sands Missile Range to the Organ Mountains.
Up the east side of the Organ Mountains and over the San Augustine Pass, the Mesilla Valley of the Rio Grande and the city of Las Cruces, "The Crosses" in Spanish, come into view.
Some believe Las Cruces to have been named after three crosses erected on a hillside marking the graves of bandits, echoing an old tale of the valley of "Los Hermanos."
The Mesilla Valley is a floodplain of the Rio Grande, extending from the town of Hatch, south to the west side of El Paso, Texas. Las Cruces is the economic and geographic center of this valley.
This area was colonized by the Spanish in 1598 when Juan de Onate led an expedition from Mexico City to the Paso del Norte (site of present-day El Paso), then north along the Rio Grande to the site of present day Santa Fe. The area remained under New Spain's control until 1821, when claimed by Mexico. The Republic of Texas also laid claim to the area.
With the end of the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Hidalgo in 1841 established the United States as owner of most of this area. The U.S.-Mexico border was established south of the village of Dona Ana. A group of Mexicans moved south of the newly created border and settled in Mesilla. With that, by 1850 Mesilla became the leading settlement of the area.
The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 brought Mesilla and what is now the southern parts of New Mexico and Arizona into the United States. During the Civil War, Mesilla briefly served as the capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. It was recaptured by volunteers of the California Column and became headquarters of the Military District of Arizona.
As a major station along the Butterfield Stagecoach Line, Mesilla remained the major settlement of the valley. With the arrival of the railroad, that changed. Landowners of Mesilla refused to sell rights-of-way to the railroad. Residents of Las Cruces donated land for rights-of-way and land for a depot. The first train reached Las Cruces in 1881. Although not a terminus or crossroads, Las Cruces grew and became the dominant municipality of the area.
Those fortunate enough to own property in old Mesilla are very happy to cede dominance to Las Cruces. We appreciate the quaint, artistic character of romantic old Mesilla. Las Cruces can have the railroad, the population growth, and congestion that go with it.
Las Cruces is home to New Mexico State University, New Mexico's land-grant university. Another major employer of the area is the federal government on the White Sands Test Facility and the White Sands Missile Range. The city has also experienced growth as a retirement center.
With its recent growth, Las Cruces has grown from under 98,000 in 2010 to an estimated current population of over 214,000. The city has long outgrown its original downtown center. The six-block area of the old city was closed off in 1973 to form a pedestrianized shopping area.
In 2005, a master plan was adopted, centered on restoration of the old downtown area. The Main Street area was reopened to vehicular traffic. The area now contains museums, businesses, restaurants and art galleries, adding much-needed vitality. It is good to see the older part of the city coming to life again.
Tom and I enjoyed a couple of days visiting friends. I ran some miscellaneous errands, checked on my adobe in old Mesilla and found my tenants to be happy.
It's time to leave, and we take other roads less traveled, stopping for the evening in Great Bend, Kansas. Tom notes a sign, "hometown of Jack Kilby." The name means nothing to me, but Tom, an electrical engineer, recognizes the name as a Nobel Prize winner in physics. Kilby was instrumental in development of the integrated circuit that is so important to computer technology. He also invented the handheld calculator and the thermal printer.
It's an unplanned surprise to stumble onto the hometown of such a significant individual - another reason for taking roads less traveled.
- John Waelti of Monroe can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in
the Monroe Times.
