Show I t I tI I I The o of f I St St I ory the he a t es I I t i I t B BY Y ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE I Copyright 1012 b by the Tress Pub Publishing Co the New hew York ort World NEW MEXICO Motto It lIt Increases by Going Forward UT In the southwest there Is a avast avast avast O OUT vast tract of or land that stands hl high h above o tho the surrounding S countr country country coun coun- tr try like an Irre irregular table above c a field feill And tho the top of or this table Is called Now Mexico Its height Is anywhere anywhere any any- where from Crom feet above O the sea at ordinary level to mountain p peaks ales many thousand feet taller And through It t runs tho the ml mighty Illo Ilio Grande On this lingo huge table land Spaniards Indians Mexicans and American troops have o fought In iii turn for man many centuries ries First tho the wondering wandering Indians fou fought ht tho the cliff dwellers dwellers fought fought and well nigh destroyed them them centuries centuries before the white men came carne Then the Spanish missionaries explored New Mexico and many were killed b by the Indians And the Spanish soldiery soldier avenged them Spanish treasure seekers rummaging in ing thu the table land and the tho mountains In search search of ot fabulous fabulous' hoards o of or gold old and jewels fell tell foul with the Indians Indians and there was was' more fighting Next the Mexicans struggled le l for fot freedom freedom from Spain and In 1821 1821 gained their liberty lIbert wrenching New EW Mexico 1 free rree with them And a a. quarter quartel of or a century later General Kearny with his bronzed frontier fron fron- tier fighters snatched New Mexico from Mexico's grasp Lt Less ss than twenty ty tt years ears after afterward sled confederate an and union troops were battling for possession posses posses- slots sion of oC tho plateau Then for tor a a. quarter quarter ter century longer longor followed another series of or bloody Indian wars After Atter which came camo the less sanguinary but equally equal fierce n fight ht for statehood a statehood a ont ended fight only recently So from prehistoric days duys New Ket MexIco Mex- Mex Ico was the center of or warfare violence struggle ll A region rolon whose whoso sons needed strength and bravery and brains to breast breust the tide of oC conflict a region whose whoso sons learned well their lesson end 11 waxed sturdy self reliant fearless After ACter New lew Mexico became part pact of the United States It was organized organised In 1550 as a territory At that time It Included Arizona and a a. slice of or Colorado which were afterward cut away Cattle Cottle sheep and a agriculture pro e proved very cn profitable In New Xe Mexico Trade sprang up with wills the east or east or at least with Missouri From tho the latter state westward ran the famous Santa Fe Fc trail This road was SOO miles long and led lell over a wild country countr both be before oro and after atter crossing crossing- tho the New Mexico line For the plo plodding ox teams tennis and prairie schooners It meant a Journey of or more than two t months It meant also a Journey journey Jour Jour- ney noy fraught with a thousand perils Hostile Indians and outlaws were thick thiel as files flics for or part of oC the time wa way Cochise the grim old robber baron In Indian lan would turn aside from hi his ArIzona ona marauding marauding ma ma- and anel ral raid laid the tr trail lIl So later would Geronimo the tho Apache who made his name a terror to New Mexico and who combined all that was craftiest and most murderous Inthe Indian character char char- acter New Mexico was loyal to the union and sent sont men to the nations nation's de rio- As s early cally as ns 1872 tho the fight tight for statehood began beg It was planned to call the now lOW state Lincoln Time The scheme fell through So did a second effort In and another In 1906 1306 Not until 1910 was an enabling act acC approved ed providing pro for New Mexico Mexico's Mex Mex- ico Ico's s admittance as ns a a. state and at last the long struggle was crowned cro b by victor vic vic- tor tory |