Signage: Dora Cafe

36 Hours in Santa Fe

(NYTimes) In summer, Santa Fe bursts at the seams with arts fairs, opera and other flashy events. In winter, though, the schedule is less hectic, and the few tourists spend their days skiing outside town. This is when residents effectively reclaim the center, the walkable area from the old plaza to the newer Railyard district. The only glitz and glitter is the snow sparkling under a sunny blue sky and paper-bag lanterns glowing in the black night. In recent years, many of the city’s most loved institutions have expanded, been renovated or have even returned from the dead — and there’s no better time to enjoy them than the colder months, alongside Santa Feans who have been appreciating them for decades. Continued

Old House 24 & 25: Kit Houses

 

Kit houses became popular around the turn of the 20th century, the same time that Eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle experienced a boom in population. It was perfect timing for homesteaders, who needed quick shelter in a region mostly devoid of timber. Many kit houses still stand in the area, including the two examples above, found at The Muleshoe Heritage Center. Though they are typical kit houses, I don't see them as typical for the region, where most of the structures ordered were more modest.

Old House 23

Elida, NM

Day Trips: Clayton, NM

Black Jack Ketchum

(Clovis News Journal) Old West outlaw fanatics know Clayton as the place where Black Jack Ketchum was hanged on April 26, 1901. They hanged him so hard, the history books tell us, his head came off.

Those responsible for the execution had little or no experience in hanging people, historians report. It’s believed they underestimated Ketchum’s weight, which resulted in his beheading on the gallows.

So that’s one reason to visit the Clayton cemetery, where Ketchum was buried under a headstone that reads, “And how his audit stands who knows save heaven.” Continued

Better Call Saul

Tucumcari Greyhound Station

Old House 22 (Dugout)

 

Dugouts have been used by people worldwide since time began. This particular dugout was built by the Gentry family and now sits at the Muleshoe Heritage Center.
 Says Alice Liles, "A recent addition to the Center is the dugout home donated by the Bundrant family. The dugout came from Goodland in southern Bailey County and was reportedly lived in during the 30s by the Gentry family and later some of  the Bundrants during the 40s."
It's a fine example of a late period dugout, earlier dugouts would have been made of logs instead of cut timber. Dugouts were cheaper to build than a standard house, but just as labor intensive. Dugout living could be messy, with dirt constantly sifting in, but they could also be quite snug, offering insulation from extreme temperatures.
As ranchers prospered or failed, the dugouts were abandoned, leaving very few intact examples for the curious to examine.

Muleshoe Heritage Center

Did you know that Muleshoe, Texas has a museum? Well, it does, The Muleshoe Heritage Center, and looking from the outside (we found it after hours), it's a very nice one. There are several buildings on display, covering most of the area's history. I'm going to feature one of those today, and others as time allows.

The Muleshoe Ranch Cookhouse/Bunkhouse dates to around 1903.

Muleshoe Ranch was owned by the Warren family

Hudson Cemetery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hudson Cemetery, along U.S. 54, between Tucumcari and Logan, is like a lot of old cemeteries in the region: desolate, scrubby, and touching. Some of the graves have store-bought markers, some have handmade markers, and some aren't marked at all. And like so many of them, the cemetery is still in use. It may not be much, but I wouldn't mind being buried there, looks like good company.

Ragtown to Riches: Amarillo reigns as the Queen City of the Texas Panhandle

Ranald Slidell MacKenzie

(True West) In the morning of Sept. 28, 1874, Colonel Ranald Mackenzie and his Fourth Cavalry swept into Palo Duro Canyon. The soldiers burned Indian camps, destroyed food supplies and—most importantly—captured and killed more than 1,100 horses, effectively putting an end to the Red River War. Continued

Old House 21

Between Dora and Elida, NM

Elida Memories