New Mexico

a state of the American Union. Save an extension at the southwest it is rectangular in shape, lying between 31 deg. 20' and 37 deg. north latitude and longitude 103 deg. and 109 deg. 2' west. Area, 122,460 square miles. Roughly speaking, the territory embraces the southern end of the main range of the Rocky Mountains and the upper part of the basin of the Rio Grande and adjacent rivers. It is the country of the cliff dwellers and the Pueblo Indians, a mountainous, arid land,--a land of plateau and plain, intersected by canyons and valleys capable of irrigation. The surface falls below the level of 3,000 feet above sea level only in the Pecos Valley. The principal peaks rise to a height of over 12,000 feet. A strip along the western edge is tributary through the Colorado to the Gulf of California; otherwise the entire territory lies in the drainage basin of the Gulf of Mexico.

MINERALS. Without doubt enormous mineral wealth awaits development. About thirty coal mines have been opened. There are also mines of gold, silver, copper, lead, and iron. Potter's clay, salt, gypsum, soda, ochre, potash, mica, and marble, as well as turquoise, garnets, and opals, must be added to the list.

FORESTS. The rainy sides of the mountain ranges of the north are clothed with forests of pine, spruce, oak, juniper, cedar, birch, and maple. The streams are everywhere lined with cottonwood and willow. Pinon pine is found at the foothills. Mesquite is found on the southeastern plains, an extension of the staked plains of Texas. Vast, waterless areas are covered with the giant cactus. The forests still shelter bears, deer, mountain lions, and wildcats. Elk and antelope are found in the parks. Rabbits, prairie dogs, and coyotes are found on the plains.

AGRICULTURE. There are considerable areas of nutritious pasturage grasses in the valleys and among the mountains. The ranches in these favored localities are stocked with herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. Hides, wool, and meats are produced for export. The soil is naturally fertile. Rainfall is deficient. It varies with locality from four to twenty-two inches annually, and is not well distributed. About 3,000,000 acres or three-fourths of the lands under crop are irrigated. These lands are planted chiefly with alfalfa, grain, fruit, or vegetables, and are worth from $30 to $500 an acre; while adjacent lands, naturally as rich but without water privileges, are worth possibly a few cents an acre. When reservoirs have been constructed to hoard the waters of the melting snows in the mountains and of the rainy season, many million acres of rich farming land will be reclaimed. Without doubt an increase in the irrigated area will have a favorable effect on the general rainfall of the state.

CLIMATE. As stated, the climate is dry. The number of rainy days varies with the locality--from eighteen to eighty per year. Owing to altitude and the consequent rarity of the air the summer days are intensely hot, but the nights are cool. The extreme limits of temperature, winter and summer, are about-12 deg. and 112 deg.

HISTORICAL. New Mexico was explored and settled by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. As early as 1539 a Franciscan friar visited the Seven Cities of Cibola, as the pueblos of the Zuni Indians were called. In 1540 Coronado explored the country of the Zuni and Moqui Indians. A colony of four hundred friars, settlers, and soldiers was established on the Rio Grande in 1598. In 1605 Santa Fe was founded. In twenty years' time the friars claimed 14,000 Indian converts to Christianity. In 1680 a widespread uprising of the Pueblo Indians caused the temporary abandonment of the colony. The settlers suffered also from inroads of the Navajo and Apache tribes. The region was made a province of Mexico in 1821. In 1846 it was occupied by American troops, and in 1848 was ceded to the United States. In 1850 the territory of New Mexico was organized. General Lew Wallace was an early governor. In 1863 Arizona was cut off. In 1905 a bill for the admission of Arizona and New Mexico was defeated. A similar bill was introduced in 1910 and passed.

TRANSPORTATION. New Mexico is traversed from east to west by the Texas and Pacific Railway, which crosses the Rio Grande at El Paso. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Road and its branches, the first to reach the territory, threads the valley of the Rio Grande, and traverses the great plain, giving access to traffic via Denver and the valley of the Arkansas. Albuquerque may perhaps be regarded as the most important town commercially. Santa Fe is the capital.

POPULATION, Etc. The population in 1900 was reported at 195,310. Of this number 15,103 were colored; 13,144 Indian. The Spanish element still predominates. The Roman Catholic is the leading religion. One-third of the adult population is illiterate. A system of public schools has been established. There is a territorial university at Albuquerque, an agricultural college at Las Cruces, normal schools at Las Vegas and Silver City, a school of mines at Socorro; a penitentiary and an asylum for deaf and dumb are at Santa Fe; a reform school at El Rito.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

See Cliff-Dwellers; Pueblo; Santa Fe