338 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



known. It is visited annually, in Sep- 

 tember, by a large number of tourists, 

 who go in to witness the annual dance 

 of the Taos Indian in their Pueblo 

 and the town of Taos nearby, which is 

 said to be a most interesting ceremony. 

 The tribe, after whom the valley is 

 named, are without doubt, the most 

 advanced Indians in the United States 

 today. They have always been kind- 

 ly disposed toward the whites and are 

 an agricultural race rather than a war- 

 like one. It is said that owing to this 

 fact many unfair advantages have been 

 taken over this tribe by unscrupulous 

 Indians of other tribes, as well as 

 white people, with whom they have 

 been brought in contact. These facts, 

 however, do not appear to have soured 

 their otherwise happy nature. They 

 are, altogether, one of the most hospita- 

 ble and interesting lot of Indians to be 

 found on the American continent today. 

 Their homes in the Pueblo of 

 Taos, illustrations of which will be 

 given in future issues of the IRRIGA- 

 TION AGE, in addition to those shown 



herewith, are cleaner than the average home of the white 

 settler throughout that section. They have some peculiar 

 masonic ceremonies, with council chambers and lodge rooms 

 in estufas, located below the ground and reached by ladders. 

 Here, no doubt, some very interesting ceremonies take place, 

 although it is said that no white man has ever been invited 



Taos' Indian Pueblo, Council Chamber Entrance in Foreground. 



Town of Ranches, Taos Valley. 



to join with them at such times as these. White people are 

 welcomed, however, by the Taos Indians, and kindly treated 

 while a guest within their pueblo. 



Valuable information was obtained while visiting these 

 people in company with Dr. Martin, who is the government 

 physician at Taos. Dr. Martin is well versed in the history 

 of the Taos tribe, its legends and ceremonials, and he 

 has consented to assist the editor of this journal in the 

 preparation of some matter along the line of the early his- 

 tory of the tribe. This will appear from time to time in 

 the columns of the AGE with suitable illustrations. 



One of the principal objects in going into the Taos 

 Valley was to study the work carried on by the Ranches 

 Orchard & Land Company, which has made fine headway 

 in the reclamation of 15,000 acres of mesa land on what 

 was formerly known as the Gijosa land grant, about four 

 miles southwest of the town of Taos. This land lies in 

 one compact body along the river banks. 



This company is headed by Mr. A. L. Barker, of Hop- 

 kinton, Iowa, president ; P. L. Thorsen, Denver, Colo., 

 secretary; F. B. Wilson, Greeley, Iowa, treasurer, and 

 Joe B. Warner, of Denver and Taos, manager. The Den- 

 ver headquarters of this company are 625 Commonwealth 

 building. 



This company has completed, and has in operation, 

 a ditch twelve miles long carrying sufficient water to cover 

 2,500 acres of land. One-half of that quantity has already 

 been broken up and placed in crops and fruit trees, this 

 work having been accomplished this year. 



The ditch taps the Rio del Pueblo one and one-half 

 miles west of the town of Taos, and follows the lowlands 

 in a westerly direction for one and one-half miles, where 

 it debouches onto what is known as the Mesa land, con- 

 trolled by this company. 



In addition to this a drainage ditch is to be cut, be- 

 ginning south of the completed ditch, and about a mile in 

 length, along the base of the mesa, to a sump, where the 

 excess from ditch No. 1 will also accumulate. This drain- 

 age ditch will intercept and carry along the large under- 

 flow now going to waste. This underflow under- 



