THE SANTA FE ROUTE. rig § 
canyon in the granite is very narrow, deep, and winding and presents 
many picturesque features carved in hard rock. _ This is the only 
place at which the oldest rock of the Rocky Mountains is crossed by 
the railway, and its presence here is due to two faults, or breaks in 
the earth’s crust, along which a narrow wedge of the granite has been 
uplifted in relation to the adjoining red beds. At the mouth of the 
_ granite canyon, just east of the track, are the remains of the Lamy 
church and convent, built by the Spanish missionaries several cen- 
turies ago. It is now in ruins, but the general character of the build- 
ing is evident. 
Most trains stop at Lamy, some of them to connect with a branch 
that extends north to Santa Fe, 18 miles, and some for meals at the 
remarkably pretty little hotel named El Ortiz. Lamy 
sau takes its name from the first American archbishop 
Kenntion 6460fect. of Santa Fe. At Lamy the valley of Galisteo Creek 
ansas City 850 miles. : . . 
widens, and although on its east side there are high 
masses of the southern continuation of Glorieta Mesa, the region to 
the west and south is mostly a rolling plain. This is part of the 
broad basin of the Rio Grande, which is occupied by a widespread 
accumulation of sands, gravels, and loams of Tertiary age. This 
basin extends far westward to the foot of the mountains, which may 
be seen in the distance, and down the Rio Grande valley through all 
of central New Mexico. The eastern edge of the Tertiary deposits 
ying against the older rocks is exposed in the ridges a short distance 
north and west of Lamy. 
Eighteen miles north of Lamy and easily accessible by trains on 
the branch line is the quaint and interesting town of Santa Fe, one . 
of the oldest white settlements in the country. It was established in 
1605 by Juan de Ofate as a seat of the Spanish Government. Many 
of the ancient buildings and churches still remain. In the excellent 
museum kept by the State Historical Society in the old palace there 
are many souvenirs of the early and late history of New Mexico. 
This history has been one of extraordinary interest, from the time 
when a mere handful of Spaniards made Santa Fe their headquarters 
in controlling thousands of hostile Indians to the later days of the 
American occupation, beginning in 1846. The first Territorial legis- 
lature of New Mexico (then including Arizona) met here June 1, 1851. 
The church of San Miguel, the oldest church in the United States, is 
in Santa Fe. : 
To the transcontinental traveler the town is of special interest as 
the terminus of the old Santa Fe Trail. Every summer the caravans 
found on their arrival that people had come to Santa Fe from all sides, 
even from places as far away as El Paso, to purchase their wares, and 
many stores were opened in Santa Fe expressly for the sale of their 
goods. The wagons of many of the traders had a capacity equal to 
97579°—Bull. 613156 
