76 MISC. PUBLICATION 11, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTUBE 



Since the grant is wholly within the working circle it would be of great 

 advantage for the Government to acquire this land in order to consolidate 

 the forest area. The owners are favorably inclined toward exchanging title 

 of this land for an equal value in stumpage. Steps are already under way 

 toward bringing the exchange to a head. Incidentally, the areas logged in 

 1908 can now be cut for the second time. Accordingly, early acquisition by 

 the United States would help immensely toward better control of the timber 

 stands within the working circle. 



The location of the west boundary of the Mora grant has been disputed be- 

 tween the owners (the State Investment Co.), and the United States for a 

 number of years. An area of 19,751 acres within this working circle is involved 

 in this dispute. 



A very small area within the working circle has been alienated under the 

 homestead laws. Only 190 acres along stream bottoms have been taken up 

 by settlers. This area represents about the maximum acreage of tillable land 

 available. No further settlement is possible. 



To sum up, about two-fifths of the total area of the working circle is in 

 private ownership. Unless the Government can get control of these alienated 

 lands (except the agricultural lands) administrative problems in connection 

 with a plan of management will be very diflScult. 



4. ECONOMIC SITUATION 



(a) Population. — The area included within the working circle is nonagricul- 

 tural, with the exception of a few farms located along the canyon bottoms, 

 which support about 50 people. Farther to the west, in the lower country 

 but within the same watershed, there are more farms. All of the agricultural 

 lands have long been settled by Indians and Mexicans. The main settlements 

 center around Hodges, Penasco, and the Picuris Pueblo. There are about 

 3,000 people in this vicinity. 



East of the Rio Pueblo watershed and separated from it by the Arkansas-Rio 

 Grande divide is the comparatively large fertile Mora Valley, which extends 

 from Chacon in a southeasterly direction through the villages of Holman, 

 Cleveland, and Mora to Las Vegas. About 12,000 people, all Mexicans, inhabit 

 this valley. The city of Las Vegas is not included in this estimate of population. 



Taos Valley, to the north, centering in the town of Taos, the county seat of 

 Taos County, supports a native Indian and Mexican population of about 5,000 

 people. 



(&) Lador supply. — There is an abundant local labor supply. 



The local native population in the three valleys mentioned above are all 

 farmers. The demands of their small farms keep them busy for a short period 

 each year, and they need other work during the other months. The returns 

 from their ranches are barely enough to sustain life, and without an outside 

 source of revenue these people have practically no money. Many of them sup- 

 plement the income from their crops by raising a few head of cattle, sheep, or 

 goats, which are grazed on adjacent forest ranges. Practically all of the men 

 seek outside employment for a certain period each year. Some go to the mines 

 near Raton, others work as laborers on the railroads, and still others seek 

 employment with the lumber operators near by. 



An additional source of labor is furnished by natives of Mexico, who con- 

 tinually drift into the United States. The timber operators prefer this class 

 of labor, for these peons are usually skilled tie hackers, and, furthermore, they 

 are more reliable, since they have no near-by homes to return to whenever a few 

 dollars have been earned. 



(c) Transportation. — The narrow-gauge Santa Fe branch of the Denver & 

 Rio Grande Western Railroad, with a station at Embudo, is the nearest railway 

 to the working circle. Embudo is about 30 miles distant from the center of the 

 timber area. 



Because of rough topography, it is impracticable to build a branch railroad 

 from Embudo to the logging unit. Therefore the operator must rely on driving 

 his products downstream to a shipping point. This limits the products that can 

 be marketed to ties, mine timbers, and similar forms of material. 



A highway between Taos and Las Vegas passes through the working circle, 

 but because of distance it is impracticable to haul forest products to either 

 place. 



