Along the Santa Fe Trail

What kid growing up in rural Texas didn’t want to be a cowboy and ride

Santa Fe Trail historical plaque

the Santa Fe Trail? Spending your days on your trusty horse, driving herds of cattle across the plains, fighting rustlers, and bedding down at night around a campfire with your comfortable bedroll and the stars as your ceiling; life couldn’t be better! When I was a bit older, I learned that sitting on a horse all day could get pretty uncomfortable, those herds of cattle kicked up billowing clouds of dust, and the desert perfume was probably manure. I decided I’d rather be a hairdresser.






The Santa Fe environs were originally occupied by the Tanoan peoples living in numerous Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande. Where the Santa Fe Plaza now stands was once a group of Tewa built homes that eventually spread out to the south and west; this was the village of

Santa Fe River

Ogopogo. They, along with other tribes used the Santa Fe River for its water and for transportation. Until about the 1700s, this river had a year-round flow, but with the coming of settlers and the diverting of water for farming and other uses, it has become the most endangered river in the United States. Attracted by the ready water supply, the first European effort to colonize the region was led by Don Juan de Oñate in 1598, thus founding Santa Fe de Nuevo México as a province of New Spain. By 1607 New Mexico's second Spanish governor, Don Pedro de Peralta established a new city at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that he called La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís, or the Royal Town of the Holy Faith of Saint Francis of Assisi. In 1610, it designated as the capital of the province, and, as Santa Fe, has almost constantly remained so making it the oldest state capital in the US. However, the colonization practices irritated the Native Pueblo peoples sufficiently to cause the Pueblo Revolt. These folks were successful in driving the Spaniards out and maintaining their independence from 1680 to 1692, when the territory was reconquered by Don Diego de Vargas. About two hundred years later, in 1824, the city's status as the capital of the Mexican territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México was formalized. Mexico’s claim on the city only lasted about twelve years. When the Republic of Texas seceded from Mexico it claimed Santa Fe as part of the western portion of Texas along the Rio Grande. In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico claiming Santa Fe and the whole New Mexico Territory; two years later the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made New Mexico part of the US. In 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state; Santa Fe was named as its capital.

In the 1800s the railroads were headed west and Santa Fe was expected to benefit from this influx of new people and business. However, civil

Mexican Market

engineers decided that it was more practical to have the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway stop in Lamy, a town south of Santa Fe. Two branch lines were completed Santa Fe, one from Lamy and the other from Española, but neither were sufficient to counteract the impact of the main rail route bypassing the city. Economic decline set in and would have continued but for activists creating resources for the arts and archaeology, under the leadership of Edgar Lee Hewett, a prominent archaeologist. In the early 20th century two wealthy women, Rose Dugan and Vera von Blumenthal, started the development of the Pueblo Indian pottery industry, helping native women to market their wares. Santa Fe was rapidly becoming a base for numerous writers and artists. By 1912, a city plan incorporating elements of the City Beautiful movement, city planning, and historic preservation was designed and enacted. This plan took into account limited future growth in downtown, scarcity of water, and suburban development. They also realized that there would be conflicts between preservationists and scientific planners, so they enacted principles that would preserve historic streets and structures as well as stipulate that new development must maintain the city's character. Artists, writers, and retirees, were attracted to the cultural richness of the area, the beauty of the landscapes, and its dry climate; the city became a tourist attraction. Edgar L. Hewett, founder and first director of the School of American Research and the Museum of New Mexico, began the Santa Fe Fiesta in 1919 and the Southwest Indian Fair in 1922 (now the Indian Market). The culture and the setting attracted the ‘Mother of American modernism’. And visiting her museum was what attracted us to Santa Fe.

In 1905, Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) began serious formal art training at the School of the Art Institute of

Top L to R: Clouds painting, Clouds sketch
Bottom: Skull and Poinsettias

Chicago and then the Art Students League of New York. This rather staid education left her feeling constrained and frustrated. Three years later she was working as a commercial illustrator; then she worked for seven years teaching in Virginia, Texas (in particular West Texas State Normal School), and South Carolina. This allowed her to spend her summers studying art; it was during this time that she discovered Arthur Wesley Dow. His principles and philosophies focused on art based upon personal style, design, and interpretation of subjects instead of more representational designs. O’Keeffe believed that this saved her and allowed her to become an artist. In 1916 another man changed her life: Alfred Stieglitz, an art dealer and photographer, held an exhibit of her works. Stieglitz requested that she move to New York and begin working as a serious artist. Their professional relationship developed into a personal one, leading to marriage in 1924. O'Keeffe created many forms of abstract art, close-ups of flowers, New Mexico landscapes, Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue and many others. She and Stieglitz lived together in New York until 1929, when O'Keeffe began spending summers in the Southwest. Once Stieglitz’s died, she took up residence at the Georgia O'Keeffe Home and Studio in Abiquiú; during the last years of her life she lived in Santa Fe. Her 1932 painting Jimson Weed sold for $44,405,000 to the Crystal Bridges Museum (see Arkansas Art) in 2004. This was more than three times the previous world auction record for any female artist. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum was established in Santa Fe after her death. This was the first time I’d been through the museum with a docent; her information was interesting and it confirmed some of the stories I’d heard. The Starr/Smith family lore says that my grandmother, Fleda Starr Smith, while attending West Texas State Normal School at Canyon, was a student of O’Keeffe; the painting Grandmother completed is one of my prized possessions.

The other place I wanted to see along the Santa Fe Trail was the Loretto Chapel. Commissioned by the Sisters of Loretto for their girls' school in 1873, two French architects, who worked on the St. Francis Cathedral

Left T to B: Rose window, Staircase
Right: Staircase

project, became the main architects for the project. The Gothic Revival design, with buttresses, spires, and stained glass windows imported from France graced the chapel that was built from locally quarried sandstone; it was officially consecrated in 1878. The chapel was largely complete, only lacking access to the choir loft. According to legend, several builders were consulted but they could not find a solution for adding stairs to the confined space. The nuns prayed to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters, for nine days. On the last day of the novena, a mysterious stranger appeared, offering to build the staircase. Working in seclusion with only a few hand tools he created the double spiral staircase. He disappeared afterwards without the Sisters learning his identity. The Sisters of Loretto decided the construction was a miracle and believed the mysterious builder must have been St. Joseph. The staircase originally lacked handrails making it so frightening to descend that some of the nuns and students came down on their hands and knees; railings and an iron support bracket were added in 1887.
 

There are plenty of things to do and places to eat in Santa Fe. These were on our agenda for this visit. For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews.

Wind spinners

What we did:

Four and one-half carrots

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (217 Johnson St, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-946-1000) ‘is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O'Keeffe, her life, American modernism, and public engagement.’ There is a very nice timeline along with a movie about her life as you enter the museum. It’s well worth spending the time to check out this information before moving into the galleries. This museum now has well over 3000 of her works that it rotates for viewing four times a year. On this visit I saw different paintings from those I had seen previously, including some of her early works and her sketches. It was most interesting to see the small sketches she made before creating her paintings. I didn’t know that she worked in her studio rather than in the open when she created her landscapes. This is a wonderful museum and I’ll probably go back, again, the next time I’m in Santa Fe.

Four carrots

The Loretto Chapel (207 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-982-0092) is a ‘former Roman Catholic Church that is now used as a museum and a wedding chapel. It is known for its unusual helix-shaped spiral staircase.’ While the main attraction is the spiral staircase, the stained glass windows are lovely and add to the atmosphere of the chapel.

Where we stayed:

Four carrots

Inn of the Governors (101 W Alameda St, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-

Top: Bedroom
Bottom: Bathroom

982-4333) is listed as a three star restaurant, but we rated it higher. The hotel captures the culture of Santa Fe. The lobby has a large fireplace and comfortable couches for the guests. There is also a heated pool and places to sit around it. One nice surprise was that between 4 and 6 PM the hotel serves sherry or tea and homemade cookies; it was lovely. Another surprise was that breakfast was included with our reservation (see Del Charro, below). The hotel room was roomy, and well appointed. The bed was comfortable, as were the pillows. Dave had a bit of trouble with the television control, but I had no issues with the free internet. The bathroom was clean with plenty of room, adequate toiletries, and ample water pressure. We were quite pleased.

Where we ate:

Four carrots

Famous Plaza Café (54 Lincoln Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-982-1664) is a ‘Retro spot for classic diner fare along with Southwestern

Top L to R: Street Tacos, Dave with menu
Bottom L to R: Burrito, Sopaipilla

comfort food in a family-friendly setting’ on the square in Santa Fe. One of the things that amused us was the small, bright boxes on the menu that warned of the hot chiles. The waitress also made sure that we noticed that information and cautioned us as to the spiciness of their chiles. Dave loves green chiles so he ordered a New Mexico Burrito that was filled with carnitas (pork) then smothered with green chile and cheese. He said it was delicious, and not as hot as he feared. I had Street Tacos that were filled with carnitas, lettuce, tomatoes, and topped with avocado slices, and fresh cilantro; it came with a side of Spanish rice and bean. These were wonderful. Dave’s meal came with a giant sopaipilla that we shared as our dessert. There was a bottle of honey on the table and we applied it liberally to this light, crisp bread. We’d go back here, again.

Three and one-half carrots

Del Charro (101 W Alameda St, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505-954-0320) is touted as a ‘Rustic, Western-themed watering hole serving Tex Mex grub, margaritas and cocktails’; it’s also where you get breakfast if you stay at

Top L to R: Fireplace, Wings, Menu
Bottom L to R: Coffee, Sangria

the Inn of the Governors. Since we’d had a large lunch and a nice snack of sherry and cookies, we weren’t particularly hungry at dinnertime. Dave ordered a beer and I had a White House Sangria that was passable.  We shared some boneless wings that had been tossed with sweet chile sauce, placed on a bed of mixed greens, then served with house made ranch dressing and pickled veggies. They were fresh, crisp, and nicely spiced; we cleaned the bowl. The next morning we had good coffee and choices from a lovely buffet. Breakfast was hot, the offerings were refreshed frequently, and the coffee was very good; Dave drank three cups.

I enjoyed my time on the Santa Fe Trail, in my comfortable walking shoes and warm jacket, armed with a camera rather than a six-gun, and although there was no campfire, there was a fluffy bed and indoor plumbing.

Trees ready for spring

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