Learn more about Rio Pecos Compound: Book Six of The Clint Mason Series
Copyright William F. Martin. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 13.
The summer heat had driven the sheep herds to the highest elevations. The cool, dry mountain air was perfect for both sheep and shepherds. However, the cougars and coyotes gave the shepherds some real problems, so the Mexican guards had turned hunters in the rough mountain terrain. It was hard work and took long hours, but the young gun hands seemed to enjoy the change. They had gotten a little relief when one of the men that had moved to Santa Fe returned to the herd. The fun and excitement of the big city had finally gotten a little old and very expensive for him.
The good food and clean bunkhouse of the Rio Pecos ranch was starting to look a lot better. If he was to save any money for the trip to Mexico City, he had to get out of Santa Fe. There were way too many pretty girls, poker tables and saloon bars for a young man to save any money. Some young men that had just returned to town had heard about the upcoming trail drive to Kansas. An adventure that was too good to pass up. A trail drive of three or four months could force you to save money. There would be no time or place to spend along the way. Besides, he had never been up north and was especially curious about Kansas.
Clint had gone over the options about the sheep drive early this next spring or maybe early summer. All of the Mexican young guns were in for the ride. The Basque herders also wanted to be a part of this major trip because their herds would be over-populated by spring. They also were interested in finding some good breeding rams to add to their herds.
While the Navajos were not interested in the trip to Kansas, they would like to accompany the drive north. They would gladly sell their share to Sr. Bond. Then they could split off and return to their native grazing area southwest of Durango. If they could successfully get around the big Apache territory, they would be reasonably safe. The word they had heard suggested that new U.S. Government Army units were doing a better job of keeping the peace near the Navajo land. The Hopi and Navajos were arguing over range land, but both tribes viewed sheep as a treasure, not just as meat like the Apache.
The Navajos were not particularly breed developers, so they had no trouble in Clint’s planned culling of the herd. Clint wanted churro breed stock to strengthen the Basque merino sheep. The Navajos just wanted their fair share of the churro flock as to the numbers, with no concern for type or quality. They did not like the new crossbreed that Clint was developing because they required too much care. The pure churro could make-do without much protection or special care.
The shorter, finer wool of the merino was harder to weave on the coarse Navajo looms. The Navajo weavers liked the feel and the colors that the combined wools of the two types had produced. But the big looms at the Rio Pecos Compound could not be transported easily. They would return to their old ways and use the long-haired churro sheep. They would miss the big dollars they were getting for the Basque/Navajo blankets, but longed for the old Navajo ways. The Basque men were much too pushy for their likes. The Navajos felt they had been away from their native soil too long. Their children needed to be with their own people or else they would lose their way. The Basque had almost no skill in the art of jewelry making. In fact, there were no artists in the whole Basque clan.
The Kansas settlers had put down roots, planted gardens and built themselves wood homes. Two of the well-educated settlers were running the school for those children that were allowed to attend. Only a few children were being kept from the school and most of those were the Navajos’ kids. The Navajo children were the primary shepherds for the churro flocks. Their culture necessitated that everyone learn all the trades. The children were put to work as soon as they could carry out a task. Some of the young girls were making great blankets out of the fine wools. Their older parents and traditional Navajo weavers would have a hard time getting those girls to go back to the old ways. In fact, Clint had noticed some interest between two of the beautiful Navajo girls and two of his Mexican guards. It was obvious that the Navajo weavers were getting a lot more protection than the situation demanded. Clint had also noticed that these two young guards were passing off their hunting duties to some of the others.
Clint left the duty schedule up to the senior guard. The guard unit usually acted as a separate group with just general directions and an overall plan from Clint. The one remaining guard that had gone to Santa Fe came back to the Rio Pecos compound late one evening. He brought a message from some Indians on the market square. A Juan Cruz would like to accept the offer to move to Rio Pecos Compound and build adobe buildings. He was requesting some help to transport some of his family now. After they had built themselves houses, the rest of his clan would like to be moved over for two or three years at the most. If Clint could send three wagons and some protection to San Juan Pueblo, they would like to move immediately. The sooner they could get started on the buildings the better it would be. The goal would be to have their houses completed sufficiently to occupy before bad winter weather. Although the winters were not usually very severe, there could be a week or two at a time when outside work was difficult.
Clint organized a set of four wagons with one wagon meant to stay over at the Santa Fe traders’ camp. They would haul wool, mutton and blankets for sale at the market square. The women and one store clerk would stay at the square with one guard to carry out the trading and the buying of supplies for the trading post. It was not surprising to Clint when the young Navajo and Mexican couple volunteered to help with the trading in Santa Fe.
The blankets had accumulated so that they filled two wagons. Joe Black had built two more wagons and repaired two of the Kansas settler’s wagons to their original condition. The caravan set off to Santa Fe and San Juan Pueblo with good equipment, fresh horses and some eager guards and shoppers. Three of the Kansas men had agreed to drive wagons and help with the move. Five guards were sent. The hunting of the cougars and coyotes would have to be put on hold. The number of pelts that the hunters had brought down from the mountains surprised Clint. The Navajos had been kept busy tanning all of these hides. Some of the cougar hides were especially beautiful and they were huge. This harvest of hides off the mountain should reduce the number of attacks on the sheep grazing up there. Besides, the movement of sheep off the highest pastures would begin in a month or two.
As usual, Clint left ahead of the wagon train, keeping well off the trail and higher so he could keep watch on the wagons below as well as the trail ahead. As he was approaching the Gloriata Pass, he could see a group of Union soldiers working on the land some distance from the Santa Fe Trail. It looked like they were surveying and staking out building sites. This development would have to be investigated later. His wagon train passed near the soldiers, but made no contact.
Clint went straight to his house, changed clothes and hit the street to pick up any new rumors. The land office bulletin board did not contain any notices on Clint’s property. The land office clerk did know that the U.S. Government had filed a claim on one-quarter section of land just east of the Gloriata Pass. The Union Army was going to move their soldiers out of Santa Fe. The new fort was going to be called Fort Union. The word on the streets of Santa Fe had the cause for the move to be the lack of discipline among the Union troops. There were constant problems between drunken soldiers and the local law officers. Both the local sheriff and the regional U.S. Marshal, in turn, were having conflicts with the Army higher command. The Union Colonel wanted all charges against soldiers handled by the military system, whereas the sheriff and Marshal wanted the law-breaking soldiers judged and punished by the territorial court.
Clint moved around the market square until he spotted a few members of the Cruz family selling pottery. He asked for Juan Cruz and found out that he had gone back to the pueblo village to help pack supplies, tools, and household items they would need for two months. One of the young boys would go tell his dad that the wagons were headed out to the San Juan Pueblo.
It was three days later when Clint and the three wagons headed out to Cruz’s house. All of the trading items had been offloaded either at the market square or at the traders’ camp. The three wagons, three drivers and three guards went with Clint to the San Juan Pueblo.
Juan had two wagons of his own loaded and waiting. Clint had had the wagon train bring along four extra pull horses from Rio Pecos. He had inspected Juan’s horses on his last visit. They were of very poor quality and little cared for. The Cruz family was very pleased to leave their horses behind for the family to use while Juan and the others were in Rio Pecos setting up their buildings.
Juan insisted that everyone spend the night, have a big meal with the whole extended family before leaving early the next morning. Since the Cruz ladies could really cook, it was a grand feast. Clint was sure the Mexican guards loved the food more than anyone else. At least they ate more than anyone else. It could also be that the lovely young Indian maids who were waiting on them had encouraged them to ask for second and third helpings. The family even put on a costumed circle dance for the affair.
The Cruz men packed the three new wagons that night with the final tie-downs completed the next morning. Seven Cruz family men and two women and three teenage boys were taking the trip. If Clint’s count was right, that meant that there were at least 20 more adults and a dozen children that would join Rio Pecos later this fall. Clint would have to make arrangements to haul all these people and their belongings. In addition, Juan said he had seven horses and ten cows in total that would need herding to Rio Pecos along with the last move. The two wagons that Cruz had loaded for this trip were the only ones he owned, and he knew they were not in very good shape.
The trip back to the Santa Fe traders’ camp was easily completed the next day. The following morning was spent loading the purchased supplies, packing everyone up and finally heading out to the Rio Pecos Compound. One night would be spent on the trail. Attired as a ranch owner, Clint would travel with the wagons. He wanted to tour the site where the Army was staking out the new fort. Mostly, he wanted to find out what improvements were planned for the Santa Fe Trail coming into town from the new fort location. Sometimes these Army outposts provided camping sites for travelers, since their location was usually about a one-day easy ride from Santa Fe and Rio Pecos Compound. It would be an ideal stop-over for his people, plus it would be protected by the Army.
After the night’s lay-over, the wagons headed on to the ranch and Clint detoured to the planned site for Fort Union. The soldiers had only a simple layout plan for the fort buildings and walls. The plans did indicate a small space inside the fort for visitors and wagons and a larger cleared area outside the walls. The men working at the site had no idea about the building schedules or about any improvements planned for the road back to Santa Fe.
With this information, Clint put a rush on his horse so he could catch up with the wagons. When he arrived at the compound, he laid out the area where Sr. Cruz and his clan could set up camp. He gave Juan a sketch of the proposed village expansion that he was planning. Clint would work with them tomorrow to site individual buildings, mall, street and well. A new well was to be dug at the far end of the new street. Clint had estimated a well of 30 to 40 feet deep would intercept the same aquifer that served the existing well. He had shot the elevation of water in the existing well to a spring outcrop down the slope toward the river bank. Working together, the Navajos and Basque had opened up the spring and rocked in a good watering place for the livestock. Even during the driest part of the year that spring had continued to flow.
The Pueblos got settled in that evening and were eager to start work the next morning. They went to see the clay pit that Clint had suggested for the adobe bricks. Juan was very pleased with this clay deposit. It had a lot better texture than what had been available near San Juan Pueblo. Juan quickly organized teams and everyone went to work. One crew would make bricks, one crew would haul rocks for the foundations, and another group of men would start digging footers. All were self-motivated to build new houses for themselves first. The women started to build a few mud ovens for baking. Some tents were set up for temporary housing and shelter. All the wagons were lined up with tent covers for sleeping quarters. In less than a week the Indians were completely set up in temporary camps. Foundations were being dug and rock filled for support. The need to dry the bricks until they had enough strength was the time restraint. Juan had learned that a dryer mud packed extra tight in the mold was the path to eventual speed and strength.
Some of the Kansas carpenters had pitched in to build window and door frames and cut logs for the roof support. Three big wagon loads of logs and lumber had been delivered from Bond’s saw mill. Cut spikes had been bought at the Santa Fe General Store. The spikes speeded up the work of assembly compared to the old wood peg with drilled or burned holes.
The new clay deposit proved to be an excellent mud for bricks and plaster. Plus a layer of the clay deposit did match the clay type about which Juan’s grandfather had told his stories. One of the Pueblo women went to work making some clay pots and firing ovens. She would have to go through the whole process before she could be sure the clay was the right type. While it worked well and was strong enough to hold its slopes during the molding process, it would be the baking process that would give the final answer.
The excitement from the surge of the new building spread throughout the whole compound. There would be three to six men and boys working on the new dug well every day without anyone asking. Juan had even picked up some help from the Kansas settlers to haul rocks and till trenches for footers.
Once the first bricks were ready for laying, the process continued from sun-up to sunset. Five homes, one bunkhouse, one workshop, a community kitchen and dining hall were all started at once. At this rate, Juan Cruz would be able to bring the rest of his clan to Rio Pecos long before winter. Juan was getting anxious to have the rest of his people experience this community building process.