Life is Good

This has been the best summer in forever. It rained more than once. My first trip to Seattle (6 days) was fantastic. I walked for miles with no problems with my knees. I entered the local Art Show and won an HM ribbon, and my silk painting sold. Our mini class reunion to Santa Fe (4 nights) was wonderful. I got in touch with people I hadn't seen in years. I made a couple of new friends. On the home front, I got new energy saving modern windows across the front of my house. My yard looks great. I got rid of a bunch of relics and my house does not look like a Cracker Barrel restaurant anymore. The more I get rid of, the freer I feel. Life is good.

The Streets of Carlsbad - Bonbright Street

     Included in the second group of investors brought in by J. J. Hagerman was William P. Bonbright. This connection, like the connection with Joseph Stevens, was made through the Broadmoor Country Club in Colorado Springs. Although originally from Philadelphia, where he was the co-owner of a dry goods store (which eventually became Wanamaker’s and then Macy’s), during the 1890s, William Bonbright was a stockbroker, and a civic and financial leader in Colorado Springs. There he was involved in mining, securities, electric companies, and various other investment ventures. Mr. Bonbright and Mr. Hagerman had been successful partners in at least one mining venture.

Mr. Bonbright filed on a section of land through the Desert Land Act in 1890. In 1891, the Eddy school teacher, Edith Ohls also received a land grant which she then deeded to William Bonbright.  Also in 1891, Bonbright was listed as the vice-president of the First National Bank of Eddy. He owned 70 shares of the Pecos Valley Irrigation and Investment Company. William P. Bonbright never resided in Eddy/Carlsbad.  When the disagreement between Mr. Eddy and Mr. Hagerman resulted in Charles B. Eddy leaving the Pecos Valley, Mr. Bonbright also cut his losses and his connection with the town. In 1910, the only shareholders present at the ninth annual Pecos Irrigation Meeting were Francis G. Tracy, I. S. Osborne and C. H. McLenathen. Mr. Stevens, Mr. Bonbright, Mr. Tansill, and Mr. Shaw had given the proxy of their shares to Mr. Tracy.

In 1887, Mr. Bonbright moved to London opening a brokerage office where he was the chief correspondent. After five years, he returned to New York City and the main office of Bonbright and Company was located there. From then until the outbreak of WWI, the Bonbright Company was a recognized leader in the financing of electrical and allied public utility fields that were actively expanding during that era. Mr. Bonbright passed away between 1912 and 1914. Mrs. Alice Bonbright is listed in the 1915 New York City Directory as a widow and head of household.

 

The Streets of Carlsbad - Mermod Street

Land speculation in the 1890s is the main reason for the development of Eddy/Carlsbad. To develop land in the desert, it was necessary to provide water to agricultural land.  The early irrigation developers, Charles B. Eddy, Robert W. Tansill, Charles Greene, Joseph Stevens, and Francis Tracy were joined by Arthur Mermod. The early developers used land laws to obtain land for development. Both Mr. Mermod and his wife were granted a section of land under the Desert Land Act.

Arthur Mermod (pronounced with a silent “d”) was from a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was the owner and president of the Mermod-Jaccard Jewelry Company of St. Louis, at the time one of the largest jewelry companies in the country. Mr. Eddy knew Arthur Mermod from the Colorado Springs area, where Eli and Arthur Mermod, Jr. had “dabbled” in cattle ranching. His father had invested in a cattle ranch in the Colorado Springs area, in an effort to give his sons a sense of purpose. The Mermod ranch and the Eddy ranch were in close proximity. Mrs. Arthur Mermod was the best friend of the Charles Eddy’s sister, Mrs. Mary Fox (Fox Street). When the Tansill party made the trip from Toyah, Mrs. Fox and Mrs. Mermod were visiting the Eddy Ranch and acted as hostesses to the visiting potential investors.

Although the Mermod family did not establish a residence in Eddy, they spent a part of each winter in the town. The family divided their time between St. Louis, Colorado Springs, and Eddy. Mr. Mermod became involved in the first real estate sales office in Eddy. During the 1890s, he served as a U.S. land commissioner.  He recorded deeds of land transactions as early as August of 1890. There were handbills printed by The Argus that identified Mr. Mermod as a land commissioner, notary, and sales agent for the investment company. He was mentioned in advertisements and brochures sent across the country talking up the advantages of life in the Pecos Valley.

Land speculation in the 1890s is the main reason for the development of Eddy/Carlsbad. To develop land in the desert, it was necessary to provide water to agricultural land.  The early irrigation developers, Charles B. Eddy, Robert W. Tansill, Charles Greene, Joseph Stevens, and Francis Tracy were joined by Arthur Mermod. The early developers used land laws to obtain land for development. Both Mr. Mermod and his wife were granted a section of land under the Desert Land Act.

Arthur Mermod (pronounced with a silent “d”) was from a wealthy family in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was the owner and president of the Mermod-Jaccard Jewelry Company of St. Louis, at the time one of the largest jewelry companies in the country. Mr. Eddy knew Arthur Mermod from the Colorado Springs area, where Eli and Arthur Mermod, Jr. had “dabbled” in cattle ranching. His father had invested in a cattle ranch in the Colorado Springs area, in an effort to give his sons a sense of purpose. The Mermod ranch and the Eddy ranch were in close proximity. Mrs. Arthur Mermod was the best friend of the Charles Eddy’s sister, Mrs. Mary Fox (Fox Street). When the Tansill party made the trip from Toyah, Mrs. Fox and Mrs. Mermod were visiting the Eddy Ranch and acted as hostesses to the visiting potential investors.

Although the Mermod family did not establish a residence in Eddy, they spent a part of each winter in the town. The family divided their time between St. Louis, Colorado Springs, and Eddy. Mr. Mermod became involved in the first real estate sales office in Eddy. During the 1890s, he served as a U.S. land commissioner.  He recorded deeds of land transactions as early as August of 1890. There were handbills printed by The Argus that identified Mr. Mermod as a land commissioner, notary, and sales agent for the investment company. He was mentioned in advertisements and brochures sent across the country talking up the advantages of life in the Pecos Valley.

In Mr. Tracy’s Reminiscences, he reported (when the Panic of 1893 and the flood of the Pecos followed), “The strain of the reversal was so disheartening, that discord broke out among the promoters themselves , and after an unsuccessful attempt to wrest control from Mr. Hagerman, Mr. Eddy and his associates (including Mermod) withdrew from the valley and never returned.”

 

The Streets of Carlsbad - Tracy Place

Francis Gallatin Tracy, Sr.

Recruited by his uncle, Joseph Stevens, Francis Gallatin Tracy, Sr. came west to inspect and invest in the irrigation venture. Mr. Tracy returned to New York; however, he was so impressed he sold his holdings on Long Island and returned to Eddy. He remained to manage Mr. Steven’s and his own investments.

Mr. Tracy was twenty-six when he came to Eddy from New York in 1890 with $163 and two collie dogs. He went to work for the Pecos Valley Town Company for $75 a month, investing most of his earnings in lots in the town and in his farm.  The early agricultural boom collapsed when the entire United States was hit by the Panic of 1893. The same year the Pecos River flooded and destroyed part of the irrigation ditches, tore out railroad tracks, and washed out the Rock and Hagerman Dams. A few pioneer farmers decided to “pull up stakes” and moved away. Mr. Tracy was determined to stay and be successful.

After the flood and economic downturn, Francis G. Tracy supervised preparation for building a new concrete flume across the river. The concrete flume was built by the Witt Brothers and finished in 1903. This flume was "one of the largest of its kind in the world."

The irrigation system was barely back in operation when the river flooded again in 1904. In desperation, the development company’s officers negotiated a sale to the United State Bureau of Reclamation in 1905 for $150,000 or about ten cents for each original investment dollar. In 1907 with Bureau money, the irrigation of 30,000 acres using 145 miles of ditches was completed. Francis G. Tracy was largely responsible for the successful reorganization and completion of the reconstruction.

New construction brought jobs and helped the economy. When the project was completed, farmers were able to increase alfalfa acreage dramatically. The Carlsbad Irrigation Co. was the first in the United States to pay back its debt to the Bureau of Reclamation and return to local ownership. Francis Tracy was largely responsible for this effort. The irrigation system was the largest built by private enterprise, and declared a National Landmark in 1973.

A hard freeze in 1906 killed most of the fruit trees and ended growing fruit as an agricultural industry in the Pecos Valley. Francis G. Tracy and C. H. McLenathen, the leading farmers of the area, found with irrigation cotton could be grown profitably. Cotton became the county’s major cash crop, grossing a half million dollars in 1908. Mr. Tracy was a life-long civic and community leader and continued to be of influence until his death in January of 1951. His descendants still reside in Carlsbad and continue his civic work.

The Streets of Carlsbad - Stevens Street

Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders 1889

      One of the most interesting of the early investors in the Pecos Valley was Joseph Sampson Stevens. Stevens was born in 1866, the son of a prominent, high society, New York banking family. His father, Fredrick William Stevens, served on the board of directors of five of the nation’s leading banks. His mother was Adele Livingston Sampson, the daughter of the founder of the Chemical National Bank. Fredrick Stevens served on the board of directors of the Chemical National Bank for 57 years.

            After being diagnosed with tuberculosis, Joseph Stevens came west, to Colorado Springs, which at the time was a sort of playground for the wealthy. He had played polo at Harvard College and was considered to be the best polo player in the country. In Colorado Springs, as a member of the Broadmoor Country Club, he met and became good friends with Charles and John Eddy, who also had family connections with the Chemical National Bank in New York City. As early as 1887, the Eddy brothers had recruited Stevens to invest in their grand scheme to irrigate the desert of New Mexico. He traveled from Colorado to the Eddy’s Halagueno Ranch before his twenty-first birthday. After his visit, he was convinced that southeast New Mexico was a good place to invest his inheritance. He immediately recruited his father, Fredrick and his nephew, Francis Tracy to come west and invest in the irrigation venture. Steven’s father and Mr. Tracy returned to New York; however, Mr. Tracy was so impressed with his visit, that he sold his holdings on Long Island and returned to New Mexico. He remained in Carlsbad to manage Mr. Steven’s and his own investments.

            Joseph Sampson Stevens went on to join Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. In May of 1889, he traveled to Cuba and fought in the Spanish-American War. He returned from the war with what was, at the time, termed “Cuban Fever” (malaria). On his return, he spent time re-cooperating living with his mother (now the Duchesse de Dino) on the French Rivera.  In 1899, he married Clara Sherwood Rollins. In 1904, at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, he played polo with President Teddy Roosevelt at a Rough Rider Reunion. He served on the board of directors of the Chemical National Bank in New York City and built “Kirby Hill”, a manor estate still in existence in Newport, Rhode Island.  Joseph S. Stevens passed away March 23, 1935 at the age of 69, in Charlotte, South Carolina.

The Streets of Carlsbad - Greene Street

The view from the southwest corner of Greene and
Main Streets during the flood of 1893. Photo courtesy
of nearlovingsbend.net
 

     Yes, Greene Street ends with an "e." Greene Street was named for one of the original developers, Charles W. Greene. He was connected to the Santa Fe Railroad, but visiting Roswell, New Mexico, when he introduced himself to the famous lawman, Pat Garrett. Garrett introduced Mr. Greene and Mr. Eddy. Mr. Greene was an enthusiastic promoter a newspaperman originally from St. Louis, Missouri. His job in the development was to promote the idea back east and in Europe.
     His youngest daughter described the effort with these words: "To carry out his project, Mr. Greene chartered a private car from Chicago and a party was formed to carry out the ideas and make their dream come true of transforming a desert into a land of prosperity. Those making this first trip were: R.W. Tansill, Mrs. Ruth Hustis, Ed S. Motter, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gregory, Mrs Minnie H. Gibson, and the Messrs. Philpot, Hinkle, and O'Meara, all from Chicago. At St. Louis, Miss Mary Reed, daughter of Mr. Greene, joined the party and upon the invitation of Mr. Tansill, Lillian Greene went as mascot."
     When the town was christened in 1888, it was Mr. Greene's daughter, Lillian, who did the honors by breaking the bottle of champagne on a rock at the low water crossing. The first wooden bridge over the Pecos, on Greene Street, was completed in 1890. People came from all over the country to have a hand in the development of the new town.
     Mr. Greene's enthusiasm could not be contained, and he was not satisfied with slow and steady growth. He moved to Europe and settled in London, where he spent the next five years devoting his efforts to promoting Irrigation and Investment Company and the town of Eddy. He was responsible for bringing many colonies of foreigner to the Pecos Valley to settle and grow their crops.
     This was successful until 1893, when a national economic panic and a terrible flood of the Pecos caused a reversal of fortune. Many of the immigrants left the Pecos Valley, as did many investors. Mr. Eddy and his associates backed out of the venture. Mr. Greene was one of those left responsible and it was too much for him. He lost his entire fortune and died soon after in New York City. But he is still remembered in Carlsbad, with Greene street, ending with an "e."

The Streets of Carlsbad - Hagerman Street

James John Hagerman

Many of the streets in our town are name after people who came before us. They were developers, capitalists, and visionaries. They could see a land of opportunity in the desert, maybe none more so than James John Hagerman. Mr. Eddy traveled all the way to Colorado Springs to recruit Mr. Hagerman. Mr. Eddy picked up Mr. Hagerman at the Toyah train depot and drove him through the Pecos Valley showing him the prospects for agriculture by irrigation. After this hundred mile buggy ride, Hagerman took charge of the development. The original investors and Hagerman formed the new Irrigation and Investment Company. Hagerman raised capital, and invested heavily himself. By 1890, the Rock Dam was built north of the village at today’s Avalon site and water released into the main canal. A high, trestle-supported wooden flume was built to carry the main canal from La Huerta over the river for irrigation south of the town.

J.J. Hagerman invested heavily and became the force behind the development of southeastern New Mexico, bringing the railroad from Pecos to Roswell. There were serious problems between Mr. Hagerman and Eddy.  Both were strong personalities and they fought about business operations. There were economic problems throughout the nation in 1893, and in 1895 a flood washed out most of the irrigation canals and dams that had been completed.  A great deal more money would be needed to complete and rebuild the irrigation project.  Charles Bishop Eddy left Carlsbad in 1895 to go into developments in the El Paso area.  He never returned to the town or county to which he had given his name.

Mr. Hagerman continued to invest. Hagerman had seen the need for an easier way for people to get to the Pecos Valley and to get valley farmers’ crops to market. Hagerman formed a separate company to build the Pecos Valley Railroad from Pecos, Texas, and in 1891 the townspeople celebrated the arrival of the first train. Hagerman built a large home east of the river and town. He later invested more of his money to extend the railroad to Roswell and to Amarillo. Although the town of Hagerman was named for him, the Hagerman family never lived there.  In 1900, Mr. Hagerman sold his home in Colorado and moved to Roswell. He purchased the John Chisum South Springs property. In 1906, his son, Herbert, became the Territorial Governor of New Mexico. Hagerman died in Italy while touring Europe with his wife and was buried in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Streets of Carlsbad - Eddy Street

Charles B. Eddy in trimmed beard plaid
bowtie, top-buttoned coat. Eddy was the
original La Huerta ranch owner and
project promoter.

Of course, the most prominent name in early Eddy/Carlsbad was that of cattleman turned promoter, Charles B. Eddy.  None of the first streets were named for Mr. Eddy. However, the town took Eddy’s name, and in 1889 when two new counties were formed from the southern part of Lincoln County, one was named Chavez and the other, Eddy.

            Charles Bishop Eddy was born in 1857 in Milford, New York. In the early 1880s, he and his brother, John Arthur Eddy, came to Colorado to try cattle ranching. John was the day to day manager, and Charles, the promoter.  They soon moved south and purchased the Pecos Valley Ranch along the Pecos in the southeast part of the territory. 

            Charles and John, with the financing from a New York banker, began developing the Eddy-Bissell Ranch in 1881.  At first, cattle ranching seemed profitable.  The first few years there was enough grass and rain for the cattle in the valley.  However, rainfall in southeast New Mexico was never dependable. The drought of 1885 and 1886 was severe.  Eddy lost one third of his herd and he was lucky, many other ranchers were wiped out.

            Always a promoter, after the drought of 1885 and 1886, Eddy began an irrigation development.  In 1887, he and other investors formed a company and incorporated the town of Eddy from a portion the Eddy-Bissell Ranch.  Charles Eddy was responsible for planting the cottonwood trees that were one of the early attractions of the town.  Despite Eddy’s effort promoting the town, the company was in financial trouble until Robert W. Tansill introduced Mr. Eddy to James John Hagerman.  Mr. Hagerman became a major factor in development, bringing the railroad from Pecos to Roswell.

            Starting in 1893, there were economic difficulties, and in 1895 a serious flood destroyed a major portion of the canals, dams, and railroad.  New money was needed and the major investors disagreed over business matters.  Eventually, Mr. Eddy moved on to develop other projects in the El Paso area. He never returned to the area he had given his name.  Carlsbad has an Eddy Street, Eddy Elementary School, and is the county seat of Eddy County.

The Streets of Carlsbad - Tansill Street

Robert Weems Tansill

When the Pecos Land and Ditch Company formed in 1887, the first investors were cattlemen.  The drought of 1885 and 1886 was severe; there wasn’t enough grass for the cattle and the shrinking river was the only water. One rancher said so many cattle died you could walk on the backs of dead cattle from Seven Rivers to Pecos.  Charles B. Eddy, of the Eddy-Bissell Cattle Company, lost one third of his herd.  Many of the other ranchers were completely wiped out. This drought convinced Mr. Eddy that to raise cows or anything else in the Pecos Valley serious changes would have to be made.

            Mr. Eddy envisioned an irrigation project fed by the Pecos River along a canal he named, "Halagueno".  Charles Eddy and his brother John formed a corporation and began looking for investors.  Soon after, Eddy met with Pat Garrett, who was operating a ranch south of Roswell.  Garrett was also trying to raise funds for a canal he called "The Great Northern Canal.”  Garrett’s project, if extended southward, would provide irrigation for up to 40,000 acres.  These two teamed up with Charles W. Greene and began their venture.  They hired engineers and had plans drawn up.

            In searching for capital, they made the acquaintance of Robert Weems Tansill.  Tansill had made a fortune manufacturing “Punch” cigars in Chicago, the first cigars to the use concept of branding.  His cigars were advertised on billboards and were the first to use cigar bands.  Due to health problems, he had come west on the advice of his doctor and settled in Colorado Springs. Tansill joined “the Company” and later moved to Carlsbad to better manage his investment. Along with his money and business sense, he also had connections. Tansill introduced “the Company” to James John Hagerman. Mr. Tansill loved the community and stayed here until his death in 1902.   Tansill Street, Tansill Dam, and Lower Tansill Dam are evidence of his significant influence in the development of our community.

The Streets of Carlsbad - Canal Street

View Southward from the Alonzo Luckey tower at
206. N. Canyon; Second section of Hagerman
Hotel completed, National Bank Building on Canal
Street completed. 

Did you ever wonder about the names of the streets in Carlsbad?  Here in the desert our busiest street is named Canal.  Most towns have streets named Main, Center, or Park, and tree streets, like Oak, or Elm.  Some were platted with named streets one direction and numbered cross streets.  How did Carlsbad’s streets get their names?  This column will reveal a little of the history of our town and how it grew to be the place we live today. 

            The town of Eddy was conceived by a group of promoters in 1887.  Charles B. Eddy, co-owner of the Eddy-Bissell Cattle Company, envisioned an irrigation project fed by the Pecos River.  Another irrigation promoter was Pat Garrett, the lawman famous for killing Billy the Kid.  These men teamed up with Charles W. Greene, Robert W. Tansill, along with Arthur Mermod, Joseph Stevens, and Elmer Williams to found the Pecos Land and Ditch Company.

            In 1888, The Ditch Company hired B.A. Nymeyer to survey and plat the first eighteen blocks of the municipality.  Six streets ran east-west and four streets ran north-south. The six east-west streets were named after investors or their friends. The four north-south streets were Canal, Canyon, Main, and River Streets.  Mr. Greene supposedly insisted the town be named for Mr. Eddy.  On September 15, 1888 they christened the venture by breaking a bottle of Champagne on a rock at the Pecos River crossing.  Mr. Eddy began planting cottonwood poles and marking out streets. The first town building was The Land and Ditch Company building, a wooden structure on Greene.  A few lots were sold for $50 each and construction began.

            The purpose of the venture was to create an oasis so inviting that people from back east would purchase lots from the Land and Ditch Company.  Advertisements placed in eastern newspapers lured people to move to Eddy.  The ads described the lush greenery made possible by the canals and ditches that delivered water from the Pecos River to almost every property in town.  These successful ads brought people from as far away as Switzerland to settle in the town with the “Canal.”