We ride down Railroad Avenue in Lordsburg. The town was founded just 5 years ago as the AT&SF railroad came through while building the second transcontinental railroad which was completed by Deming in 1881. We take a room with two beds upstairs in the front at the Ownby house hotel. You can see our room in this here picture on the left.
We inquire about the best livery in town and walk the boys over to it. Double oats, hay bed, and brushing out. We check the boys shoes every day and do our own repairs as we don’t trust no one we don’t know with the boys. The town appears kind of active in a slow motion pace. All the business and homes are in good condition as they are fairly new. The depot seems too big for the size town here. We notice lots of mining equipment on cars heading both east and west as well as strings of cattle cars both loaded and empty. Lots of commerce passing through now that you can get from California to Missouri on the same line
I notice a letter sent from Oklahoma city to Lordsburg the date mailed shows it only took three days to come all these miles. The whole thing out this country is changing right before our eyes. Crates ,building supplies, clothing furniture rugs you name it are stacked on the depot platform. The passengers getting off seem refined well dressed certainly not the kinds people we live among our kinda people don’t usually ride the train they just ride horses it’s cheaper more fun and you get yo see where you are not just click clack mile after mile looking at the passing country but not seeing a sang thing. Seems like they are in some kind of hurry to do what I have no idea. Steve notices this also and tells me it all seems to be wasted effort and we should get to our own affairs. He us right you know, he usually is I just don’t tell him.
So we head straight to this here water hole and commence to set up shop for the remainder of this day. In due course we meet a fellow dressed like ass n eastern dandy but threadbare Dusty bowler hat, lace up shoes, and looked about 40. Says he is a chemist from back east looking for his fortune out here named “Ed Ferking” . He comes over to our table since we have a full bottle and he only has a half shot left. Turns out he came thru white oaks last year says nice enough town but all the good jobs were taken and it seemed the town was wary of newcomers so he shoved on down this way. We did not see Ed again till we ran across him in a central Florida town in 2014. He is the same old good guy we met years ago, just a little weathered from time. He tells us there is a solid golf spike near Deming that they drove in 1881 when the second trans -continental railroad met there. He looked for it but could not find it .
Steve and I decided we would look for it, on our way to Gage ,Chance City and Deming. We pick up some supplies across the street and called it a day. At dawn we fill all our empty whiskey bottles and our canteen saddle bag with the one thing out here .more valuable than gold, WATER!! There is no known water source within 200 miles in this scrub desert, so you better know what in the hell you are doing are you and your horse will end up just another pile of gleaming bones.
We decide we need some peace and quiet and will ride over to Gage New Mexico 19 miles East. It’s a train water stop and since steve and I have been in this country before they even thought about a railway we know some people there and in chance
