Rufus H. Dunnahoo Redfield Georgia B. 3-19-37. 670 words INTERVIEW Rufus M. Dunnahoo (Age Eighty-eight Years) Oldest Roswell Pioneer "My parents were [B. P?] and Katherine Atkinson Dunnahoo. I am eighty-eight years old, was born in Mississippi on Washington's birthday - February 22, 1849. Old Home of Captain Jason W. James "Yes this is the old home of Captain Jason W. James and family. They lived here in 1893-94. That is Pat Garretts' old home up the road a couple hundred yards east. We have a picture of Pat Garrett and John W. Poe, taken about the time Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid in 1881. I live here with my daughter Sally [Chewning?] and her husband Henry [Chewning?]. Arrived in New Mexico 1880 "I left San Antonio, Texas, in a two horse covered wagon and arrived in New Mexico in July, 1880. "Judge Asbury C. Rogers the first school teacher in this district was one of the men who came in our outfit. "At Pecos, Texas we struck a Caravan of immigrants, with sixteen covered wagons and a bunch of cattle. My brother-in-law George Danner and I went over from our camp near them and talked with them. They were quarreling and complaining,. They were discouraged because the grazing for the cattle was all burned up because of long drouth. The cattle had gotten weak and poor from lack of water and food. They wanted to turn back. C[18 - 65/?] N. Mex. Brought Cattle to New Mexico I made them a proposition, and they took me up on it to bring their stock through to Seven Rivers for them. "I got through with them all right. Geronimo's Band Indians Stole Teams Horses. "We hadn't been at Seven Rivers long when Geronimo's Apaches came and stole all the teams - 32 head of their horses. "I bought the old Beckwith Ranche and had my horses in a five foot high and two foot thick, adobe corral, near the house so the Indians didn't get mine. Indians Disappeared in Cave Another time Geronimo and sixteen other Indians broke out of the Mescalero Reservation one day, and the soldiers after them thought they had them safe in a cave about two and a half miles east, a little north of Fort Stanton, two hundred yards from the Bonito River. The soldiers thought to starve the Indians out, but the Indians never came back, so the soldiers tracked them through the cave down a river about 14 miles. The Indians went through the cave to south side of Capitan Mountains and stole a bunch of horses and drove them on down this far. They camped right where the New Mexico Military Institute is located now. I think Pat Garrett and a posse captured the Indians over in the Portales country. "The cave those Indians and soldiers went in is not as large or as beautiful as Carlsbad Caverns. There is one big room. An underground river flows through all of the cave. Blacksmith Shop in Seven Rivers "I opened a blacksmith shop in Seven Rivers. While we were living there, seven wagons of us were going over to Las Vegas. When we got to the Hondo River-right at the entrance of Roswell we found the river was up and there wasn't any bridge. Helped by Captain Joseph C. Lea "Captain Joseph C. Lea and Buck [Ouice?] came to us on horseback. Captain Lea said he had some vigas (large beans) and he would give us some to make a crossing with. He brought us three. We cut some little underbrush and put across the vigas and managed to cross. When we came back from Las Vegas the river was down but our bridge was still there. "Captain Leas strengthened it and kept it up three years for there was lots of traveling through here then to Silver City and to White Oaks during the gold seekers rush during the seventies and early eighties. Opened Black-smith Shop Roswell 1881 "In 1881 I opened a black-smith shop in Roswell right where the Green Lantern is located now on the corner of Fourth and Main streets. "When I moved to Roswell Captain and Mrs. Lea has a boy and girl-Wildy and Elinor. My wife and I had three children a boy-George Dunnahoo and two girls Ruth and Maude. Named for Mrs. Joseph C. Lea "My daughter, Mrs. Henry Chewning, the one I live here with was born after we moved to Roswell. We named her Sally for Captain Lea's wife Sally Wildy Lea. Played Violin-John Chisum Home Christmas Night 1880 I was a musician and played for all the first dances and parties given in this part of the country. "In 1880 I played Violin and Will Lumbley played the banjo, for the Christmas party at the John Chisum Ranche at South Spring-six miles south of Roswell. "Miss Sallie Chisum and John Chisum liked to have young people come for parties on holidays. "Their house was a big eight or nine room adobe built around a patio. There was a fine dining room and a table long enough to seat all the settlers that lived in this district, at that time. Every body was welcome at the Chisum Ranche and they had good times there. "Round dances-the old-time waltz-and quadrilles, or square dances were danced in those days. Hunted Buffalo Antelope and Deer. "I was considered a good buffalo hunter, I like hunting. When we sighted a bunch of buffalo we tried to get so the wind blew from them so they couldn't scent us, they were awful wild and quick getting away. I guess I killed more antelope and deer then any man in New Mexico. "Since Jim Miller died two years ago I am the oldest old-timer here. He was two years older than I. We were good friends-sorter like brothers. I don't think either of us had an enemy. I miss him. He was a good man." Given In Interview By: Rufus H. Dunnahoo, 3-16-37. P. O. Roswell, New Mexico. Rufus H. Dunnahoo Redfield, Georgia B. APR 25 [19?] Words 1080 RUFUS H. DUNNAHOO Oldest Living Roswell Pioneer, Established Blacksmith Shop in 1881, Helped Build First Hondo River Bridge Rufus H. Dunnahoo, Roswell's oldest living pioneer, came from San Antonio, Texas to New Mexico in July 1880, and settled at Seven Rivers - eighteen miles north of the site on which building of the present City of Carlsbad was started nine years later, in 1889. At the time of the coming of Mr. Dunnahoo, Seven Rivers, then in Lincoln County, and the town of Lincoln and White Oaks were the only towns of any consequence in Southeast New Mexico. Roswell - sixty-five miles north of Seven Rivers - was only a cattle trading Post, having one store and a post-office. Roswell today, in a modern city of 12,500 population, while all that remains of Seven Rivers are remnants of adobe walls and what is known as "Boot Cemetery", where most of the men were buried with boots on, after numerous shooting escapades. At that time all the land from Seven Rivers, on both sides of the Pecos River, as far north as the Bosque Grande country thirty-five miles northeast of Roswell - a distance of nearly one hundred and twenty miles - was used as cattle grazing land by John S. Chisum who brought the first herd of cattle to the Pecos Valley in 1867. [???] The town site of Seven Rivers in Eddy County and Roswell in Chaves County were in Lincoln County until Eddy and Chaves County were created by Act of the Territorial Legislature in 1889, going into effect January 1, 1891. When coming to New Mexico, Mr. Dunnahoo ran across a bunch of immigrants at Pecos, Texas, who were traveling in a caravan of sixteen covered wagons. They had become discouraged, because of drouth conditions, and were ready to turn back with their herd of cattle that had become tired out and weak from lack of food. Mr. Dunnahoo contracted to assume all responsibility in driving the herd, if they would continue the journey with him. The immigrants gladly gave their consent and Mr. Dunnahoo brought the cattle safely through to Seven Rivers. Soon after their arrival a band of Geronimo's Indians came at night and stole the teams - thirty- two head - all of the caravan horses, excepting the ones belonging Mr. Dunnahoo, who had bought the old [beckwith?] Ranche and placed his horses in a five foot high adobe corral on his ranche. Besides his ranching interests he established a blacksmith shop in Seven Rivers, but he soon became dissatisfied with the lawless conditions of the "Wild and Wooly" town and decided to seek a more peaceful place to live. Accompanied by some of his men companions of the caravan, he headed for Las Vegas. Traveling a dim trail via Roswell at that place they found the Hondo River up, and no bridge on which to cross into the town. Captain Joseph C. Lea and Buck Guice, a friend of his, came down on horseback and gave them advice and assistance. He sent them three vigas (large beams) these they laid across the river and covered them with small under brush they cut from the river banks. Over this hazardous crossing the seven wagons, of the caravan, crossed safely into the town of Roswell owned by Captain Lea and his wife, Sally (Wildy) Lea. Remembering the beautiful country around the promising town and the kindness of Captain Lea, and Mr. Guice, he returned a few months later, in 1881 to make Roswell his permanent home. On this second trip he found the "make-shift" bridge, he helped build, had been strengthened by Captain Lea, who kept it up, for over three years, for a crossing for travelers many of them being gold seekers, going to Silver City or White Oaks during the gold rush days of the seventies and early eighties. During the year of Mr. Dunnahoo's coming to Roswell, in 1881, he opened a much needed blacksmith shop on the corner now occupied by the "Green Lantern" on North Main and Fourth Streets. He was one of Roswell's first musicians. He played the violin and Will Lumbley the banjo for a Christmas party in [1890?], given at the nine room adobe ranche house at South Spring, six miles south of Roswell, which was owned by John Chisum. Antelope and deer, quail, and rabbits were plentiful in those days. Buffalo still roamed the country on the plains east of Roswell, coming as far west as the Pacos River. Mr. Dunnahoo was a good buffalo hunter, and it is said, by old timers, that he has undoubtedly killed more antelope and deer than any other man that has lived in New Mexico. After Mr. Dunnahoo came to Roswell a band of Indians broke out of the Mescalero Indian Reservation and eluding the Government officers (who thought they had the Indians trapped in a big cave three miles east of Fort Stanton) they escaped by coming out [onthe?] opposite side of El Capitan Mountain where they stole a bunch of horses and bringing them through this region of the country, camped on wild waste land, which is now the campus of the New Mexico Military Institute. Mr. Dunnahoo and his wife Ann (Hearnly) Dunnahoo, who were married in 1869, had three children when they came to Roswell to make their home; a boy named George, and two girls, Ruth and Maude. Another daughter born after they came to Roswell was named Sallie for (Wildy) Lea, wife of Captain Lea. Only two other white children lived in Roswell at that time, they were children of Captain and Mrs. Lea, Wildy, a boy, and Elinor, a baby girl, who was the first one born within the town of Roswell. Mr. Dunnahoo makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. Sallie (Dunnahoo) [?], and her husband Mr. Henry [?], who lives about three miles east of Roswell, where Mr. Dunnahoo can see from his front porch the old home of his friend Pat Garrett. One of his most cherished possessions is a photograph of Mr. Garrett taken about the time he killed the famous New Mexico outlaw, Billy the Kid, in July 1881. Mr. Dunnahoo is the son of R. P. and Katherine (Atkinson) Dunnahoo. He was born in the State of Mississippi on George Washington's birthday on February 22, 1849. At the advanced age of eighty-nine years, he is still active, and as strong and enjoys as good health as numerous other men many years younger. He is highly respected and honored in the community where he lives and stands high in the affections of the early settlers of Roswell, among whom he has lived continuously for nearly sixty years. Source of Information Mr. Dunnahoo in person - Roswell Personal knowledge of writer Credit: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection. Eddy, Chaves ********************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. **********************************************************************************