Polvadera y Chamisal TTwwoo ooff SSooccoorrrroo CCoouunnttyy’’ss hhiissttoorriicc vviillllaaggeess aanndd tthhee SSaann LLoorreennzzoo LLaanndd GGrraanntt Originally published in El Defensor Chieftain at the pueblo near present day Polvadera, or newspaper, Saturday, September 4, 2010. established their own haciendas nearby. It is known the pueblo was destroyed by the Navajo By Paul Harden, [email protected] in 1629. It was subsequently rebuilt, perhaps For El Defensor Chieftain with the help of their Spanish neighbors. Last month's Relatos del Pasado (Stories of the Little else is known about this early Pulvidero. Past) presented some of the history of Lemitar The fact that these settlers, and the Piro pueblo, and her church. This month, it seems only fair to were recorded in early church records suggest look at her sister villages to the north: Polvadera they lived together in peace for many years. This and Chamisal. is what leads some historians to believe Pulvidero may be a corruption of the Piro name One early mention of Polvadera occurred of the pueblo. shortly after the Americans entered Santa Fe, in 1846. Surveyor Lt. William Emory wrote in his diary: “Arrived at the town of Pulvidera, which we found, as its name implies, covered with dust.” Lt. Emory was correct. Polvadera is a rendition of the Spanish word polvoriento or pulverdero meaning “dusty” or “pulverized dirt.” It is believed the name Polvadera may also be based on the name of an old Piro Indian pueblo in the area of a similar-sounding name. The actual name and spelling of the town has changed over the years. When resettled in the early 1800s, it was called “Plaza de Pulvidera.” In the 1845 Mexican census, after the San Lorenzo Photo by Paul Harden Land Grant had been approved, the name The picturesque San Lorenzo canyon was once part of changed to “San Lorenzo de Pulvidero.” For the Antonio Chavez’ San Lorenzo Land Grant, and later the first U.S. census in 1850, it was listed as Padilla ranch. “Pulvidera,” “La Polvedera de San Lorenzo” in 1860, and then “Pulvedero” by the 1870 census. A similar situation arose south of Socorro in When the railroad arrived in 1881, they spelled it forming the “Hacienda de Luis Lopez.” This “Polvadera,” the form used today. estancia was named after Don Luis Lopez, the However, Polvadera is much older than 1846. alcalde mayor of nearby Senecu pueblo and mission in the 1660s. Early Pulvidero Thus, Socorro, Luis Lopez, and Pulvidero are It appears Spanish colonists in the early 1600s the oldest documented “New World” settlements had ventured north of Socorro. Some had settled in Socorro County. about four leagues (about 12 miles) north of In 1680, all of the people in the Socorro region, Socorro, where land along the west bank of the both Spaniards and the Piros, abandoned their river was found to be fertile. It is not known if homes and pueblos and fled to El Paso during the these 1600s colonists settled with the Piro Indians Pueblo Revolt. The Piros never returned. Author’s Collection Author’s Collection This 1906 topo map shows much of the San Lorenzo The same area as shown on a 1959 topo map, while I-25 Land Grant, Polvadera, Chamisal and Bowling Green. was still under construction, bypassing Polvadera. Early 1800s Pulvidero Fe, in 1773. He married Maria Ortiz, in 1792. They Following the Spanish reconquest of New were one of the first documented settlers in Mexico after 1692, the land south of Belen was Polvadera, evidenced by their fourth child, son declared “off limits” by the Spanish governors in Jose, having been “born in Pulvidera in 1803.” Santa Fe. The Spanish Royal Guard did not have They had five additional children born before enough soldiers to protect settlers in this area 1820. against the Apaches. As a result, Socorro, Luis The Sarracino family was very influential in Lopez and Pulvidero remained abandoned and Polvadera. They built stores, houses, a community unoccupied for more than 100 years. center and a school. Sarracino Hall is a registered Resettlement of the area historic landmark. was allowed around 1800. The Padillas settled on the Families from Belen and Tomé land called “Barranca were the first pioneers to Colorada,” west of present day venture back into the region. I-25, and herded huge Some of the early families to numbers of sheep. resettle Pulvidero were Another early settler was Aragon, Chavez, De Baca, Demetrio De Baca. He Luna, Padilla, Sarracino, homesteaded at a spring in the Torrez and Zamora. Many of Lemitar Mountains he called today’s Polvadera families are Chupadera Springs. Son Jose descendants of these early Photo by Paul Harden Baca built a ranch in pioneer families. One of the first families to settle Polvadera, which was The earliest family I found Polvadera was the DeBaca family. destroyed in the 1936 flood. Descendants Demetrio (left) and Miguel in genealogical sources was Baca are the oldest and youngest of 11 Sons Demetrio and Miguel Santiago Torrez, born in Santa children. Baca still reside in Polvadera. These are just a few examples of the families that make up today’s Polvadera. San Lorenzo Land Grant In February 1825, Antonio Chavez made petition for a land grant to New Mexico Gov. Bartolome Baca as follows: “I, Antonio Chavez ... apply to the superior wisdom of your excellency, that you may assign to me the tract called the Arroyo de San Lorenzo whose description and boundaries are: on the south the ranche of Pablo Garcia (near Polvadera); on the north the little table mesita of Alamillo (San Acacia Butte); on the west the Jara Spring (head of San Lorenzo canyon); and on the east the river known as the Photo by Paul Harden James and Cecillia McCord have masterfully restored Rio del Norte (Rio Grande).” several of Polvadera’s old adobe territorial buildings. Gov. Baca noted that all the land along the west This used to be the Clemente Chaves store. side of the Rio Grande in this region was contained in either the Socorro or Sevilleta land grants. He remaining land owners petitioned the U.S. modified Chavez’ application to limit the land Surveyor General for legal rights to the land grant grant to within 1 mile of the river except for a small under the Treaty of Hidalgo. This turned into 25 tract of land along the San Lorenzo arroyo. This years of legal bickering. would grant Chavez some access to the river and Land grants require a continuous succession of for building an acequia. Chavez agreed to the family ownership. Since the Chavez’ no longer modification and the “Arroyo de San Lorenzo” owned the land, the squable went all the way to the land grant was awarded in late 1825, and U.S. Supreme Court. In 1898, they rejected the consisted of 130,138 acres. validity of the grant. Antonio Chavez and his family worked their The San Lorenzo Land Grant, upon which land “about 10 miles north of Socorro.” After Polvadera and Chamisal are built, came to an end Antonio died, his wife and children continued in 1898. Upon 1912 Statehood, the private land living on the land until they sold it around 1850 to ownership of the residences was honored; the rest Ramon Luna, Rafael Luna and Anastacio Garcia, of the grant became state land. Years later, all pioneer families in Polvadera. ownership of San Lorenzo Canyon, owned by the Rafael Luna died around 1870. In 1874, the two Padilla family, was transferred to the Bureau of Land Management and land along the river given to the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. To this day, many of the pioneer families in Polvadera believe some of their land was stolen from them. And, they might be right. It was later determined that Surveyor General Julius had misinterpreted the Mexican land grant laws, on which rejection of the San Lorenzo and other grants were based. But, it was too late. This complicated ordeal does explain why the name San Lorenzo is so common to the Polvadera area and the famous canyon to the west. Early Look at Polvadera Photo by Paul Harden Very little is known about life in the numerous The first Polvadera church was destroyed by flood in 1898, located about where the First Assembly of God villages along the Rio Grande in the early 1800s. church stands today. Only a portion of the nearby old This is due to almost no written record. cemetery remains. That changed when Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny entered Santa Fe and raised the American flag in Pvt. David Pettigrew also wrote about the 1846. With him were several hundred Mormon Polvadera grist mill: “Here was a gristmill worked soldiers, known as the Mormon Battalion. by water power. This night our camp was full of On their march to California, they crossed to Indians and Spaniards trading apples, grapes, the west side of the Rio Grande at La Joya. With melons, bread, flour, corn and whiskey.” great difficulty, they hauled their wagons over the Pvt. Levi Hancock sand dunes by the Rio Salado. That day, Oct. 25, seemed particularly 1846, they learned the village ahead of them, intrigued by the Catholic Pulvidera, had just been attacked by Indians. The people he encountered next day, they arrived and camped at the village as evidenced by his before they continued on to Socorro. colorful description: Many of these Mormon men kept diaries. Many “But here all have one were young and still learning to read and write in religion. ... In every English. Some of their diary entries, describing viliage of any their travels through Polvadera, follows — exactly considerable size may be as recorded in their journals.