Daily Archives: November 9, 2025

Death After Dying…

The New American Digest Posted on by

originally posted by Jean - Feb 20, 2010
perhaps suggested as a result of "Bob B."

I genuflect
and wobble.
Incense stings my
throat.
Holy water splats
on her coffin.
Old voices, chanting,
float around me.
Dark, polished, hard wood
pews and walls.
Air is orange glow from
candles by the altar.
October cold, hiding
in the shade of the canopy
at the church cemetery, watching
Dad at the edge
of her grave.
Shoulders slumped. Looking down.
The last to leave her.
Three years later, December snow.
I hold his triangle-folded flag and
am the last to leave him
at the same cemetery.

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Train To Nowhere

The New American Digest Posted on by

Up in northern New Mexico's coal country in 1905, the St. Louis, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Company was formed to consolidate many of the coal mines in the area. The company also established or took over several small towns in the area. At its peak, the company controlled close to 1000 square miles of northern NM with a near monopoly on the regional coal sales.

In 1907, the company established the St. Louis, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Railway Company to guarantee transportation for coal and coke traffic. The 120 miles of the line connected to three major railroads; the Santa Fe being the closest to the mining activities.

At that time, the swastika was a symbol of good luck; the railroad was also known as the Swastika Line (many of the older buildings in Raton* have swastikas embedded into the structures).

The railroad was sold to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in 1913 who ran it as a subsidiary and changed the name to the Rocky Mountain and Santa Fe Railway Company in 1915.

Following my not-unusual habit of not only not taking the road less travelled but following something more akin to two parallel footpaths - south of Raton, north of Maxwell, west of I-25, south of the Canadian River - I came upon this cluster of ruins, the most prominent of which was this old passenger car. Up under the roof - somewhat protected from the sun, wind, and rain - were the barely discernible letters "cific Railw".

Judging by the letter spacing, it appears this car was lettered for the 1907 line. Other evidence suggested it may have been used for a bunkhouse at someone's homestead; it is/was not near the assumed railroad. Putting scraps of information together, it appears this car may have been scrapped by the railroad, then bought and moved, when the railroad was sold to the Santa Fe in 1913 as all-wooden cars were being replaced with steel by 1910.

By its style, this car was probably built in the late 1880s to 1890s.

*Raton was a major Santa Fe railroad hub at one time; it supported helper engines for going over Raton Pass on the Colorado, New Mexico border, immediately to the north. Remnants of the roundhouse and other facilities are still evident. When I was there, the BNSF still maintained a small yard and Amtrak passed through although this was no longer a main line.

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