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Catron County New Mexico
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New Mexico's most beautiful
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Information courtesy Dodi Maggart
General Location: East of Pie Town a few miles, as you start down the mountain [eastbound], is a large monument on the south side of the road. It is in an open meadow, beyond a fence. It appears that the top has been broken off it, but there are several brass plates on and around it.
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Here's what Dodi has to say about the monument: "
Yes, we live in the area, and the monument is in what is known as "White
House Canyon" or Datil Canyon. It is the grave of (William -- I
think his name was William, but it's been a long time since I read
about it) Morley. He was one of the engineers who designed and
built the railroads coming west in the 1800s. The railroads were
involved in fierce competition, and his murder was never really
resolved. He built the railroad over Raton Pass, & the Royal
Gorge Bridge, among other notable engineering feats. He had
bought up huge amounts of land, some of which was the Datil Canyon
area, and following his murder in the northern part of New Mexico, I'm
thinking it was around Maxwell, his young widow and children came to
ranch in Datil Canyon. The family still owns some of the land in
the canyon. Morley's daughter, Agnes Morley Cleaveland, wrote a
wonderful book about their life here called No Life for a Lady.
I highly recommend the book, it's a great read. We read it 12
years ago when we bought land out here, and I have no idea where our
copy is, so I can't check the facts of what I've told you here! I
guess I should go get the information off the grave and put it
online. Morley was originally buried in Las Vegas, NM, and
sometime within the time we've lived here, the family moved him to the
spot in Datil Canyon, and reopened the discussion of his murder."
The New Mexico magazine index shows that there was an article about
William R. MORLEY in the March, 1993 issue. Does anybody have
access to it?
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