Preface
We have already thoroughly refuted the claims that the site upon which Shakespeare stands had been the location of an overland stage station since before the Civil War – the claims that the site had been utilized by James E. Birch’s San Antonio – San Diego line, which began operating in 1857, and by John Butterfield’s Overland Mail Company which went into operation the following year. We have conclusively shown that there was no stage station at Ralston City until 1870.
From here on we dispense with much further analysis of not only these myths, but also – for the most part – the majority of the myths contained in the popular history of the settlement.
In Part III we provide an in-depth history of the stage stop at Ralston City/Shakespeare, explaining how, when, and why it came to be located there. While researching this history we were especially vigilant in looking for any references to “Mexican Spring(s)” which was, supposedly, the name given to the site at some time before 1850. We also took great care to look for any mention of a spring – or indeed any location – which could possibly be matched to the site; in each case we found none, a fact reflected in the narrative.
However, in order to do this, and in order to present a full and detailed account of the origins of the settlement – why it was even founded in the first place, what really happened there, and – most importantly – why events there unfolded as they did – we have to begin with a brief account of how the future site of Ralston City/Shakespeare even became part of New Mexico Territory in the first place, and why the area in which it lies was of such importance to the United States.
To this end, we will begin with The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and The Gadsden Purchase, followed by a look at the relationship of these to the country’s quest for a route to the the west coast – specifically California – and how this eventually led to the establishment of a mail station at Ralston City.
Part III will also cover Leach’s Wagon Road and the establishment of the various mail routes by an assortment of Companies, beginning with Birch’s San Antonio – San Diego line, up to and including the National Mail and Transportation Company. It ends with an account of the arrival of the Southern Pacific Rail Road in southwestern New Mexico, and the establishment of railroad towns such as Lordsburg and Deming.
Of necessity, Part III is of some length and will be split into multiple installments.
©2007-2023 Jim & Erica Parson
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