A manuscript from the Federal Writers Project, 1936-1940, stored at the Library of Congress
I was twelve years old when we left Murfreeboro, Tennessee, and
seventeen when we arrived in New Mexico. We spent five years in the state of
Texas, on our way to New Mexico, on account of my mothers health and the awful
stories we heard about the Indians and the terrible deeds they were committing
in this part of the country. I have lived in New Mexico forty-seven years and
most of the time in Lincoln County.
I was married to William W. Brazel, July 19, 1894, five children were
born to this union, three girls and two boys four of them are living in Lincoln
County and the oldest boy in Tularosa, Otero County, NM.
Little Creek was never a town just a settlement of farmers and stock men, our
post office was Bonito City, eight miles west of Little Creek, we rode horse
back to the post office about once a week for our mail. In later years there was
a big saw mill located on the head of Little Creek. Little Creek is located
twenty four miles southeast of Carrizozo, and eleven miles east of Ruidoso. My
father's farm on Little Creek joined Pat Garrett's ranch home on the North, this
is the old home place of Pat Garrett, where Miss Lizzie Garrett was born.
This happened when father was on his horseback trip to Boswell while we were
crossing the plains somewhere between Plainview, Texas, and Roswell. I do not
remember just where it was, we heard an awful commotion. At first it scared us
for we were afraid it was Indians, but Father soon detected it was a herd of
cattle stampeding. We could not go back to sleep and just as it was breaking day
Father got up and built a fire. In a short time two cowboys rode up and wanted
to know if they could get a cup of coffee, said they were worn out from riding
after the stampeding cattle the night before. The trail we traveled from
Plainview to Roswell was the "Butterfield Trail". It crossed the Mal Pais at
Oscure now called the Mocking Bird Gap crossing, and went on over to Fort
Selden.
NARRATOR Mrs. Anna Brazel, Carrizozo NM, aged 64 years.
Submitted by Billy Bob Bert Brazell, An All Around Good Guy and a Great American, Dumas, TX
This is a story written by the widow of William Wayne Brazel. W.W. as you will recall was suspected of killing Pat Garrett, the New Mexico lawman. http://www.huntel.com/~artpike/brazell.htm