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A different kind of survival story

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Orbean:
This was written by my uncle based on his experiences on winter in 1950

My winter experience at El Rancho Viejo occurred back in 1590 when i was 14 years old and my dad was 42.

El Rancho Viejo is situated in the middle of the Sangre De Christo Mts about 12 miles north of Santa Fe. Back when i was growing up raising cattle was done on an open range. There were no fences. Ranchers all knew their territory and their own cattle by the special brands. At that time it was a common occurrence on most ranches for cattle to stray from the herd and become lost and wild.

One winter while checking on the cattle at our ranch in Buckman (known today as RAncho Las Campanas my father Jose (de la Luz) Ortiz and my uncle Abelino Ortiz, found a cow and a calf that had been missing for some time. It was very cold and starting to get very dark quickly, so they roped the calf and tied it so it would not wander. This assured them that the cow would remain nearby and they could return the following day and find both of them to take them to the farm for the winter. They returned the following day and found that when they tied the calf's foot the calf could not move and the foot froze. As a result the calf lost half a hoof. The took both back to the farm where they remained until spring.

In the spring the cows were again taken to the high sierras to El Rancho Viejo. All the cattle returned to the homestead the following fall except for the rescued cow and calf, who had apparently wandered off. Three years later a forest ranger flying over El Rancho spotted the two, the calf now a bull. Everyone was aware my dad had been looking for those two cows, so when the ranger saw them he notified my dad. My dad decided we should go to the ranch and try to locate them.

Early the next morning, at sunrise, my dad and i saddled the horses and left to go the the ranch. We had to follow an upper trail, since it was very difficult to travel the regular trail along the Nambe river in the winter. The Nambe river had to be crossed several times along the trail and the river was frozen at that time of year.

We rode along the trail we had selected until the snow got so deep we could no longer see the trail. When we finally reached the fence leading into the national forest we could not find the gate. We had to put down the fence to get the horses through. The snow kept getting deeper and was now about four feet deep. The horses started to sink into the snow and could not longer be ridden. We dismounted and led them through the heavy snow. It was at this point that we had to decide whether to continue on or return home. Dad light a cigarette, weighted all our options and tried to make the right decision. He had to have known how much farther the ranch was and how much further we had to walk. Dad had me wait with the horses while he climbed the highest peak in that area. Suddenly i was him running back for the peak. He was very excited because when he climbed to the peak he could see the cabin at the ranch. We continued on to the ranch walking the horses about another mile and a half. When we reached El Canon Del Oso, i saw the most beautiful sight i have ever seen. On the sunny side of the mountain you could see wild animals feeding. There were deer, turkey, quail, and other wild animal. We finally arrive at the cabin at, started a fire, took off our shoes and sock to dry them out and cooked and ate lunch.   

By that time it was 3pm and time to start back home. We took a different route back that would lead us through El Rio Medio. We did however encounter other difficulties along the way. When we reached the river at La Junta, which is where the Nambe river and El Capulin cross the river was frozen and the horses would not cross. We had to scoop up pine needles to make a path so the horses would not be afraid to cross the river.

Once we got the horses to cross we continued on and were half way up the trail when one of the horses, Indio, got his hoof stuck between two rocks. My dad assured me that if we used leverage we could get Indio's hoof out. My dad found a large branch to pry up the rocks and freed Indio's hoof. After the horse was free we proceeded on the trail and the weather kept getting colder and colder. It became so cold that we could no longer ride or we would freeze. we got off the horses and had to trot all the way home. We arrived home at 1am and found my mother looking out the window. She was worried that we had not returned and was thankful we made it back safely. This was a very dangerous experience, one i will  not forget.

Years later, my dad would admit to me that it was one of his most difficult decisions. He had not forseen how dangerous our situation had become nor did he anticipate how long it would take us to get home. Risking our lives was just something that he should not have done.

Yes the cow and calf were found and brought back to the farm. The most fascinating part was when they brought the two back the bull was still nursing from the cow.

This is one of the stories that mu uncle wrote down so it could be passed on the the next generation. My grandfather was the last of the old cowboys and had been an extra in my old west movies that were filmed outside of Santa Fe.  He was in movies with Tom Mix and other famous actors and is something i am proud of today. He was a simple man and a great one.

PetrifiedWood:
Great story! Thanks for sharing that with us.

wolfy:
What a great story, Orbean....I like reading things like that. :thumbsup:   Good ol' boys and family history are important to me, too.  You're fortunate, in that your uncle & Dad took the time to get an early account of 'everyday' family history down on paper before it was lost to the mists of time! :hail: :hail:   

Thank you for relating it to us here on the forum. :cheers:    Do you know the names of any of the movies that your grandfather appeared in, and if they are archived somewhere?  :popcorn:

Orbean:

--- Quote from: wolfy on January 14, 2018, 11:24:38 AM ---What a great story, Orbean....I like reading things like that. :thumbsup:   Good ol' boys and family history are important to me, too.  You're fortunate, in that your uncle & Dad took the time to get an early account of 'everyday' family history down on paper before it was lost to the mists of time! :hail: :hail:   

Thank you for relating it to us here on the forum. :cheers:    Do you know the names of any of the movies that your grandfather appeared in, and if they are archived somewhere?  :popcorn:

--- End quote ---
I don't, have asked but nobody seems to know. My grandpa was a quiet man and anything that seem like bragging would have been against his nature. I am afraid it is lost to history. I should start looking into movies that were filmed in and around santa fe. These were movies that were made in the twenties and thirties, but there are family stories about Tom Mix and how nice a man he was.

Old Philosopher:
Great share! Thanks!
My Grandfather kept a journal that spanned 4 notebooks.  He was born in 1886, and grew up along the Cedar River (in a suburb of Maple Valley) in Washington. His stories go all the way back to taking the horse and wagon on supply trips into Renton. It was an over-night trip. Now it's a 15 minute drive.

He wrote down every hunting trip he was on, into his 70's. I was always planning to transcribe his notebooks and putting them on CD for his heirs, but I fear I'm running out of time.

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