Ferry Discovery at Embudo, New Mexico!
Even though we are currently focussed on preparing our paper on the Pearce Ferry for the Grand Canyon History Symposium in February, research continues for other locations.
Case in point: Embudo, New Mexico
First, a little history of Embudo courtesy of Wikipedia:
The name “Embudo”, meaning “funnel” in Spanish, was given to the area by early Spanish settlers because the spot where the Rio Embudo flowed between two distinctive cone shaped hills reminded them of a funnel.
Embudo was founded in 1881 when the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad opened a station (depot) there on its Chili Line. The station was named after the village San Antonio de Embudo, located 2 miles up the Embudo River, and until 1902 both communities shared a post office and were known jointly as Embudo. In 1900, anticipating a separate post office in the village, San Antonio de Embudo changed its name to Dixon after the Presbyterian missionary Dixon who established a mission there. When the Dixon post office opened in 1902, however, Embudo lost its post office. Embudo got a post office again in 1905 only to lose it in 1909. However, since 1914 Embudo has had its own post office.
In the course of our research on ferries in the southwest, there has been a couple of mentions of a ferry in the Embudo area of the Rio Grande (north of Espanola) but nothing really concrete…until now.
Having seen a mention that the J. Paul Getty Museum in California was making a lot of their images available on the internet, I decided to poke around and see if they had anything regarding ferries in our region. Looking at this William Henry Jackson photo I thought I saw something odd on the right side of the river. I blew it up and took a closer look and discovered there was a ferry hiding in plain sight!
Always nice when something happens like this that was unexpected.
William Henry Jackson (American, 1843 - 1942) Embudo, New Mexico, about 1882, Albumen silver print 25.1 × 33.7 cm (9 7/8 × 13 1/4 in.), 85.XM.5.47 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Looking close, you can see what appears to be a ferry on the right side of the river, complete with upright posts for secure handling of livestock and passengers.
Looking even closer, you can see on the left side of the river two cable support poles with cable running through them. Back on the right side of the river, just right of the ferry you can see another set of poles also supporting the ferry cable.
Embudo, New Mexico by William Henry Jackson
Mr. Jackson took two photos of the Embudo Ferry that day…
Apparently, William Henry Jackson took two photos of what I am now calling the "Embudo Ferry". Seemingly on the same day since the ferry is in the same location on both photos but the angles of the mountain is slightly different and there is more foreground in the one with the railroad tracks.
Thanks, Mr. Jackson!
From the Getty Museum description
Both the tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway and a narrow, nearly parallel section of the Rio Grande River snake through the landscape, carving a path through the inhospitable landscape. A solitary figure sits in the left foreground, looking across the tracks; his presence could urge viewers to contemplate the effect of "progress" on the terrain. Such thoughts open up the subjects of industrialism and the uniquely American history of westward expansion.
Embudo, located between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Taos, is home to one of the few railroad stations remaining from the 1800s. Though train travelers no longer stop there, the building now operates as a restaurant.