I know, it would sound better if the squirrel was a mole, so I could say “Holy Mole.” But no, I spotted the actual ground squirrel that has been “ventilating” the otherwise lovely grounds of our church, St. James’ Episcopal in Mesilla Park these last few days.
Not only has it dug several holes, but it also left a rather large mound of dirt at one of the entrances or exits of its labyrinth of tunnels on the church grounds. What was interesting to me was that the “dirt” was actually fine sand, like you find at the bottom of the Rio Grande when it goes dry in the winter when water is stored upriver at Elephant Butte reservoir.
During the time I’ve lived in Las Cruces, I’ve heard many times how the course of the Rio Grande has changed in the broad Mesilla Valley. At one time, the river was east of present day Mesilla. I’m told that its eastern banks were near western edge of the New Mexico State University campus where the terrain begins to rise up toward the Organ Mountains. St. James is located not far from that part of the University, so the evidence of river bottom sand seems to confirm that our church might have been under water if it had been built there 150 years ago.
According to the “Old Mesilla” website, the river at one time divided the town of Mesilla and Las Cruces. There was even a barge that connected the two towns. Mesilla was the original hub of activity in the Mesilla Valley, but got outhustled by the new town of Las Cruces. The story goes that Mesilla landowners who heard of plans to build a railroad through the valley priced their land too high so the route was changed to run through cheaper land about two miles east through Mesilla Park and Las Cruces.
The Old Mesilla website also notes that there was frequent flooding of the valley from the Rio Grande in the 1800s and that at one point, two branches of the river surrounded the village and left it an island. Also left behind were marshy areas which were a perfect breeding ground for mosquitos. In the 1870’s, the marshy areas turned into a swamp and there were outbreaks of yellow fever and malaria from the swarms of mosquitos. The website says “more than 50 Mesilla residents died as a result.”
The River again changed its course in 1885 to its present location, but apparently there was no guarantee that future flood events would cause damage to the low lying village and the river would change course again.
That was all resolved in 1907 when the Leasburg Diversion Dam was constructed as part of the Rio Grande project and the river was permanently channeled in its present location. Four years later, construction began on the Elephant Butte dam as part of the program to control flooding and provide irrigation water for the Mesilla Valley into Texas. The mightly river, often called the “Rio Bravo” has now been pretty much tamed.
But thanks to the squirrel, who I hope we can eventually capture and relocate, I’ve finally seen actual evidence that the Rio Grande once flowed near my home in Mesilla Park. And I’m glad I don’t have to worry about the river flooding my home, although I do still get annoyed by mosquitos every summer.
aero-cordero.com 