The Life & Mysterious Death of Samuel B. Watrous

Samuel B. Watrous, a figure etched in the history of northeastern New Mexico, stands as a testament to the pioneering spirit of the 19th century. A rancher, farmer, and trader in Mora County, his legacy is forever intertwined with the town that bears his name: Watrous. This article delves into the life of this influential individual, tracing his journey from humble beginnings to his prominent role in the development of the region, and ultimately, exploring the perplexing circumstances surrounding his death.

Born in 1809 in the picturesque town of Montpelier, Vermont, Samuel’s early life was marked by hardship. He was born Erastus, to Erastus Watrous and Nancy Bowman, he later changed his name. Orphaned at a young age, he found himself under the care of an uncle. At the age of 26, the allure of the American West beckoned, and he joined a wagon train bound for Taos, New Mexico, a land brimming with opportunity and adventure.

Upon arriving in Taos, Samuel B. Watrous quickly established himself, initially working as a clerk in a local store. It wasn’t long before he became a father, welcoming a son named Joseph into the world. The mother was Tomacita Crespin. Although rumors circulated regarding Joseph’s paternity, Samuel embraced the child as his own. The couple would go on to have six more children: Mary Antonette, Emeteria, Louisa, Abelina, Samuel, Jr., and María Antonia.

By 1839, Samuel B. Watrous, along with Tomacita and their young son, had moved to the bustling mining camps of the Ortiz Mountains, located south of Santa Fe. While not a miner himself, Samuel cleverly capitalized on the mining boom by supplying the miners with essential goods purchased from the renowned Taos merchant Charles Bent. He also engaged in the trade of deerskins, showcasing his entrepreneurial acumen.

His success as a mining merchant paved the way for greater ventures. In the late 1840s, Samuel B. Watrous made a significant investment, acquiring a one-seventh interest in the Scolly Mexican land grant. This acquisition prompted the family’s relocation to La Junta, New Mexico, a region still under Mexican rule at the time. Despite the area’s historical significance as a favored hunting ground for various Plains tribes, including the Comanche, Kiowa, Apache, and Ute, who fiercely resisted encroachment on their lands, Watrous displayed a remarkable boldness and a vision for the future.

Immediately upon arrival, Samuel B. Watrous embarked on the construction of an impressive adobe home, resembling a fort in its design and scale. Situated at the confluence of the Mora and Sapello Rivers, the hacienda-style residence boasted twenty rooms, all thoughtfully arranged around an enclosed courtyard. The structure incorporated a large store at one end, along with two spacious storerooms at the rear. Beyond the family’s living quarters, the home included specialized spaces such as a drying room, storage for farm implements, a granary, and a workshop for various crafts. Servants’ quarters were located at the back of the compound. Luxury goods and essential supplies were transported by wagon from St. Louis, Missouri, including lumber, a piano, heavy marble-topped wooden furniture, fine china dinner sets, gilded clocks and mirrors, and a collection of books. Additional materials, such as blankets and clay pots, were imported from Mexico, reflecting the blending of cultures in the region.

To enhance the ambiance of his home, Samuel B. Watrous undertook extensive landscaping efforts. He transplanted cottonwood trees from the east side of the Canadian River, imported fruit tree seedlings from Missouri, and even made a journey back east to acquire willow sprouts. He frequently encouraged his family and servants with the phrase, "Come now, we will plant more trees." He also dedicated himself to developing farmland, cultivating crops such as hops, alfalfa, bluegrass, and various vegetables. By the time his home was completed, it was a self-sufficient entity, a testament to his ambition and resourcefulness.

The Watrous household was a bustling hub of activity, employing a diverse staff that included overseers, herdsmen, hunters, housemaids, nursemaids, and cooks. Women played a crucial role, gathering plants from spring to fall for use as food, condiments, and medicines. Life within the household was a unique blend of New England discipline and Spanish ease, fostering a sense of community where family, employees, women, and children mingled freely.

Over the years, Samuel B. Watrous steadily expanded his holdings, amassing large herds of cattle and securing ample grazing land north of the Mora River. He established trade relationships with residents, travelers along the Santa Fe Trail, and, later, the troops stationed at nearby Fort Union, supplying them with the products of his ranch. In 1847, he enlisted the help of the Tipton brothers, William and Enoch, whom he had known from his days in the Ortiz Mountains, to claim and settle his portion of the Scolly Grant. The Tiptons established a settlement known as Tiptonville on the Mora River, a few miles northwest of La Junta.

In 1849, Samuel’s daughter, Mary, married William Tipton, who became a partner in the firm of Watrous and Tipton. Together, they owned twenty freight wagons that hauled merchandise along the Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and New Mexico for many years.

As New Mexico transitioned into a territory of the United States, an influx of settlers arrived, encroaching upon the traditional hunting grounds of the Moache Ute, Jicarilla Apache, Kiowa, and Comanche tribes. This increased traffic on the Santa Fe Trail, coupled with the reduction of game, led to heightened tensions between the Native Americans and the new settlers. In response, troops were dispatched to protect the citizens of the territory.

When Lieutenant Colonel Edwin V. Sumner assumed command in 1851, he found the military encampments in a state of disrepair. He promptly disbanded these temporary posts, relocating the troops to locations closer to the Native American populations. That same year, he initiated the construction of Fort Union, situated approximately nine miles northwest of La Junta on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail.

Fort Union became the primary supply depot for other forts in the region, relying on the ranchers and farmers of the fertile Mora Valley, including Samuel Watrous, as suppliers. Due to the convergence of numerous military trails at La Junta, the Watrous Store experienced a surge in traffic, with hundreds of ox and mule teams, freighters, muleteers, drivers, escorts, and travelers passing by each year.

To meet the burgeoning demand for beef, Samuel rapidly increased his herds. He established a second ranch on the Canadian River, about eleven miles from old Fort Bascom, near Tucumcari, New Mexico. However, tragedy struck while he was away visiting his family in La Junta. A Comanche war party raided the ranch, killing the overseer, driving off the other men, and seizing all the livestock, including cattle, mules, and oxen, along with a year’s worth of provisions. They then burned the buildings and belongings, including five freight wagons and farm implements.

Later that year, another raid occurred, this time by Apache warriors, who captured the herders and stole approximately 45 horses from the La Junta ranch. Although Fort Union troops pursued them, they were unable to recover the horses or apprehend the raiders.

Recognizing the need for a more lasting solution, Samuel traveled to Washington, D.C., to petition the Indian agency to relocate the Plains tribes to a more suitable location, citing the depletion of game resources. However, his request was disregarded.

Undeterred, Samuel adopted a different approach, extending hospitality to any Native Americans who visited his ranch. He welcomed them, providing food and fostering a sense of friendship. Soon, people from the mountain hamlets began to frequent his ranch, drawn by the warmth and generosity they found there. One day, they brought news of a stranger, known as the "Solitary One," who was living among them. They described him as a holy man who preached, healed, and performed miracles from his cave on the rock peak of Rincon de Tecolote. Intrigued by this account, Samuel ventured up the mountain to meet the stranger.

The "Solitary One" is known in history as the Hermit of La Cueva. Juan Maria Agostiniani, an Italian noble and missionary, had traveled the world for over three decades before joining a caravan in Council Grove, Kansas, and walking with them to Las Vegas, New Mexico. He was a profoundly insightful and remarkable conversationalist. Samuel enjoyed his company, listening to his stories, and exchanging ideas. For years, he maintained a close relationship with the hermit, until one day, the old man was found murdered, his killer never identified.

Samuel’s first wife, Tomasita, passed away in 1857. He remained single for several years until around 1864, when he married Rosaline D. Chapin. However, this marriage was short-lived, as Rosa died in childbirth. Samuel then married Rosa’s sister, Josephine, with whom he had two more children: Rosa and Charles Watrous.

Watrous and Son’s store became a vital hub on the Santa Fe Trail. Samuel and his son-in-law, William Tipton, held a contract to supply beef to Fort Union, which housed approximately 600 men at the time. Travelers frequently passed by the Watrous house, a diverse group ranging from early trappers and freighters to families with wagons loaded with household furnishings. In the 1850s, the heaviest traffic had shifted to the Cimarron Cutoff, as Raton Pass posed a significant challenge to cumbersome wagons. However, this changed when "Uncle Dick" Wootton constructed his toll road in 1865.

Samuel’s extensive grazing lands, supporting over a thousand head of livestock, attracted cattle rustlers to La Junta. By the 1860s, the Coe Gang had established a hideout in Dog Canyon, about eight miles northeast of La Junta. For several years, these outlaws raided ranches and military installations from Fort Union to Taos and as far north as Denver, Colorado. They also preyed on freight caravans traveling along the Santa Fe Trail and area ranches. Eventually, William Coe was captured near Shoemaker, New Mexico, escaped, was hunted down again, and hanged in Pueblo, Colorado, in 1868.

In addition to ranching, Samuel and his partners built a woolen mill at Cherry Valley, approximately eight miles northeast of La Junta. The New Mexico Woolen Enterprises Manufacturing Company, featuring a three-story stone building, adobe living quarters for the workmen, storerooms, corrals, and stables, commenced operations in 1867. For the next twenty years, the mill produced blankets, rugs, carpets, and serapes. However, due to disagreements among his sons and sons-in-law, Samuel ceased operations in 1884.

As numerous small ranches sprouted up in the valley and the Native American threat diminished, Samuel shifted his focus to planting orchards and farming.

By 1879, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad planned to extend its line through La Junta, and Samuel Watrous generously donated ten acres for the right of way, stations, and yards. When the official townsite was laid out a few years later, the settlement was renamed Watrous in his honor. While the railroad led to a decline in traffic on the Santa Fe Trail and stage lines, the town of Watrous emerged as a crucial shipping point for local products. Fort Union utilized it for transporting supplies and personnel until its abandonment in 1891. By this time, the town boasted numerous saloons, businesses, and a school.

The death of Samuel B. Watrous, at the age of 77, is shrouded in mystery. Official documents state that he committed suicide by shooting himself twice in the head, but this explanation has been met with skepticism.

The Death of Samuel B. Watrous Remains an Unresolved Mystery, Las Vegas Daily Optic, Marcy 17, 1886:

A special dispatch to the Daily Optic from Watrous reported the shocking news of S B Watrous’s suicide at his residence. The community was deeply saddened by the death of the venerable pioneer, and his motive for taking his own life remained a matter of speculation.

The Santa Fe Daily New Mexican added further details, noting that S. B. Watrous, Sr., had taken his life with the same weapon used by his son, Samuel Jr., who had died a few months earlier, and that the father had been greatly troubled since then.

However, family members have offered alternative, more sinister explanations. James E. Romero, Jr., a great-great-grandson of Samuel and Tomacita Watrous, claimed that family tradition suggested that Joseph Watrous and Josephine Chapin Watrous (Samuel’s last wife) had become jealous of Samuel Jr. and plotted his death. Romero alleged that Joseph killed the younger Watrous on the road to Shoemaker, New Mexico. He further stated that the elder Samuel was distraught and accused Joseph and Josephine of killing his son. An argument ensued, overheard by the servants, and shots were fired. When the servants entered the living room, Samuel lay dead with two bullet wounds in his head.

Another descendant, Angeline Guerin Kramer, claimed that her grandmother, Belina Watrous, had told her that Samuel Jr. had been murdered because he was his father’s principal heir and that his stepmother, Josephine Chapin Watrous, had a hand in the murder. She also raised the critical question of how someone could shoot himself twice in the head.

Following his death, Samuel B. Watrous was buried next to his wives in unmarked graves in the small cemetery east of his home. His lack of a will led to complications in settling the estate due to questionable titles of the Scolly Land Grant and the complex division among numerous heirs. The family was in turmoil, and Josephine Chapin Watrous reportedly never spoke to any of Samuel’s children other than Joseph and her own children, Charles and Rose.

The village of Watrous continued to thrive after the death of its namesake for several years.

Today, this small town of approximately 135 residents is a National Historic Landmark District, encompassing the routes of the Santa Fe Trail that converged in the La Junta area, as well as buildings and structures associated with the community’s active use from 1835 to 1879. Much of La Junta’s original character and integrity remains, from its rustic built environment to the natural beauty of the rangeland in the valley. Deep trail impressions and wagon wheel ruts still mark the landscape.

The Watrous Valley Ranch and House have passed through several hands before being acquired by the current owners, who have meticulously restored the house. Located at 2286 Hwy 161, the ranch still boasts thousands of acres of original grazing land and hundreds of Samuel Watrous’s original Black Willow and Cottonwood Trees.

Watrous is situated approximately 16 miles northeast of Las Vegas, just over the county line in Mora County.