Kind readers know the authors knew Mr. Hewitt first hand as they were there. Resting now for 100 years we felt now would be a good time to have a talk. We find him at the GAR recreation site in paradise. Whenever you want you can rejoin your fellow union troops from the civil war. Re fight battles, the pomp. Glory, combat. Bugles get shot maybe then all get together, well and happy and do it again. Next week. Many core leaders from white oaks also selected this area to spend eternity. Steve and rob find john wearing his Sargent uniform sitting under a tree . I would never think you two would be allowed up here Are you staying or visiting?
Visiting, wanted to talk to you a bit about the old days
Steve and rob in the day thought Hewitt was a know it all, opinionated, aloof , better than the rest , a lucky guy that fell into riches
Never really talked to him much when he was walking on the earth . So we will see what he has to say if anything . I want to thank you for the website, Up here we have a 1892 White Oaks town ,everyone is there in the happy days, they see what you boys have done setting the record straight especially on the Railroad and bringing all the names back and honoring the Cedarvale residents never would have thought you boys cared that much while you were there you both should go over and visit they would be glad to see you all.
- Is there any corrections or additional info you can tell us ? We set the town up legal orderly proper and aimed at the long term future. The people invested every thing they had to make it work and mostly they were fine people . A few things, The academy. Our people were getting involved in territory politics and we felt if we had a start to a university that would help cement our future South of Albuquerque there was no hub of civilization all the way to El Paso we felt that was our towns destiny, so we tried it.
- The bank, We felt we could not claim to be a serious town with out our own bank so we did it. The Railroad. All along we felt Gould was a greedy ass. His people always agreed with us but later said Gould changed his mind so we were black hat white hat receivers. That’s why we published the article saying good riddance now we can move ahead with reasonable people. We did not realize the family saw it and washed their hands of White Oaks Eddy told us nothing South of Albuquerque was of interest to him so he ran his railroad past us.
- Mines. To my last days I believed there was more rich gold mines here undiscovered. I mean only two lodes in the whole country? Does not make any sense
Looking back I would not do anything different. Nor would most who were there. We just never found that new vein but it is there. If a new lode was found or the railroad came through or the academy became a university or the bank became a regional financial operation, the town would have made it. That’s why most held out till the late 1890s we all had a hope and a plan. It was very hard for me to see it all turn to dust right before my eyes. The last years with just a few old timers left were especially depressing.
We came away with a different opinion of Mr. Hewitt, we liked him and respected his efforts. We said goodbye for now and reminded him we both had been done in before in 1916 in Columbus and in 1944 at iwo Jima but it did not take and we always found ourselves back in 1880 at the buckhorn