When traveling I like to listen to local radio stations to get a flavor for regional music, news, and weather. I get a reminder of what a wide, open, land New Mexico is when I hear the weather announcer say, "Today's visibility...70 miles." The distance between many of the smaller towns is significant. Getting on some of the less traveled roads and seeing where folks chose to build their homes makes me wonder why that location was selected. With no trees, no apparent source of water, far off the main road, and no neighbors or a town within miles, what led these settlers to stake their claims on these particular pieces of land?
I'm sure there are some interesting stories about how the choices were made. All I know is they were a lot more self-sufficient than I am. I have a lot of respect for pioneers.
