El Rito, also known as El Rito
Quemado, now Quemado (Catron County).
Venadito, located a few miles west
of Atarque. Venadito was the location of a ranch owned
by Jose Leon Garcia and Francisca (Kika) Chavez.
La Tinaja, a ranch near present
day Ramah, at one time owned by don Leopoldo Mazon.
Santa Rita, a ranch south of the
present day Fence Lake, at one time owned by Blas Chavez
and Espiridiona (Preciliana) Saavedra.
Black Rock, known as Piedras Negras.
Bluewater, known as Agua Azul.
Saint John's (Apache County, Arizona),
originally known as San Juan. When the Mormons entered
the area, they changed the name, disregarding the "right
of antiquity" claimed by the original settlers.[Footnote#2]
El Tule and Las Tusas, communities
southeast of San Juan, now under the waters of Lyman
Dam.
Manuelito (Apache County, Arizona),
a few miles west of Gallup, New Mexico.
Concho (Apache County, Arizona),
lies due west of Saint Johns. [Here, I may add that
the RUIZ surname so prominent in Gallup originated in
Portugal and came via San Francisco (California), San
Juan/Concho (Arizona Territory), and finally, Gallup
(New Mexico).]
Navajo (Apache County, Arizona),
located on Interstate 40 about 50 miles west of Gallup,
and should not be confused with Navajo in McKinley
County, New Mexico, a mining community north of Gallup.
Ojo Bonito, located south of Zuni
Pueblo.
During the early 1900s and into the 1920s,
a steady stream of people from Mexico settled in the
mining areas surrounding Gallup (McKinley County, New
Mexico). To my knowledge, the communities of Gibson,
Allison, Gamerco, Weaver, Mentmore,
and Navajo, no longer exist.
About the author: Pauline
Chavez Bent was born in Atarque, and is the author of
Atarque: Now All is Silent, self-published in
1993. She is a member of the New Mexico Genealogical
Society, living in Huntington Beach, California. She
has been a frequent contributor to the New Mexico
Genealogist.
