Image of scrawny old man by Nathan Burton.
During my private discussion with the community coalition's lawyer she asked me why i didn't act on this in November and i told her that i was duped by NMDOT then became frustrated with the magical thinking among most of the community members. She also encouraged me to contact the US Attorney for the District of New Mexico with my concerns about the likely tribal government conspiracy to extort LOBCO and other landowners.
Santa Fe New Mexican journalist, Cormac Dodd used several of interested party's articles to write his piece but chose not to quote its author or include attribution despite an hour-long interview and an entire paper trail but an aging writer did get a couple pictures in the paper.
The closure also would leave the community — one full of solar-powered homes amid rugged but scenic terrain, where New Mexico jazz musician Arlen Asher once lived and where Sam Peckinpah shot Convoy — without critical services, including firefighters and emergency medical responders, residents said. [Santa Fe County community says Santo Domingo Pueblo plans to close major access road]
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The postmaster told me last month that the Pueblo has been planning this for at least four years.
Let me just say that as a thirty five year volunteer for the Democratic Governors Association, anyone who believes Michelle Lujan Grisham will jeopardize a gubernatorial win by alienating Native voters is simply delusional.
"The Santo Domingo Pueblo is a sovereign nation with full authority over its lands. Since the 1980s, the New Mexico Department of Transportation has maintained NM 16 — a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers roadway located on Pueblo land — without an easement, despite multiple attempts to secure one. Throughout this period, the Department has maintained steady, good faith communication with the Pueblo and Santa Fe County to ensure continued access for nearby residents. Although these discussions have not produced an agreement, the Pueblo retains full decision-making authority over the road. The Department remains committed to ongoing dialogue and stands ready to resume maintenance if an easement is established.
Historically, residential access for non-tribal members was provided via NM 16. Based on current mapping and research, residential access is available from NM 14 to Camino Cerro Chato, Paseo Sudeste, and Red Rock Road. This access utilizes private roads with irregular maintenance, it differs from the previous route (NM 16) and may not be as convenient, direct, or time efficient.”
It's difficult but not impossible to imagine that if Senator Heinrich finds enough money to buy the LOBCO/Erbes property then confer it to the Kewa Pueblo in exchange for an easement is a good idea.
The taxes on that 937 acres are likely substantial but after the Pueblo buys that property and puts it into trust it is no longer taxable by the county so it might be interesting to know whether it's in arrears or delinquent.
Lynn Grimes thought my going to the press was poison but now is all over the comments spewing every falsehood she can contrive in her attempts to assassinate my character.
"A very long time ago, I believe that the Ball Ranch and Henry Trigg were both ranchers and agreed to drill a well for both of their ranches. The well shows on the property line as long ago as a 1935 survey. That property line has been marked as Mesita de Juana Lopez and Santo Domingo Reservation and SF County and has changed, maybe more than once.
It would be good to research the SF County & Sandoval County records looking for a WELL AGREEMENT as it could be on either counties. Maybe the Pueblo is researching this?? During the "LAND SWAP" multiple state & federal agencies swapped various properties & eventually gave most to the Pueblos. When they did that complicated deal, there was about 4 or 5 (?) small parcels not directly within the deeded parcels of the swap deal.
They gave (?) the odd parcels to THE NATURE CONSERVANCY to deal with. There is a survey by the Nature Conservancy of the 5 acre Well Tract #5 on April 13, 2005 recorded SF County book 585 page 009.
It shows the property, PNM utility Easement & other things. The survey references " Based on NM STATE PLAN NAD 83" and also notes "unless otherwise indicated, all set corners are marked with iron stake surmounted with a cap marked "LS 10202"
The Nature Conservancy then sold it to...?
About April 1978 Rick & I wanted to purchase the 40 acre tract next to [DM] which was owned by the Balls. They did not want to sell it because if the well. We made a counter offer to buy the 35 acres and they would keep the 5 acres with the well. We purchased it & there was a survey for the 35 acres divided into 3 tracts with The Ball 5 Acre Well tract as separate.
I theorise that that the unliked man from Madrid researched it and bought it then MIGHT have gone to NM State Engineer to claim total ownership then MIGHT have passed that well ownership on when he sold it. I believe The State Engineer's office is the authority on the ownership.
Henry Trigg sold most of his holdings of Mesita de Juana Lopez to Ed Fallen. Fallen then created various companies, Golden Triangle, Concept West, etc. which subdivided most into 40 & some 20 acre tracts which all had easements for perimeter and existing roads. These easements remain even if not directly stated in subsequent deeds (per Santa Fe County Land Use person I spoke with).
On a [Warranty] Deed dated May 1987, book 581 page 695 from Golden Triangle Properties (Ed Fallon) to P.B.C. Associates - The deed shows:
Subject to existing roadways and an existing 20 for perimeter easement for access and utilities around each one quarter 1/4 of a quarter section, therefore, leaving a net acerage of 905.53 acres, together with any and all
MINERAL rights owned by Grantor."
The road into the asphalt plant is Pueblo trust land so there must be an easement and/or an existing Corps ROW connecting it to 16. The Corps built that road to build the dam from that side of the Galisteo and miners trucked gypsum out of there since. Access to the asphalt plant is over the Pueblo and through Sandoval County but the facility is in Santa Fe County.
"First announced around 1959 with active production starting in 1960, the facility processed massive amounts of crude gypsum—initially targeting an output of 120 million square feet of gypsum wallboard annually. Decades of industrial operations left behind heavy environmental and reclamation responsibilities. Because the site impacts tribal lands, addressing these mining legacies required structured, multi-jurisdictional cooperation between the Santo Domingo Pueblo (Kewa Pueblo) tribal leadership, federal regulators like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the state via the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD). On a broader corporate scale, these legacy environmental liabilities, combined with tens of thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits stemming from its historical building products, pushed Kaiser Gypsum to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016. The resolution of its liabilities eventually led to a major legal reorganization, culminating in a landmark 2024 U.S. Supreme Court case, Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum Co."
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