New Mexico Education, 1875 Style.

School In Watrous, New Mexico

This image (click to enlarge) comes from page 18 of the publication New Mexico's best Ghost Towns written by Phillip Varney and published by the University of New Mexico Press in 1981. My father, like his father before him, was born in Watrous or the surrounding area. One or both most likely attended this school. My father left in the 1930's along with most of his relatives.

The following three paragraphs come from page 71 of the book Maxwell Land Grant, A New Mexican Item authored by William A. Keleher and first published by in 1942 by the Royal Press and a revised edition published be the Argosy-Antiquarian LTD, New York, N.Y. in 1962.

Educationally, New Mexico in 1875, according to reports compiled by W.G. Ritch, Secretary of the Territory, was not in any too flourishing a condition.

Ritch's report shows that there were 128 public schools in the territory with 143 teachers and 5,420 pupils. In forty of the schools English and Spanish were taught. There were in addition 31 private schools, in 21 of which both languages were taught, with a total of 998 pupils.

There were also eight Pueblo Indian Schools with 10 teachers and 170 scholars. There were 10 institutitions of secondary instruction, with about 45 teachers and 400 scholars.