Daniel B. Flores epub The Frank N. Page Family of Puerto de Luna

The Frank N. Page Family of Puerto de Luna is a series of vignettes about the family of Frank N. Page. Page earned a place in history books while he was working in the Grzelachowski mercantile store in Puerto de Luna in the early 1880s. One of his customers has the notorious Billy the Kid. Frank and his brother, Powhattan R. Page, were true New Mexican pioneers. Frank came to New Mexico from Missouri for health reasons. He was seeking relief for what was then called consumption. Doctors frequently recommended New Mexico’s dry climate for their consumption patients. Frank N. Page had come to Las Vegas in the late 1970s. After working there for a short time he went south to Puerto de Luna where he gained employment as a store clerk and bookkeeper for Alexander Grzelachowski. He lived in the Grzelachowski residence for several years. Grzelachowski and Page even became partners in a separate livestock business. Powhattan, he preferred to go by his initials, P. R., followed his older brother to Mexico in the early 1880s. He worked in Las Vegas for the Gross, Blackwell & Co. mercantile store before joining his brother in Puerto de Luna. Powhattan also acquired some land in the Santa Rosa area. When the railroad came to Santa Rosa in 1901, Powhattan sold his Santa Rosa real estate to the Santa Rosa town site company. He also acquired a ranch southwest of Santa Rosa. The brothers were joined in New Mexico by a sister, Kate Rector Page. Kate settled in Las Vegas. Her wedding to T. H. Lawrence in 1884 was one of the social events of that year in Las Vegas. The Lawrence family later moved to California. At Puerto de Luna the Page brothers entered into a partnership and established a general store on the Puerto de Luna plaza. In the early 1900s Frank moved to Clarendon, Texas and operated a cattle ranch in the area. He later came back to New Mexico and operated a ranch in the new town site of Buchanan.