There are other “stories” about Adolph visiting the Superstitions during those early years but we have seen nothing yet that would verify any of those stories.
One item I received from Eleanor Clark was the second page of a letter. It was a loose scrap among the other items she sent. The first page was missing and since then I have asked about it and she could find nothing further. Below is the image. There is nothing to indicate the date or to whom it was from or to whom it was addressed.
Paul Shimek and I compared the handwriting in this note with that of Adolph and we both believe it is Adolph Ruth writing the letter. The reference to my old German Atlas and given that the note came from Eleanor’s collection, it seems the letter was from Adolph and most likely to his family.
This answers the WHO question.
Joe Ribaudo was able to identify the two towns mentioned, Jal and Ochoa. They are in Lea County in the extreme southeast corner of New Mexico.
This answers the WHERE question.
We next tried to narrow the time frame down when Adolph might have been in New Mexico.
Researching these two locations mentioned, we came up with the following information from the internet.
Jal, Lea County, New Mexico
Four brothers named Cowden brought a herd of cattle branded JAL and established the JAL ranch in Monument Draw in 1886, six miles east of the present town. There are numerous speculations as to the origin of the name JAL. The first names of three of the brothers - James, Amos and Liddon or from a Texas cattleman named John A. Lynch are two of the possibilities.
Charles W. Justice applied for a post office in 1910 and named it for the ranch where it was located. Subsequently the post office was moved to town in 1916, taking the name JAL with it. Ranching was its primary economy until 1927 when oil was discovered. There were land feuds and those who laid out the town platted the streets so they would not meet. The El Paso Natural Gas Company is the largest employer. Jal became an incorporated town in 1928.
The existence of the post office and the 21 inhabitants in Adolph’s letter would indicate he was there after 1916 and before 1928.
Ochoa, Lea County, New Mexico
From the internet, Ochoa is listed as a present day ghost town and the following is about all that could be found.
Ochoa was a trading point on NM 256, 14 mi W of Jal. Said to be named for Ochoa, Tx. The name is more likely to be for a Spanish family who settled here in relatively modern times. Today only an old school and an abandoned oil plant remain.
A Post Office was in Ochoa from 1917 until 1940.
Again Adolph writes of a Post Office in Ochoa and this would put him there after 1917.
The 1920 census of both Jal and Ochoa precincts reflect a very sparsely populated area. A few ranchers and a Post Master but little else.
By the 1930 census Jal was booming and Ochoa remained much as it had been in 1920.
It would appear from the above that the note was written sometime between 1917 and 1927.
Erwin Ruth, Adolph’s son, also made reference to Adolph taking more than 2 trips west.
From Erwin’s manuscript, The Fervent Romances in Seithing Mexico, he writes about his father’s accident in 1919 in the Anza Borrego Desert.
Although Erwin’s second manuscript The Story of the Mexican Gold Mine was written in October of 1931, the Fervent Romances seems to have been written before Adolph came to Arizona and went missing. In this account Erwin notes that his father made a trip west after he retired. Here we have Erwin not only speaking of a third trip west but in this case he may be narrowing down the time frame for our trip. Adolph finally got his retirement and pension settled near the end of 1924.This misfortune again thwarted the gold hunt and not until later years after Dr. A. Ruth had retired from the Government service did he again attempt to locate the secret and elusive gold mine. On this adventure the elder Ruth who is not in perfect health and with his shortened leg which resulted from the injury found an important clue, together with other disclosures, he feels satisfied that he is on the right track to the hidden mine virgin treasures.
The WHEN is certainly getting dicey but unless Adolph made more than three trips, this might place the New Mexico trip and note as being between 1925 and 1927?
Hopefully additional information can be found that will further shed light on this little note. Until then it will continue to remain just another small mystery in the Adolph Ruth story.
The next Question of WHY Adolph was in SE New Mexico raises a plethora of additional questions.
Garry