NEW MEXICO

By 1935 over half of New Mexico’s population of approximately 425,000 had a job with a New Deal program, such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civil Works Administration (CWA), Public Works Administration (PWA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), National Youth Administration (NYA), and the Rural Electric Administration (REA), created to bring electricity to our rural areas.

In the northeastern and east-central areas of New Mexico, 72.8% of the populace was involved with a New Deal work program. This was the part of our state most affected by the Dust Bowl, where the soil became unfit to farm and families had to be moved out to new Resettlement Areas across the state and nation.

The small, rural community of Bosque Farms lies about 18 miles south of Albuquerque and was one of these New Deal resettlement communities.

 
 

Bosque Farms

In the 1920s, Eduardo Otero sold his land in small lots to individuals, but due to the depression people were unable to make their payments. Otero repossessed the land, and in 1934 sold 2,420 acres to the New Mexico Rural Rehabilitation Corporation.

The resettlement area was eventually taken over by the Federal Resettlement Administration.

 

This project divided the Bosque Farms tract into 42 parcels of 40 to 80 acres in size. Forty-two families were chosen by a lottery in May 1935, and paid $140 per acre on forty-year mortgages. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded the drainage trenches, homes, and roads, thus beginning the community of Bosque Farms.

Seventy-two families came from the dust bowl areas of Taos and Harding counties to the tree covered swamps called the Bosque during 1935. Many people kept right on moving, but 42 modern pioneer families stayed to build our present Bosque Farms community. Some families lived in tents until temporary houses were built. Fourteen of the families lived together in the barn next to the old Otero ranch. The men worked in crews to build ditches to drain the swamp and to clear the land of the trees. The people drew lots for their properties. 2-3 bedroom adobe homes were built by the project for the families on their lots.

 

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