Story by Paul Duncan, photos by Mark Wing
On this gorgeous sunny day in July, our directions stated turn left off Frost road at Broken Arrow Trail. One could see the pavement continuing North for a few miles and then a gravel road up the lower aspect of South Mountain. When in Edgewood, South Mountain dominates the northern view. It rises to an elevation of 8740 ft and is the southern limit of the San Pedro Mountains. Over the eons there has been extensive volcanic activity and a few miles north is the San Pedro Copper mine. Rita-Loy’s home is at 7000 feet and was her family home. She and her sister Sharron Geilenfeldt both attended school in Estancia, the same elementary school as Tin Lizzie member Ann Merewether, before their family moved into Albuquerque. Rita-Loy’s grandfather settled on another homestead a few miles to the East and her father purchased this ranch later.
Three Model T’s were driven to the breakfast. Mark and Sharon Dominguez, Kirk and Susan Peterson and Pat and Vern Willan, who live 4 miles to the west, all drove their late Model Touring T’s. The rest of arrived in our “modern” cars and what a beautiful setting it is. Sharron and Rita-Loy planned a spectacular breakfast with plenty of room for all of us to sit in groups for typical Tin Lizzie conversation with lots of local history. Rita-Loy told us that Pretty Boy Floyd, a 1930’s bank robber, had connections in this area. She said Floyd had “Robin Hood” characteristics in that he did rob banks but he also removed mortgage documents from the bank and burned them. Apparently, some banks did not keep duplicate records in that era. He was on the FBI’s most wanted list and was killed in Ohio by local police and FBI agents in 1934.
New Mexico Horse Rescue at Walkin N Circles Ranch, Inc. is on Weimer Road North and nearly five miles from Rita-Loy’s home. https://www.wncr.org/what-we-do/ This was our first stop in the Edgewood area tour she had planned. There are 50 or so horses in this facility founded in 2002 and we observed the operation and the animals. It is gratifying to see so many Volunteers taking part in this worthy endeavor. I was not aware of this activity but pleased to see there is a place for these abandoned animals. We learned that some of these animals were just too much to care for by aged owners and they could bring them here for continued care. The facility’s mission is “providing all rescued equines with new beginnings and productive lives with loving, adoptive families.”
Our last stop on this tour was the Parker Farm and Greenhouse in Edgewood. https://parkersfarmandgreenhouse.com/about/
What an eye opener! A true oasis in the desert and Marilyn and I had never been. Mark and Susan Wing who lived at one time in the East Mountains had been coming here for many years and were informed guides. The day of our tour was the last day of the season for the nursery and they had some beautiful plants which many of us snatched up for our own gardens back in Albuquerque. We learned that Ricky Parker’s grandfather and grandmother came from Missouri to Edgewood in 1907 and like Rita-Loy’s grandparents who came in 1909, their families have remained in this beautiful area of New Mexico. Ricky Parker and wife Monika and son Andy have been in the nursery business for 21 years. A most amazing part of the visit was Monika’s inspirational garden. She and Ricky were told by locals 43 years ago that “when pigs fly, you might succeed” and boy have they succeeded. Visit their website and do visit but watch out for the “flying pigs.”
Thank you to Rita-Loy and Sharron for a delicious breakfast and coordinating the tours of of New Mexico Horse Rescue and Parker Farm and Greenhouse!