President-elect Barack Obama is talking about a $1 trillion “anti-depression” program, similar to Franklin Roosevelt’s spending of the 1930s. It has been generally accepted that the WPA, PWA, CCC and other alphabet programs helped but World War II actually ended that depression.
But even the most remote areas of the United States benefitted from the government largesse of the late 1930s, including Rio Arriba County.
The year just ending, 2008, was observed as the 75th anniversary of the New Deal in New Mexico.
Historian Alan Brinkley observed that “the New Deal not only employed the needy but also started a process of building government institutions where none existed.”
According to Katherine Slick, state historic preservation officer, “this couldn’t be truer than in New Mexico which established many of its first public schools, county courthouses, city halls, fire stations, water systems and sidewalks as a result of the New Deal. From 1933 until the beginning of World War II, the New Deal pumped millions of dollars of direct aid into New Mexico.”
The state Department of Cultural Affairs and Historic Preservation Division provided the following list of some 172 projects completed in Rio Arriba County from 1935 to 1941. The final two projects were Dec. 1, 1941, $1,080.491 for the Rio Arriba County Soil and Conservancy District Improvements; and Dec. 18, 1941, $17,624 for Chimayó school construction.
Of course Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, brought an end to all such projects as the nation concentrated on the war effort and for all practical purposes the Great Depression was over.
The list of projects:
Rio Arriba Date Amount Project
Abiquiú 8/19/35 1,941.00 school constr.
Abiquiú 4/19/38 6,906.00 irrig. canal
Abiquiú 8/29/38 4,046.00 irrigation dam
Ablquiú 11/24/41 2,098.00 Bridge constr.
Abiquiú 11/24/41 1,638.97 bridge constr.
Alcalde 12/3/36 613.05 school constr.
Alcalde 5/28/37 4,487.00 school constr.
Alcalde 6/7138 19,120.00 irrig. imp.
Alire 9/10/35 1,172.00 school
Burns Canyon 9/10/35 1,335.00 school constr.
Canjilon 9/17/35 4,303.00 school
Canjilon 12/13/35 10,500.00 road constr.
Canjilon 4/26/39 16,317.00 school constr.
Cañon de Chama 9/21/37 14,293.00 road imp.
Cañones 9/10/35 1,895.00 school constr.
Cañones 9/16/35 6,240.00 road constr.
Canova 9/10/35 1,375.00 schools constr.
Capulin 8/25/36 2,225.00 school constr.
Cebolla 6/9/37 10,148.00 school constr.
Chama 9/10/35 14,400.60 gym constr.
Chama 9/17/35 6,638.63 road imp.
Chama 2/7/38 7,172.00 gym constr.
Chama 7/5/39 27,748.00 road imp.
Chamita 9/10/35 8,300.00 school constr.
Chili 9/17/35 1,351.00 school constr.
Chimayó 12/18/41 17,624.00 school constr.
Coral de Piedra 9/10/35 1,405.00 school constr.
Cordova 3/14/38 8,861.39 school constr.
Coyote 5/25/39 11,906.00 school constr.
Dixon 5/25/39 11,606.00 school constr.
Dixon 3/14/38 12,235.00 shool constr.
Dulce 6/9/37 3,084.00 school constr.
Dulce 8/19/38 6,687.29 school constr.
El Rito 9/10/35 14,862.00 school add.
El Rito 9/17/35 20,638.00 Normal Sch.
El Rito 9/17/35 23,262.00 road imp.
El Rito 9/1/36 9,243.00 road imp.
El Rito 12/31/36 32,449.88 Normal Sch.
El Rito 6/8/37 8,118.00 school constr.
El Rito 9/23/37 11,117.94 Normal Sch.
El Rito 12/22/37 8,067.00 Normal Sch.
El Rito 3/7/38 16,254.00 Normal Sch.
El Rito 6/13/38 31,391.09 water system
El Rito 8/5/38 13,966.81 Normal Sch.
El Rito 3/12/39 27,500.00 Normal Sch.
El Rito 12/27/39 8,851.00 sewer imp.
El Rito 6/1/40 9,402.49 campus imp.
El Rito 6/18/40 34,948.25 school add.
El Rito 3/14/41 8,400.78 school imp.
El Rito 6/25/41 31,717.00 school imp.
El Rito 9/16/41 88,691.00 road imp.
El Vado 9/17/35 17,998.00 road constr.
Location Date Amount Project
El Vado 5/10/38 20,955.00 road constr.
Eng. Los Tanque 9/17/35 7,912.00 dam storage
Ensenada 7/2/38 1,144.69 school constr.
Ensenada 6/2/39 7,430.00 bridge constr.
Española 8/23/35 2,651.87 school repairs
Española 9/10/35 7,685.05 road imp.
Española 9/11/35 20,341.00 river bank Española 9/17/35 16,997.00 gym const.
Española 9/17/35 2,562.00 water system Española 9/25/35 8,275.80 sewer line
Española 9/4/36 6,162.00 office
Española 12/29/36 2,569.33 road imp.
Española 1/5/37 31,999.00 clothing
Española 7/6/37 11,978.00 High School Española 8/27/37 1,443.60 sewer line
Española 7/14/38 3,003.69 City Hall/Fire Española 2/6/39 1,971.00 Jail constr.
Española 3/9/39 40,736.00 flood prot.
Española 4/13/39 3,032.00 road imp.
Española 6/28/39 10,655.00 bridge
Española 12/29/39 9,127.95 school
Española 9/16/40 45,858.27 water con.
Española 2/28/41 40,720.00 school add.
Española 4/15/41 8,345.00 Muni. office
Fairview 4/27/39 17,467.00 road constr.
Gallina 12/18/37 6,819.00 school constr.
Gavilan 10/14/35 10,248.00 road imp.
Governador 9/17/35 1,351.00 school
Governador 6/8/39 45,124.00 road imp.
Governador 5/6/40 6,710.00 fence constr.
Governador 6/7/40 16,964.00 fence constr.
Haynes 9/10/35 2,155.00 school constr.
Hernandez 9/25/35 2,454.00 school constr.
Hernandez 5/25/39 16,717.00 school constr.
Hernandez 5/23/40 2,561.52 school constr.
Jicarilla 10/15/38 11,918.50 fence
La Puente 9/17/35 23,679.00 bridge
La Puente 4/7/39 17,957.00 road constr.
La Villita 9/10/35 7,496.00 school constr.-
La Villita 10/7/37 7,485.00 water supply
Largo 7/16/38 3,278.00 road constr.
Las Tables 6/30/38 2,968.00 bridge constr.
Lindrith 9/25/35 15,002.00 road constr.
Lindrith 7/14/38 10,987.00 school constr.
Lindrith 1/4/40 10,968.98 school constr.
Lindrith 11/6/41 18,442.00 road imp.
Los Pinos 9/11/35 6,508.00 road imp.
Los Pinos 2/21/38 52,922.00 road imp.
Lumberton 9/17/35 29,024.00 water system
Monero 9/29/38 23,825.00 road constr.
North Agua 9/10/35 1,105.00 school constr.
Nutrias 9/17/35 1,351.00 school constr.
Ojo Caliente 9/26/35 7,056.00 school constr.
Ojo Caliente 5/6/39 47,086.07 road reconstr.
Ojo Caliente 1/16/40 138,036.31 road reconstr.
Ojo Caliente 4/25/41 54,951.00 road reconstr.
Parkview 8/19/35 14,960.42 stone bldg Parkview 11/11/36 8,088.12 fish pond Parkview 8/20/37 50,193.00 dam constr.
Parkview 1/8/38 5,890.42 fish pond.
Parkview 5/11/38 41,477.00 fish pond Parkview 5/18/39 37,865.00 dam constr.
Parkview 9/3/40 19,799.38 fish hatch.Rechuelos 9/16/35 3,028.00 road repair
Rinconada 8/25/36 2,225.00 school constr.
Rio Arriba-CW 8/22/35 7,803.00 privy constr.
Rio Arriba-CW 8/22/35 82,610.00 swamp drain.Rio Arriba-CW 12/2/35 6,705.00 home wool
Rio Arriba-CW 10/1/36 11,998.00 road imp.
Rio Atriba-CW 10/2/36 13,212.00 school lunch
Rio Arriba-CW 10/1/37 154,818.00 road imp.
Rio Arriba-CW 11/1/37 40,204.00 swamp drain.
Rio Arriba-CW 8/2/38 93,879.00 swamp drain. Rio Arriba-CW 8/11/38 2,961.00 weed erad.
Rio Arriba-CW 11/5/38 5,561.81 prairie dog
Rio Arriba-CW 12/19/38 6,637.00 prairie dog Rio Arriba-CW 1/17/39 5,984.61 national for.
Rio Arriba-CW 11/9/39 1,101,775.34 Cons. Dist.
Rio Arriba-CW 2/29/40 28,592.00 road constr.
Rio Arriba-CW 5/6/40 29,793.77 road constr.
Rio Arriba-CW 5/7/40 3,264.00 prairie dog Rio Arriba-CW 8/6/40 9,792.00 prairie dog Rio Arriba-CW 8/6/40 10,315.00 prairie dog
Rio Arriba-CW 2/7/41 41,644.00 swamp drain.
Rio Arriba-CW 3/10/41 14,026.76 road constr., Rio Arriba-CW 9/22/41 156,165.00 soil & water
Rio Arriba-CW 12/1/41 1,080,491.00 Conser. Rio de Chama 9/16/35 23,322.00 road repair
Rio Puerco 9/17135 1,351.00 school
San Pedro 9/10/35 2,115.00 school, adobe
San Pedro 12/31/36 1,475.00 school constr.
Tierra Amarilla 8/23/35 2,182.00 Monero school
Tierra Amarilla 8/23/35 1,401.89 school addition
Tierra Amarilla 8/23/35 5,123.30 school
Tierra Amarilla 8/23/35 1,129.86 school
Tierra Amarilla 9/10/35 13,234.30 gym constr.
Tierra Amarilla 9/10/35 2,468.00 school desks
Tierra Amarilla 9/17135 8,608.00 river channel
Tierra Amarilla 9/17/35 10,684.00 road imp.
Tierra Amarilla 9/17/35 2,454.00 school
Tierra Amarilla 9/17/35 18,597.00 sewing project
Tierra Amarilla 9/17/35 13,725.00 wool spinning
Tierra Amarilla 9/25/35 14,442.00 road imp.
Tierra Amarilla 10/29/35 1,351.00 school
Tierra Amarilla 1/22/37 4,141.00 High School gym
Tierra Amarilla 11/16/37 8,993.00 Jail constr.
Tierra Amarilla 4/30/38 11,799.00 facilities
Tierra Amarilla 10/15/38 15,089.04 National forest imp.
Tres Piedras 5/6/40 6,130.73 fence constr.
Tres Piedras 6/12/40 18,638.00 fence constr.
Truchas 9/17/35 21,342.00 road imp.
Truchas 8/19/36 3,774.56 school addition
Truchas 10/17/38 44,883.00 road constr.
Truchas 4/19/39 34,848.00 road constr.
Velarde 3/4/37 75,075.00 road imp.
Velarde 3/20/37 10,148.00 school constr.
Velarde 5/25/39 16,717.00 school constr.
Velarde 11/7/39 28,830.98 road imp.
Wique 9/17/35 1,351.00 school
Youngsville 9/10/35 2,445.00 school