About The index. (Fort Sumner, N.M.) 1911-191?
Fort Sumner, N.M. (1911-191?)

The Index

Melrose, New Mexico originally named Brownhorn, was settled in 1882. It combined the surnames of two prominent ranchers, Walter "Wildhorse" Brown and Lonny Horn. The latter was also the owner of the historic Pigpen Ranch. In 1906, the Santa Fe Railroad selected Brownhorn as the site of a roundhouse and laid out a formal town site, and renamed it Melrose. A Brownhorn Street in Melrose documents the town's original name.

Founded in 1911, the English-only Index was printed in Melrose every Thursday. The publisher and editor was L.D. Beckworth. An annual subscription was $1.00 and a 6-month subscription 65 cents. It included a message to non-subscribers, "You need never fear that The Index will be forced upon you. We frequently send out samples, sometimes unmarked, but the paper will not come regularly unless you order it." Below the masthead it read: "Never destroy an Index - send it somewhere!"

The paper reported on local, territorial, national, and international news. Coverage of the statehood movement was particularly extensive. In April 1911, William Henry Andrews, a delegate to Congress from the New Mexico Territory, landed an important committee appointment in Washington. The Index pointed out that Andrews's statehood resolution would most likely pass during the congressional session. In September 1911, the Index reported that the Washington [D.C.] Times had published a half-page article in which it pointed out that New Mexico would soon become the fourth largest state, more populous than four others; in addition, the article praised New Mexico for its healthy climate and observed that New Mexico had more coal fields than Pennsylvania. The Index announced that New Mexico was admitted to the Union at 10 o'clock on the morning of January 6, 1912.

The Index also promoted agricultural improvements. In February 1911, the newspaper's slogan became "Build a silo and get a better cow." It reported on September 22, 1911, that a New Mexico man had fed 3,000 lambs on silage which topped the Kansas City market. On March 29, 1912, Professor J.D. Tingley, an agricultural specialist sent from the Santa Fe Development Office, informed the Index that in the development of New Mexico the emphasis will be on silos. Tingley declared: "The New Mexico farmer may take his choice, either build a silo or roll his blankets!"

During these years, prohibition was a hot topic. On August 1, 1913, the Index reported that every merchant in Melrose experienced unpaid bills because of workers' earnings spent on booze. A week later, a pro-temperance advertisement appeared in the newspaper: "Boy wanted! Jack, the drunkard, is dying today, with traces of sin in his face. He’ll be missed at the club, at the bar, at the play. Wanted, is a boy for his place!"

Provided by: University of New Mexico