Introduction
My mother, Ena Agnes Richins was born in Colonia Diaz, Chihuahua, Mexico on January 3, 1906 and died December 1, 1992 in Las Cruces, Dona Ana, New Mexico. She was buried on December 5, 1992 in Lordsburg, Hidalgo, New Mexico.
Her father, Orson Oriel Richins was born in Heneferville, Summit, Utah on April 2, 1862 and died December 16, 1926 in Virden, Hidalgo, New Mexico. He was buried on December 17, 1926 in Virden, Hidalgo, New Mexico.
Her mother, Rachel Hennefer Richins was born in Henneferville, Summit, Utah on October 30, 1861 and died April 10, 1946 in Lordsburg, Hidalgo, New Mexico. She was buried April 12, 1946 Virden, Hidalgo, New Mexico.
Ena was born under the new and everlasting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was the ninth and youngest child of Orson O. and Rachel Hennefer Richins (6th daughter). Ena was named after a member of English royalty that the Hennefer family knew in England.
Her early childhood days were spent on the farm in Colonia Diaz, Mexico helping her mother with household chores and playing with her brothers and sisters.
By the beginning of 1912, Colonia Diaz had become truly an oasis in the Northern Chihuahua desert. Rumors of a revolution were heard from time to time, but no one took any stock in it. However, by early summer definite clashes of rebel factions against the federal government were reported to be true. Now the feeling of insecurity concerning this matter came home to the majority of the people. The story of the Mormon colony of Colonia Diaz is a twenty-eight-year chronicle of an Oasis in the Northern Chihuahua desert.
“The first two years had been full of anticipation and apprehension. Challenged by long and primitive hardships, this faithful people never gave up. Since the suffering of the Saints driven from their Nauvoo homes to the Rocky Mountains, this was as trying a test as would be experienced by the Mormon saints anywhere.
“Uncertainty was a wolf that hounded them always through their Mexican stay. In the first years, they never knew from one day to the next whether they would find land on which to put down roots or would be driven back to the polygamist persecutions. And now, after building fine homes, planting gardens and orchards, and becoming a delightful LDS community—indeed, flowering like a rose—it was over, though unbeknownst to them at the time.
“Their leaders had decided that they, along with all the other colonists in Mexico, should leave their homes immediately for fear of their lives and return to the United States. Of course, they hoped it was not permanent. But only a few—a very few—ever glimpsed their homes again, since all but three homes were burned later during the revolution. This village that kept the faith became a ghost town when a cruel revolutionary colonel, named “Rojas” burned Colonia Diaz. Not much more than memories of the true and of the faithful remains.”
History of the Mormon Colonies in Mexico (The Juarez Stake) 1885-1980, compiled and written by Clarence F. Turley and Anna Tenney Turley.
Exodus from Mexico
Advised to Evacuate
On July 26, 1912, a bomb exploding in Colonia Diaz would not have had a more startling impact on the town than did a message delivered to Bishop Ernest V. Romney from the Stake Presidency. The messenger, Levi S. Tenney, who had driven his team hard most of the night, arrived in Colonia Diaz before most people were awake. He immediately sent Frank Whiting to awaken part of the town while he headed for the Bishop’s home to deliver his message.
The letter stated that the colonists were in great danger, as the rebel chieftain, Ynes Salazar, had demanded all the guns and ammunition held by the Mormons be delivered to the rebels by July 28. Apparently they were ruthless in enforcing this demand. The women and children from the upper colonies were being evacuated to El Paso, and the Colonia Diaz people were advised to flee immediately across the border.
Soon the church bell, silenced now except for emergencies, clanged loud and clear through the morning air bringing men hurriedly to the church-house. At this meeting the message from the Stake President, Junius Romney, was read and discussed. Every man realized the danger the town would be in if left unarmed and at the mercy of marauding rebels. It was decided that the townspeople would go overland, cross the international boundary line at the Corner Ranch some 19 miles northwest of Colonia Diaz, and proceed to Hachita, New Mexico.
Preparing to Leave
Plans were made for every man owning teams and wagons to take his family and as many as possible of his neighbors who had no outfits. They were to take only bedding and enough provisions to last four or five days because all felt that the danger would pass after the rebel army moved on to its field of battle. Since the rebels might arrive any minute to demand the guns, guards were placed around the town to prevent a surprise attack. Everyone was instructed to be ready to leave at 10:00 am.
Colonia Diaz was a beehive of busy people, arranging, repairing and greasing wagons; scouting the range for work horses; and in some cases putting a “half-broke” horse with a tame one to make up a team. Sister Anna Sariah Egar Tenney’s answer to the call was, “We will obey authority and not falter, shed tears, nor sigh; rather, go straight ahead with a prayer in our hearts, asking God for guidance.” Some of the heads of families were absent from home, and in these cases the oldest son jumped in and served as head of the family with his mother’s sanction.
Granary doors were nailed up. Chicken-run doors were opened. Calves were turned out with their mothers, hogs turned loose to forage for food. On the way to town, Elmer and Annie Johnson met droves of cattle, horses, and pigs moving out into the mesquite flats. Back at the Button Willows Ranch, Mark found Sister Rosetta Norton Scott and her two children, Wesley, ten, and Sophronia, eight, the only occupants of the ranch that morning. They were all ready to leave for Sunday School in town. Hurried preparations were later detailed by an older daughter, Lucy. She said: “We turned out the cow and calves, and a large fat hog ready to butcher, scattered a sack of grain in the chicken coop, set extra water out, and sawed a hole in the door so the chickens could go in and out. Into a tin tub we packed all the cheese, butter, and eggs on hand, rolled the tub in several quilts, and tied it to the running gears (the only means of conveyance on the ranch) along with a trunk of clothing.”
Brother Elmer Johnson, Sr., wrote: “I readied two teams—one pair of colts that had been hitched up only three times and another consisting of a good work horse and a partly broken colt. I drove the colts, and my daughter-in-law, Annie R. Johnson, drove the other team. To make room for other people to ride, we had to leave the trunk of wedding presents, feather bed, and new carpet.
Heading for the Border
As each family took its place on the line, it was as if the history of the town fell into place, chapter after chapter, to begin the final pages of the Colonia Diaz story. The people were unaware of it, because they all felt they would return in a day or so, as they drove away. Only the stark empty houses denoted the fall of the curtain on a 28-year saga of work, faith, courage, and cooperation.
The lineup was completed. Bishop Romney gave the “go ahead” gesture. Driver after driver spoke to his team and slapped the lines over the horses’ backs. The horses leaned into the collars to begin that unhappy trek back to the United States.
Levi S. Tenney, delegated to take charge of the move, reported about 85 assorted vehicles. Others reported that as many as 96 vehicles, loaded with 800 people, drove out of Colonia Diaz about 10:00 am that morning. Tenney, his wife, Clara Acord Tenney, and five children, made the trip in a one-seat buggy. The two oldest girls, Maudie and Hettie, rode standing on the axle, back of the seat. Tenney reported that the caravan stretched out more than a mile.
James Jacobson was put in charge of a body of scouts who rode out on all sides of the caravan to prevent any surprise attack from the Red Flaggers. He detailed several scouts to patrol and spot any trouble or any illness developing among the people. Among them were Leon Jackson, William Johnson, Aryan Mortensen and others.
About six pm that night, July 28, 1912, the Diazites crossed the international boundary line. They made camp at the nearby Corner Ranch. They had traveled nineteen miles in eight hours. They finally arrived at Hachita, New Mexico, on August 3, 1912. Refugees in Hachita, New Mexico
Bishop Ernest V. Romney and others had remained in Colonia Diaz to try to care for the town. After several visits of revolutionists, the stores had been raided and ransacked, and two of their number taken for ransom. They were able to escape their captors and left Colonia Diaz in the night. They abandoned the town to the Red Flaggers. On August 5, 1912, at 10:00 am, they joined their families in Hachita, New Mexico.
The experiences of these refugees in the United States were similar to those had by the other colonists evacuated by train to El Paso, Texas. The Colonia Dublan, Colonia Juarez, and mountain colonies camped in the lumberyards in East El Paso, Texas, where heat and mosquitos were almost unbearable. Those from Colonia Diaz put up in a tent city in Hachita, New Mexico, and hauled water from the railroad water tank.
The U.S. federal government distributed food and was very helpful to all in relieving what could have been more severe suffering for these poor, homeless saints. But many problems arose in the Diaz tent town, because of unsanitary conditions and no running water. This unhappy time surely remained in the memories of Diazites during the rest of their lives.
When the U.S. government offered railroad tickets to all parts of the West, most took advantage of the offer. Many were taken to various points in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and even as far away as Idaho. Some chose to remain close to the border, longing to return if and when the opportunity arose. A few took up homesteads in and around the southern New Mexico border.
Homesteading in New Mexico
Hachita Valley, New Mexico
Ena’s father, Orson Oriel Richins, homesteaded property south of Hachita in what is called the “boot heel” of New Mexico on the eastern side of the continental divide in Hidalgo county. The Richins homestead was located on Range 30 south, 14 west, Township 30 and consisted of eight 40-acre blocks (quarter-quads) arranged in a rough “U-shape.” Five blocks were located in Section 28 and 3 were located in Section 33. The legal land description, including the Township and Range designation are only important for locating the property location on a federal Bureau of Land Management map. The official description of the land is:
“the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter and the north half of the northwest quarter, the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter, and the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section twenty-eight and the north half of the northwest quarter and the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section thirty-three in Township thirty south of Range fourteen west of the New Mexico Meridian, New Mexico, containing three hundred twenty acres.”
The area the Richins homesteaded is known as the Hachita Valley, which runs northwest to southeast. It is bordered by the Big Hachet mountains to the southwest and the Sierra Rica mountains to the northeast. The Mexican border is about three miles east and 23 miles south. The homestead was a “dry farm,” meaning it was not irrigated. When I visited the homestead site in May 2002 I observed it was the best land in the area for farming. I believe Orson Oriel was familiar with the area from his freighting route between the Mormon colonies in Mexico and southern New Mexico.
Ena attended the Hachita Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. On June 30, 1914 Ena became a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Her father, Orson O. Richins was serving as the “Presiding Elder” for the Hachita Branch of the Church. Ena was well schooled in the Gospel, and of gospel principles. She always set the proper example for her family and those around her. Her faith and dedication not only made her a stalwart in the Gospel but a sterling example of to all on how we should conduct our lives and treat our fellowmen.
Ena continued her education in the Hachita school system by staying initially with her older sister Ireta and her husband Jim Wright, and after Ireta’s death she lived with her older sister Mae and her husband “Babe” Bowers in Hachita. She spent her school vacations and summers at the homestead. From the homestead site Ena and her family saw the smoke from Pancho Villa’s attack on Columbus, New Mexico on March 9, 1916.
Red Rock, New Mexico
On January 8, 1923 Orson Oriel Richins was granted a patent deed for his Hachita homestead. Shortly, thereafter he sold the homestead to a cattle company to become part of a large cattle ranch. He then moved his family, which included Ena, to a farm near Red Rock, Grant county, New Mexico.
One afternoon while living on the farm near Red Rock Ena went horseback riding with a friend. During the ride they discovered a wild beehive loaded with honey. Carefully extracting some of the honey, Ena and her friend had a sweet feast. Shortly thereafter Ena became violently ill. As they made their way back to the farm Ena prayed she would be able to make it home and recover. They did make it back to the farm, but it was a very close call. After much prayer and care from her mother she began to recover and after a few weeks was back to normal.
Virden, New Mexico
The farm at Red Rock was not very productive, so Orson Oriel sold it and moved the family to Virden, Hidalgo county, New Mexico.
During her stay in Virden Ena visited her married sister Mae at a mining camp in the Burro Mountains north of Lordsburg, Hidalgo county, New Mexico. Mae’s husband “Babe” had been a “mule skinner” in General Pershing’s army and stationed at Camp Shannon to the north of Hachita. “Babe” was discharged from the army and had taken a job as a master mechanic at the mine in the Burro Mountains. The foreman of the mine was Hanson Caldwell Walter, and his son Charles David Walter (recently discharged from the Navy in World War I) worked in the mine with his father. While on this visit Ena met and fell in love with Charles D. Walter.
A Family of Her Own
On September 25, 1924 Charles David Walter and Ena Agnes Richins were married in Lordsburg, Hidalgo, New Mexico. To this union was born three sons: Charles Raymond C. Walter, Howard Martin Walter, David Wayne Walter.
After just over 18 years of marriage, Ena’s husband Charles D. Walter passed away on October 24, 1942. This must have been a very trying time for Ena, she was seven months pregnant with her third child when she lost her husband. The United States was engaged in a great global conflict (World War II), and her oldest son would soon be serving in the military. Howard, her second son had suffered life-threatening injuries as a result of a childhood accident when he was 2-3 years old. As a result of this accident Howard had become a special needs person and required extra care and guidance. One can only imagine how depressed and lonely she must have felt.
A Tribute to the Life of Ena Mitchel
Not one to give in to self-pity, Ena soon established herself in a career of public service. In 1986 a friend of hers developed the following summary of some of her public life accomplishments:
“Ena Mitchell’s life of public service encompasses a colorful variety of noteworthy positions including an appointment by the Democratic County Chairwoman as Case Worker, for the State of New Mexico under the organization then known as the Federal Emergency Relief Agency/1934—November 1942. This was during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“Ten years service as Director of the Hidalgo County Office of Public Welfare led to another public position. Clerk in the Office of Price Administration, an appointment made by the Hidalgo County State Rationing Board, during World War II.
“Ena has supported the Democratic Party all of her adult life. Attending State and County conventions and serving as Precinct Chairman increased her interest in State and Local Political efforts) in which she has continued to play an active role.
“Elected to the office of Hidalgo County Treasurer (1953), Ena served four years in that capacity followed by two years as Deputy Treasurer.
“Appointed by the Board of Hidalgo County Commissioners in 1975 to attend an organizational meeting of the District State of New Mexico Council of Governments, Ena became aware of the Older Americans Act. Interest in this legislation spurred her to greater activity in founding an Older Americans Program in Hidalgo County.
“With the cooperation of State, County and City Governments and interested citizens of the community, Ena wasted no time in formulating plans for the creation of the Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Senior Citizens Center.
“Established in 1976, this program continues to provide congregate meals and hot meals delivered to homebound elderly citizens of Lordsburg. The companionship, friendship and recreational activities offered in the Center lend relief to hours otherwise spent in loneliness and solitude. In addition, daily contact with homebound clients gives assurance that someone is aware and cares about them.
“Ena’s community interests are endless. In addition to her commitment to the Senior Citizens program, she was appointed to the position of Co-chairwoman of the Lordsburg Bicentennial Committee (1976). For her untiring efforts she was presented the Lordsburg Bicentennial Flag by the State Bicentennial Committee, met the Bicentennial Wagon Train six miles out of town and rode the New Mexico [wagon] into Lordsburg where she had assisted in preparations for a County Bar-B-Q and celebration. She was also given a certificate of appreciation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, signed by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of that state.
“Not wishing to waste time in idleness, Ena proceeded to compile and publish a book of stories containing information of early events in Lordsburg and Hidalgo County. Presenting a better understanding of the struggle and hardships endured by earlier residents, the stories were gathered to preserve the heritage of this particular area of New Mexico, “In the Shadows of the Pyramids.”
“While serving as Chairwoman of the State of New Mexico Area Agency on Aging, in 1978 Ena received certificates of appreciation from Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments and New Mexico Resource Conservation and Development of District V.
“1979 brought an appointment of Colonel, Aide-de Camp from Roberto Mondragon, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Mexico.
Appointment as a Member of the State of New Mexico Area Planning Board for District V by Governor Bruce King came in 1981, and Ena has for the past three years presided as District V Chairman of the New Mexico Coalition for Senior Citizens.“Ena’s concern for her fellow beings has not been confined to the elderly. She has served as American Legion Auxiliary State Chairman, District President, Local Unit President and is now Secretary of the Local Unit.
In her service to others she is functioning as Auxiliary Girls State Chairman, working with Lordsburg High School Junior Class Girls, advising and preparing them for the opportunity to attend Girls State each year. Sponsored by the National and State American Legion Auxiliary, she contacts various clubs and organizations in Lordsburg for their support in the Girls State Program.“Interest in people of all ages has led Ena to sponsor and work with the New Mexico Extension Service, primarily for the benefit of 4-H youths. She has also sponsored and worked with Cub Scouts, teaching the Scouting Program.
“Ena is a member of the Salvation Army Sponsored Program in Lordsburg, cooperating with the Phoenix, Arizona office. The Lordsburg High School Band Organization was not neglected when Ena served as President. Senior Citizens have never been deserted, as Ena presently serves as Chairman of the Lordsburg-Hidalgo County Commission on Aging, a guiding force in the Senior Citizens Program (1976, 1977 and 1980 to 1985, also 1986 to 1992).
“Ena has, for the past eight years presided as Probate Judge of Hidalgo County, an elected position. She is honored, respected, loved…and has never had to purchase an oversized hat.”
Sarah, 1986, a Registered Nurse employed by the State of New Mexico.
Also during this same time she served in Relief Society, Mutual (Young Women), Sunday School, and Primary organizations in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Always faithfully discharging her duties and responsibilities in those organizations.
In 1945 Ena remarried. She married Wayne Virgil Mitchell originally from Raymondville, Missouri. Wayne was a car inspector for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Wayne passed away in May 1960 in Tucson, Arizona. From 1952 to 1960 they had a 320-acre desert-claim homestead about 10 miles east of Lordsburg, New Mexico.
Ena passed away after a short illness on December 1, 1992. She was buried next to her husband Charles in the Mountain View cemetery in Lordsburg, New Mexico on December 5, 1992. At the time of her death she had 7 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
Ena’s commitment to her family, Church, fellowman, country and community are an example we can all emulate. Life demands courage, and courageous families pull together. It is my hope and prayer that her posterity will always be mindful of her sacrifice and service. A finer legacy cannot be found.
