1909-1911: Deming Beginnings!

We had such a great time following Bedi's 983-mile bicycle route. You can read the posts here. Once in Deming, we stayed for a week to really experience it and do research.

Bedi made it to Deming (apparently in one piece and unscathed) and filed a claim for 160 acres (the maximum amount allowed) under the 1862 Homestead Act. Lillian joined him over a year later. They were married, had two children, and together they "proved up" on their claim and were granted full ownership. The requirements for proving a claim were: 1) live on the land for three consecutive years and 2) invest certain amount of money in improvements (buildings, well, etc).

I have to say that this part of the story is troubling for me. I admire and love the Bedicheks' sense of adventure, idealism and entrepreneurship -- however, I am also saddened that the "free" land they were granted was so recently stolen from the native tribes. Bedi and Lillian noted admiration for the people who had been able to live off this land in the past, but seemed to take the removal of them as just "how it was." As I dive into my family's past, there are many facts and events that are troubling. This is just one of many.

That said, it was fun to research and learn about the history of Deming and the role my great-grandparents played in its early days. New Mexico was not yet a state when they arrived -- becoming one in 1912 while they were there.

983 Miles in 30 Days

The Luna County Courthouse has bound copies of the old newspapers. I knew that Bedi became editor of The Deming Headlight, so I located the 1909, 1910 and 1911 books and started poring over the pages.

I found a front page ad in the April 22, 1909 edition: R Bedichek stenographic services! Proof that he arrived in Deming prior to April 22nd. SO! He made the 983-mile trip in about 30 days -- meaning he averaged about 32.75 miles per day.

Having just followed his bicycle route as closely as possible, I was even more amazed. We estimate he rode no faster than 10 mph -- so perhaps averaged 6 mph, because sometimes he was walking the bike (3 mph). If my calculations are correct, he would have had to cycle about 5.5 hours daily to make 983 miles in 30 days.

If he started each day at 5am, he could arrive at a destination before noon -- necessary in this unrelenting sun and heat. But since we know he stopped for several days at least twice, we know he had to catch up on those lost miles by going farther on some days.

April 1909 - March 1910: A Go-Getter

Bedi says he immediately got a shave and cut at a barber -- and sold his bike to the barber. Could this have been the barber??

As he needed to pay for room and board, Bedi once again relied on his self-taught stenographic skills to earn money. He quickly established a business relationship with Jas R Waddill, Atty, as noted in the advertisement (Bedi misspelled his name, oops! I found an ad by the lawyer with the correct spelling). I am sure he could have secured a teaching position at the high school -- with several years teaching experience under his belt -- but he was clear he did NOT want to be a teacher.

By early June, only six weeks after arriving, he and his adopted stray dog had made the paper. In interviews later in life, Bedi tells the story of finding Bo while eating at a chinese restaurant. Bo started following Bedi around after a bone was tossed his direction and basically did the adopting. He loved that dog.

And by July, he already had a reputation as a good camping companion and great cook!

I laugh when I see what was reported in the paper back then! Lillian was not yet in Deming and "committed" to Bedi, so he seemed fair game! I guess the paper did not know he was pining for Lillian and doing his best to convince her to come out to Deming and marry him!

In July, he also filed paperwork for a homestead claim and in November started building.

Bedi still had time for community service and volunteered as one of the "Judges on Delivery" in the November high school Oratorical competition.

With all the reporting of his comings, goings, and doings in the paper, Bedi could have easily sent Lillian the paper to prove he was making progress!

Bedi was a founding member of the new Chamber of Commerce and by March 1910, was elected permanent Secretary and appointed to several committees (Publicity, House, and Membership & Grievances).

September 1910: Lillian Joins Bedi

Bedi sent Lillian many letters begging her to join him in Deming. She was living in Waco, Texas with her widowed mother who ran a boardinghouse for male Baylor University students.

Lillian understood "homesteading" to mean living in a dugout and eating a lot of jackrabbits. She shared in her later writing that people joked, "Homesteaders eat so much jackrabbit they have a hop in their step!"

Her mother, Jennie, had recently installed hot running water in her new house and Lillian was loath to move to New Mexico to "rough it." But in her recollections later, she notes her ancestry of pioneering people, including her own mother who was born on a Louisiana plantation and left her family home with her new husband to move to Texas. Lillian felt pioneering and seeking adventure were "in her blood."

Bedi's love letters were convincing. To entice her even more, he managed to get her a position as Assistant Principal of the school, beginning fall 1910. So at the end of summer 1910, Lillian hopped on the Southern Pacific Golden State Limited -- riding a steam train along the very tracks that Bedi had followed on his bicycle.

In September, a couple of weeks after school started, Lillian arrived and immediately began her post. She stayed in a boarding house for about a week and then moved in with a woman, Mrs. Ketchum, and her daughter, Helen, who was in Deming to try to cure an illness.

December 1910: Marriage and Honeymoon

Bedi convinced Lillian to marry him and her description is priceless. I'll let her tell it...

On Christmas Eve Bedi called at the house around noon.

"Bill Hughes, the county clerk, is coming by in a few moments, he said. "I didn't think you'd like to go to the courhouse and all the publicity. In this territory the woman has to be present also when the license is issued."

"License?" my eyes must have inquired.

"Yes. We're getting married in the morning. It's the only way that we can go away and spend the holidays together," he laughed.

"The Edwards Act, you know, a federal law devised to encourage legal marriage." [Unmarried couples were not allowed to room together.]

"But I thought we were going to wait until June. You said--," I protested.

"Now, honey, you're not going to make me homestead that land all by myself, are you? We're getting married tomorrow morning. Wear your warmest clothes: we're going up in the mountains to Faywood Springs."

We were married on Christmas morning by an elderly justice of the peace in failing health. Although it was not quite seven o'clock, he was clean-shaven and neat in his Sunday clothes; but as the train left at seven-thirty, we could not wait for him to put on his shoes, so he married us in his sock feet. His wife called in two of the boarders to act as witnesses and herself wept as if Bedi had been an only son. She had never seen us before, never saw us again."

Faywood Hot Springs still exists! Unfortunately, on our visit, we learned the hotel the Bedicheks stayed in burned down long ago.

January 1911: Knight of the Quill Becomes Editor

By January 1911, Bedi had borrowed money to buy a controlling interest in The Deming Headlight and became editor. His partner, Vallandigham, was publisher. The announcement is glowing and humorous.

I was proud and impressed to read accolades for Bedi's writing skills and accomplishments as Chamber of Commerce secretary. He was an ardent supporter and promoter of the area. He wrote about the wonderful water and its proximity to railroads. He was respected and admired and seemed to truly love the area and believe in its possibilities.

All for now!

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I LOVE looking at old newspapers. It really gives you a feel for the culture of the time. If you want to dive in, the Library of Congress has many old newspapers (and a treasure trove of other digital collections) but Newspapers.com (a paid service) has great search and clipping features.