Adventures at the Museum: Stories From the Files: Juan Trujillo Baca First Settler of Round Valley

Juan Trujillo Baca, First Settler of Round Valley

In 1862 a young Spaniard drove his sheep west from the Rio Grande into a bowl-shaped valley at the foot of pine and spruce clad mountains. Twenty-one year old Juan was the primero hombre – the first man in the Valley. He was born at a place called La Jolla on the Rio Grande. His father, Miguel Baca was born there before him.

Juan liked Round Valley (Valle Redondo) and later brought his brothers Dionicio and Francisco to it. Then, after his father’s death, he brought his mother, Maria Trujillo Baca, and his brother Benino.

The Bacas were beaver trappers on the Rio Grande during the period when fur buyers and trappers stopped off at Santa Fe on their way to the Rocky Mountains and the west from St. Louis.

But like other Spanish families along the Rio Grande, they also farmed and ran sheep. Each summer the flocks were moved to the mountains to the west. Another such family were the Lunas, after whom Luna, New Mexico, just across the Arizona line, near Alpine was named. Most of the Lunas were wiped out in a raid by Victorio, the Apache Chief, who also led the Alma massacre and the massacre and burning of Quemado, New Mexico. But the Bacas fled to the hills each time the Apaches visited Round Valley.

Shortly after the Bacas settled in the Valley came other families. The Carillos, who built a fort at the lower end of the Valley where the Little Colorado River enters the hills on its way to St. Johns. Also, about the same time came the first Anglo-American settlers.

The first of these was William Milligan in 1869, who started a grist mill in what is known as Milligan Valley at the mouth of Water Canyon just above Eagar. Then came Anthony Long in 1971. Milligan was a private in the Cavalry at Fort Apache and had come to Round Valley with the soldiers on their frequent scouting trips. He came back to settle after being mustered out of the army at San Marciel.

To Round Valley in the fall of 1875 came Harry Springer, who established a store on the west side of Omer (later Springerville). Springer made the sad mistake of trusting outlaws with feed and seed and as a result soon went broke. In the area less than a year he left, but later when it came to select a name for the post office, the name Springerville was chosen.

In 1876 the Beckers established a store in the same area as had been Springer’s store.

Juan Baca lived to see many come and go and many changes take place during his 90 years in Valle Redondo (Round Valley). He died 17 December 1952 at the age of 110. He called it “my beautiful Round Valley.”