Homesteads of Upper Largo Canyon

Margarita Martinez Homestead

The Margarita Martinez Homestead consists of a four-room sandstone house, a large corral, and an irrigation canal located in Tafoya Canyon. The homestead was constructed between 1908 and 1922. Margarita Martinez was originally from the Corrales area where she lived with her husband, Juan. After Juan's death, she moved to Largo Canyon in 1904 with her children. Margarita passed away in 1919 following a wagon accident, and management of the homestead passed to other family members. Although patents were filed on the homestead in 1935, the home remained on public lands presumably due to an error in writing the legal description in the filing of the patent.

Martin Apodaca Homestead

The Martin Apodaca Homestead, located at the head of a small canyon once known as Pollito (Little Chicken) Canyon, consists of three buildings and a corral built between 1907 - 1918. This land was later acquired by the Berry Cattle Company. The historical record suggests the homestead was abandoned sometime prior to 1930.

Most remarkable is that one of the buildings was used as a church. Locally known as Nuestra Seсora de la Buena Pastora (Our Lady of the Good Shepherd) appears in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe records from 1915 at the Church of the Divine Pastor in Haynes, New Mexico. Nuestra Seсora was served by the parish in Farmington and visited "every couple of months" by Padre Alberto.

Nestor Martin Homestead, a.k.a. Old Rock Ranch

The Nestor Martin Homestead is one of the oldest homesteads in Upper Largo Canyon. The homestead is one of the few shown on the 1882 General Land Office survey map of the area. The homestead is shown on the current USGS topographic map of the area as the "Old Rock Ranch," just northeast of the mouth of Rockhouse Canyon. Although located along the main thoroughfare through Largo Canyon, very little is known about the site.