![]() At a spring 1884 meeting of county residents, Rynerson, Newcomb, and Fountain denounced “the infamous Santa Fe legislature” for enacting certain bills which benefited only the capital city and burdened the people with unfair taxes. ![]() Shortly thereafter Rynerson and Fountain ended their feud and joined forces to challenge the political power of Santa Fe. The Mesilla News claimed that Rynerson owned the land where the new courthouse would be located. This action incensed Mesilla residents, the Mesilla News, and Albert J. Newcomb persuaded the territorial legislature in January 1882 to change the county seat from Mesilla to Las Cruces. One such instance was when Rynerson and Judge Simon B. Fountain and Rynerson fueded much of their lives. Fountain, a fellow of the California Column and a man much noted for his support of the underdog, defended the Mesilleros at a trial where the jury took ten minutes to decide against Rynerson. The angry Mesilleros physically removed him from the area. Rynerson again gained a measure of notoriety when he declared the Mesilla Civil Colony land grant defective and staked claims on what others considered their property in 1874. William Logan Rynerson, nicknamed “The Tall Sycamore of the Rio Grande.” By the time Rynerson mustered out of the military in Mesilla on November 3, 1866, as Lieutenant Colonel, he was much involved in Mesilla Valley life and the following year was elected to the territorial legislature. Eighty-nine of the veterans settled in Mesilla Valley. By 1866 more than 340 of the discharged California Column veterans stayed or spent part of their future lives in New Mexico. The soldiers spent most of their time responding to Indian uprisings, establishing martial law and constructing roads and ditches. His troops used Saint Genevieve’s plaza as a parade ground. Wary of Rebel supporters, Charlton refused to set up headquarters in Mesilla. They were welcomed with champagne, dinners, and balls. During the Civil War in 1862 after Fort Fillmore was abandoned, the Union Army’s “First California Infantry” also known as “The California Column” led General James Charlton arrived in Las Cruces and Mesilla.
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