Richard Green

Richard and Carolyn Green, owners of The Palace Hotel

From the New Mexico Historical Review

On February 14, 1847, one hundred years ago, Richard Green was born in Boone, Watage County, North Carolina. August 28, 1848, ninety-nine years ago, Mary Caroline Lewis was born in the same city.

There, on October 31, 1867, eighty years ago, Richard and Mary Caroline were married in her old home. To this union there were born thirteen children, seven girls and six boys. The first five children, Clay, George, Calvin, Mae & Christopher were born in Boone, North Carolina.

Though by 1873, Father Green had a wife and five children, the Call of the Pioneer West was in his blood. North Carolina roots were hard to pull, but his desire to become a farmer caused him to “Go West”. The journey Westward was begun in 1873, though the family traveled no further than Jonesborough, Tennessee, where they remained two years. Nancy the sixth child and second girl was born here on December 27th, 1874.

To them Tennessee was still “East”, and the West being their destination, they proceeded on in 1875, the second leg of their journey to take them to Jacksboro, Texas. Here Father Green purchased 300 acres of farmland, built a home, and knew the thrill of being a farmer, having had great success with his crops and cattle. They remained here for ten years, raising five more children, Roy, Effie, Ella, Emma and Kittie. After 10 years the family left Texas for New Mexico. On April 10, 1884 Mother & Father Green and eleven children started out on the journey that was to take them more than two months to complete. Four covered wagons, three of which were horse drawn and one by oxen, along with 65 head of cattle made the arduous journey.

The family arrived in San Pedro, New Mexico without mishap and here Father Green and the three older boys, using their large wagons, obtained a contract to haul ore from the mines in San Pedro to Los Cerrillos; from where it was loaded onto railroad cars and shipped to the smelter in Socorro, New Mexico. This proved a profitable business, but the lack of a school in San Pedro made the family decide to move to Los Cerrillos and establish a permanent home. Here in 1885, they purchased land and a seven roomed house, this later proved to be the site of the Palace Hotel. This home was the birthplace of Richard the last son who was born in 1888.

Accustomed to working for himself Father Green purchased the Madrid Coal Mines, which he worked for a number of years, until his health failing, he was advised to sell. The Colorado Iron & Fuel Company purchased the Mines and subsequently built the first railroad from Madrid to Los Cerrillos. It was after selling the Mines that the plans for the hotel, which had been a dream, were materialized. Their decision made, construction was started on the hotel in 1888.

The stone portion, consisting of twelve rooms, was erected first. Five dollars a day was the wage paid an excellent Stone Mason. In 1890, native labor was hired to manufacture by hand, adobe brick, and with this material, the adobe addition was constructed. The approximate cost (of the hotel) was $10,000.00.

On the left, as you enter the building, the “Office” was located. Father Green often played the role of “Night Clerk”, so he occupied the little room directly in back of the office. The large room to the right of the entrance was leased to Mr. Julius Muralter for a Tailor Shop. His living quarters were in the back of the shop. Mr. Muralter boarded with Mother Green, and resided and conducted his business for a period of 22 years.

On the second floor, the room directly over the office was known as the “Guest Room” or, “Bridal Chamber”. A second bedroom was in the back of this suite. Over the Tailor Shop were two rooms, occupied by Dr. F. Palmer, who was Los Cerrillos’ only Physician. He also held the post of Company Doctor, for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company. On the third floor there were three or four bedrooms.

The adobe addition contained a large room, used primarily as a dining room. It comfortably seated 32 people. On the North end, there was a large sitting room, one of the most popular rooms in the building. It was furnished simply, but comfortably. It was here gathered around the old fashioned organ, that the family and “Guests” spent many enjoyable times. South of the dining room, was a large pantry, from which a door opened into the front hall of the main building. Back of the pantry was the kitchen, and in succession to the back, was Mother Green’s room. It had a cheery fireplace, and made a haven for her to catch a five-minute wink, between her many chores.

Back of Mother Green’s room was a small hallway leading into a bedroom reserved for hired help. There was also a large room used for storing purposes. The last room in the corridor was a bedroom, which was also equipped with a fireplace, and reached by means of a long porch. It was in this room that Ruth the youngest and last child was born.

An outside stairway led to the second floor of the adobe addition. Over the dining room was a large room, rented out to the Masonic Lodge, for a two-year period. (Cerrillos Lodge #19) Father Green was a Member and became a 32nd Degree Mason. Over the kitchen portion there was a long porch, off of which there were six bedrooms. In the extreme South portion there was a suite of two rooms occupied by Dr. Wm Bishop D.D.S. who conducted his Dental practice here. Dr. Bishop later passed away in this room.

When the room occupied by the Masonic Lodge was available, upon expiration of their lease, rather than renew their lease, the room was subdivided and six additional bedrooms were made.

Throughout the years, there were several prominent people, who at one time or another occupied the “Guest Room”. Of the most notable there was Thomas A. Edison, Ulysses S. Grant and Governor Prince. General Grant and Governor Prince were in Los Cerrillos to inspect Placer Mining locations. Mr. Edison was making experimental electrical research for an electric plant in Madrid. Only his colleagues and not, Mrs. Edison, accompanied him.

Col. Theodore Roosevelt, did not come to Los Cerrillos, but, on July 4, 1899 the “Roosevelt Rough Rider’s” held their annual re-union in Las Vegas. Father & Mother Green accompanied by Nancy, Effie, George and Dick went to Las Vegas for a Fourth of July outing and had the pleasure and honor of shaking hands with him, and of hearing him commend their son, Clay, who, while assigned as Col. Roosevelt’s’ Orderly of the Day, was killed, in the first charge up San Juan Hill, in the Battle of Santiago De Cuba, on July 1, 1898. From this great man, praise was bestowed on the Son, who gave his life for his country, by the simple gesture, and the words he spoke as he laid his hand on eleven year old Dick’s head and said, “Dick, I sincerely hope you will grow up to be as fine a man as your brother Clay was.”

Nancy Green Mc Cleary
July 17, 1947
San Gabriel, California

Addenda to this article:

The name for the area in use in 1888 was “Cerrillos Coal Banks”. The name “Madrid” was to come a couple of years later. The town of Madrid was built in 1892.

Richard Green with his accountant and partner William P. Gould acquired the two best coal diggings (it is not clear that he actually purchased them as title to lands in the Coal Banks at that time was most often non-existent or faked), and operated them as the White Ash Coal Company (bituminous) and the Black Diamond Mines (anthracite), out of his office in Cerrillos.

At the end of May 1892 Father Green sold his improvements on the diggings at Coal Banks, now known as Madrid, to the Cerrillos Coal & Iron Company (not the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, which was not to appear in Madrid for several more years) for the very nominal sum of $446.36. This small amount supports the argument that he knew he never owned the mines, he simply controlled them. It also supports that he was an exceptionally honest man. After Father Green left Madrid he and W.P. Gould continued in the coal business at the Omara diggings, ten miles east, well into the twentieth century.

The blown safe detailed elsewhere in this website (see Spit & Whittle Club) was left behind when the Green Coal Company closed, and the two people who knew the combination either died (Richard Green), or left town (W.P. Gould).

The first and only railroad to Madrid, from the main line at Waldo (a mile and a quarter northwest of Cerrillos), was built during the first eight months of 1892 by the Cerrillos Coal Railroad Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the AT&SF RR.

[WB]

The Green Children And Their Families

Clay, Calvin & Ella Green were never married. Clay, having been killed on the battlefield in the Spanish American War. Calvin was killed in an explosion of the Steven’s mine in Las Cruces, New Mexico March 25, 1895. Ella died as a 2 year old infant in Texas.

George W. Green and May Young were married in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They raised 2 girls and 2 boys. Vivian, Edna, George Jr. and Richard.

Mae Green and C.R. Lomons (Lemons) reside in Simi, California. There is 1 girl, Effie.

Christopher Green and Ada Jackson were married in Los Cerrillos and raised 2 girls and 2 boys. Emma, Ruth, Edward and Richard. Christopher and his second wife Clara reside in Jackson, California.

Nancy Green and George Bailey were married in Dr. Palmer’s office in 1890. They raised 2 boys, Frank and Clay. Nancy by her second husband Wm. V. Mc Cleary raised 1 girl, Nan, with whom she now resides in San Gabriel, Calfironia.

Roy Green and Anna Rogers were married in Los Cerrillos. He was the only member of the Green family who remained there. Roy passed away October 2, 1934. His widow Anna Rogers Green still resides in Los Cerrillos. There were no children.

Effie Green and Edwin Derham were married in Tucson, Arizona and raised 3 girls and 1 boy, Mary, Genevieve, Nancy and Jack. Effie passed away in Fillmore, California, May 27, 1940. Edwin passed away December 29, 1940.

Emma Green and Frank Harney were married in Dr. Palmer’s office also, the year 1900. She and her second husband Robert L. Cooper raised 2 boys, Robert Jr., and Richard.

Kittie Green and Tom Hull were married in Dr. Palmers office. Kittie and her second husband Ray Daulton, reside in Bonanza, Arizona. They have no children.

Dick Green and Ruth Bush were married in Las Vegas and raised 3 girls and 2 boys, Margaret, Marion, Barbara, Paul & Robert. Dick passed away in Los Angeles, February 24, 1935.

Ruth Green and Harry Cook reside in Beverly Hills, California and raised one girl, Pauline.

Father Green passed away in the little room back of the office on November 29, 1906. One year later in 1907, mother green sold the hotel and moved to Los Angeles, California with her daughter Ruth, where she resided until her death on May 24, 1932.

Written by Genevieve Derham Cochran
Effie Green Derham & Edwin Derham, were my parents.