Alexander died at Fort Barclay Cemetery, Mora, New Mexico Territory. The Fort was abandoned and only remnants remain visible today.
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In March of 1848, Alexander Barclay and George Simpson traveled down the Mora River to its' junction with the Sapello at a small settlement called La Junta (which is now known as Watrous). This was the Scolly Grant and had been occupied by a poor farmer named James Bonney (he was the person who built the houses at the river junction). Thomas Fitzpatrick had previously told Barclay and Joseph Doyle (who were business partners at the time) that the US Government would probably build a fort in the area to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail from marauding Indians. The plan was to build a fort here and then sell it to the government for a profit. This was also a great location to establish a mercantile for trading with travelers on the Trail because it was just south of the point where the Cimarron Cutoff and the Mountain Branch merged. Barclay quickly went to Santa Fe and bought the Scolly Grant.
By September 4, the fort was sufficiently complete that Barclay brought his wife, Teresita Suaso, to her new home. On September 19, Doyle arrived with a blacksmith. A few days later, Doyle brought his own wife down from Mora. A mercantile was set up and did a reasonably prosperous business (but, of course, business was never as good as they had dreamed it would be). Soon there was also a post office established and Fort Barclay served a pretty large chunk of New Mexico countryside.
In 1853, Barclay made a trip north to trade with the Indians and found they'd moved from where he thought they were. He suffered a large financial loss. When he returned to the fort he found that things had gotten pretty crazy there and, by the end of October, he was living at the fort by himself. He advertised the fort for sale in the Santa Fe newspapers but never had an inquiry. He got very ill and finally died and was buried at the fort in December, 1855.
(http://www.sangres.com/newmexico/mora/watrous.htm#.UO2AG29tlu4)
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In March of 1848, Alexander Barclay and George Simpson traveled down the Mora River to its' junction with the Sapello at a small settlement called La Junta (which is now known as Watrous). This was the Scolly Grant and had been occupied by a poor farmer named James Bonney (he was the person who built the houses at the river junction). Thomas Fitzpatrick had previously told Barclay and Joseph Doyle (who were business partners at the time) that the US Government would probably build a fort in the area to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail from marauding Indians. The plan was to build a fort here and then sell it to the government for a profit. This was also a great location to establish a mercantile for trading with travelers on the Trail because it was just south of the point where the Cimarron Cutoff and the Mountain Branch merged. Barclay quickly went to Santa Fe and bought the Scolly Grant.
By September 4, the fort was sufficiently complete that Barclay brought his wife, Teresita Suaso, to her new home. On September 19, Doyle arrived with a blacksmith. A few days later, Doyle brought his own wife down from Mora. A mercantile was set up and did a reasonably prosperous business (but, of course, business was never as good as they had dreamed it would be). Soon there was also a post office established and Fort Barclay served a pretty large chunk of New Mexico countryside.
In 1853, Barclay made a trip north to trade with the Indians and found they'd moved from where he thought they were. He suffered a large financial loss. When he returned to the fort he found that things had gotten pretty crazy there and, by the end of October, he was living at the fort by himself. He advertised the fort for sale in the Santa Fe newspapers but never had an inquiry. He got very ill and finally died and was buried at the fort in December, 1855.
(http://www.sangres.com/newmexico/mora/watrous.htm#.UO2AG29tlu4)
Alexander died at Fort Barclay Cemetery, Mora, New Mexico Territory. The Fort was abandoned and only remnants remain visible today.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In March of 1848, Alexander Barclay and George Simpson traveled down the Mora River to its' junction with the Sapello at a small settlement called La Junta (which is now known as Watrous). This was the Scolly Grant and had been occupied by a poor farmer named James Bonney (he was the person who built the houses at the river junction). Thomas Fitzpatrick had previously told Barclay and Joseph Doyle (who were business partners at the time) that the US Government would probably build a fort in the area to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail from marauding Indians. The plan was to build a fort here and then sell it to the government for a profit. This was also a great location to establish a mercantile for trading with travelers on the Trail because it was just south of the point where the Cimarron Cutoff and the Mountain Branch merged. Barclay quickly went to Santa Fe and bought the Scolly Grant.
By September 4, the fort was sufficiently complete that Barclay brought his wife, Teresita Suaso, to her new home. On September 19, Doyle arrived with a blacksmith. A few days later, Doyle brought his own wife down from Mora. A mercantile was set up and did a reasonably prosperous business (but, of course, business was never as good as they had dreamed it would be). Soon there was also a post office established and Fort Barclay served a pretty large chunk of New Mexico countryside.
In 1853, Barclay made a trip north to trade with the Indians and found they'd moved from where he thought they were. He suffered a large financial loss. When he returned to the fort he found that things had gotten pretty crazy there and, by the end of October, he was living at the fort by himself. He advertised the fort for sale in the Santa Fe newspapers but never had an inquiry. He got very ill and finally died and was buried at the fort in December, 1855.
(http://www.sangres.com/newmexico/mora/watrous.htm#.UO2AG29tlu4)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In March of 1848, Alexander Barclay and George Simpson traveled down the Mora River to its' junction with the Sapello at a small settlement called La Junta (which is now known as Watrous). This was the Scolly Grant and had been occupied by a poor farmer named James Bonney (he was the person who built the houses at the river junction). Thomas Fitzpatrick had previously told Barclay and Joseph Doyle (who were business partners at the time) that the US Government would probably build a fort in the area to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail from marauding Indians. The plan was to build a fort here and then sell it to the government for a profit. This was also a great location to establish a mercantile for trading with travelers on the Trail because it was just south of the point where the Cimarron Cutoff and the Mountain Branch merged. Barclay quickly went to Santa Fe and bought the Scolly Grant.
By September 4, the fort was sufficiently complete that Barclay brought his wife, Teresita Suaso, to her new home. On September 19, Doyle arrived with a blacksmith. A few days later, Doyle brought his own wife down from Mora. A mercantile was set up and did a reasonably prosperous business (but, of course, business was never as good as they had dreamed it would be). Soon there was also a post office established and Fort Barclay served a pretty large chunk of New Mexico countryside.
In 1853, Barclay made a trip north to trade with the Indians and found they'd moved from where he thought they were. He suffered a large financial loss. When he returned to the fort he found that things had gotten pretty crazy there and, by the end of October, he was living at the fort by himself. He advertised the fort for sale in the Santa Fe newspapers but never had an inquiry. He got very ill and finally died and was buried at the fort in December, 1855.
(http://www.sangres.com/newmexico/mora/watrous.htm#.UO2AG29tlu4)
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