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Hidalgo County New Mexico
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| Walter Leonard Adams, second from left. 1903 - 1952 |
William and his sons moved to Hachita, NM where Willie won a General Store in a poker game. They established a ranch there and eventually sold out and moved on to the Animas Valley where they bought a place from the Upshaw’s at the foot of Gray Mountain. The family owned many continuous acres, spreading from the Playas Valley on to the Animas Valley and into the San Simon Valley at Rodeo.
School for Walter’s kids was too hard to come by in Animas so they bought a place in Rodeo so that Leonard and Verna could go to school. It was 1 mile NE of Rodeo. They raised sheep and traded cattle.
On the day of his death, Walter took Leonard to feed the cows over by the Chiricahuas and when they returned, he caught a ride into town with Clarence Russell to see the doctor about an allergy on his hands. Clarence had a store in Rodeo, so he went to Douglas for supplies often. The owner of the Tavern also sent some young people into town for supplies that day and Walter ran into them and could catch a ride back to Rodeo with them. He let Clarence know and took off with the young fellas. They were driving a brand new Oldsmobile that was owned by the tavern owner and they decided to run it out and see how fast it would go. They had a blowout and were thrown from the car. Walter was crushed by the car as it rolled.
Walter was a very friendly fellow and knew people where ever he went. His son Leonard fondly remembers business trips with his Dad. He also remembers that his Dad did not like guns or killing animals.
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