Belen - New Mexico - History

In 1740 , Belen, the Spanish version of Bethlehem was established on the west bank of the Rio Grande. For over 100 years subsistence farming was the mainstay of the region. There were a few influential families with large estates of sheep ranching. Don Pedro Oetero settled here. During the brief period of Mexican independence from 1821-1846, Felipe Chavez was born here. Chavez became involved in the Santa Fe Trail trade and accumulated a large fortune. He was known locally as El Millionaro.

Comanche and Apaches continued to raid after the U.S. annexation of the territory. A fort was built at Los Pinos in 1860. The present town of Bosque Farms covers the site of that former fort. A German immigrant Louis Hunning came here in 1859. He built a mercantile business that did very well. His descendants still conduct business here today. In the 1870s, Hunning hired John Becker, who became the leading Belen merchant in four years.

In 1881, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad laid north-south tracks through the county. Solomon Luna, in Los Lunas, and John Becker, in Belen, cooperated with the railroad, making them even more money. Luna's influence ensured the seat of county government being located near his home. Becker's influence established Belen has a leading commercial area up into modern times. In 1908, the Belen Cut-Off from Amarillo, Texas, through Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Needles, California rail line was finished. It made Belen the transportation hub of New Mexico. The cut-off bypassed Raton and Glorieta and passed through the mountains of northern New Mexico reducing the distance from Chicago to Belen by only six miles. Most importantly though it,  decreased the average grade from 158 feet per mile through Raton Pass to 66 feet per mile through Abo Canyon between Mountainair and Belen. As a result, the Santa Fe railroad was able to reduce costs by using the cut-off. Within a year the cut off became the prime east-west freight line across the continent. In 1880 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built the first section of its line through Valencia County from Albuquerque. Although the line did not immediately stimulate growth in Belén, the railroad brought many people into the area.
In 1907 the Belén Cut-Off, linking Amarillo, Texas, and Belén, was completed with the tracks running through the Belén rail yards. The Cut-Off went through Kansas and Oklahoma and west into the plains of Texas and New Mexico. It was created to alleviate travelling over Raton Pass, which required two to three large engines because of the 7,600-foot elevation.
The Cut-Off made Belén a railroad center, creating its nickname 'The Hub City" as the town became an important shipping point for the productive Rio Grande Valley. Belén also became the spot for refuelling and changing crews as transcontinental freight trains made their way through the town.
The railroad's importance continues, as Belén remains a refuelling and servicing stop for many trains.

The increase in commercial traffic resulted in a rise in passenger travel too, enough to justify building the Harvey House in 1910. The building derived its name from Fred Harvey, an English entrepreneur, who opened his first restaurant on the Santa Fe line in Topeka, Kansas in 1876. Harvey recruited young women from the eastern U.S. to work in his restaurants throughout the southwest. The girls signed one year contracts, six month agreements in later years, and worked for room, board, and a small wage. At the end of the contract they were entitled to a free ride home but several remained in the west. The Belen Harvey house closed somewhere between 1935 and 1940. Tomé Hill, or El Cerro de Tomé, dominates the Rio Grande Valley landscape between Belén and Los Lunas. This major landmark along El Camino Real has been used as a religious site, a refuge from hostile enemies and floods, and as an observation point.
At the foot of Tome' Hill lies La Puerta del Sol, Gateway to the Sun, a steel sculpture commemorating El Camino Real, the Royal Road and Tomé Hill.
The $100,000 art work was sculpted by Gallup artist Armando Alvarez and is intended to reflect the diverse cultures of the region and create an awareness of the history of El Camino Real and its relationship to Valencia County and Tome' Hill.
La Puerta del Sol is the beginning of a 10-acre park which will include pathways, picnic tables, native plants, bike paths and interpretive panels telling the story of Cerro del Tomé and the people of Tomé. The Immaculate Conception Church in Tome' has an extensive museum.