Bluewater, New Mexico

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United StatesNew MexicoCibola County Bluewater, NM

The Bluewater School 1916 - 1957. Picture taken summer of 1963. Located on the southeast corner of present day Pinon Street and Elk Street. Building removed in the early 1970s.

General Information
Bluewater is an unincorporated town in Cibola county New Mexico about 10 miles northwest of Grants NM and about 50 miles east of Gallup NM.

History

 * In December 1905, Ernst A. Tietjen finished homesteading his land obtaining clear title to the northeast quarter of section 22, Township 12 west, Range 11 north. He had laid out the town of Bluewater at what he thought was the southwest corner of his land. The town could have been laid out as early as seven years before. But now with the surveying problem, it was found that a small part of the townsite on the west side was actually on the land of Thomas J. McNeil. However the original layout of Bluewater was not changed, most likely through the cooperation of McNeil.
 * On 27 August 1910, “Ernst A. Tietjen and his wife Emma O. Tietjen” sold the first lot in the new town of Bluewater to E.H. Dewey for $15. This was the beginning of the new town. For the next six years E.A. Tietjen promoted the town of Bluewater by the selling off of his land. The Bluewater townsite originally consisted of six blocks A thru F arranged as two blocks east and west by three blocks north and south. The first four blocks were divided into four lots and the last two blocks were divided into two lots because they were only half the size. Six streets were planned: the present day Oak, Center, & Spruce streets going east and west; along with the present day Fir, Cedar, & Pine streets going north and south. There was no planned street on the south going east and west. The above townsite in the records of Valencia county is called the Tietjen addition to the town of Bluewater. Only two maps show the original Bluewater townsite as it existed then, each included with a deed for land within the townsite.
 * In August 1915, Thomas J. McNeill sold land to the School District #16. This is where the second Bluewater school house was built. McNeill then began to setup the "McNeill Addition to the Old Bluewater Townsite" and recorded a map of this addition four years later. The map clearly showed a new street connecting from the town to the County Road with the new schoolhouse on the south side of this street in the middle of the block. In the present day, this is Pinon Street connecting from Pine Street to Main Street. Probably it was about this time that Center Street was also extended from Pine Street to Main Street.
 * In September 1957, a map was recorded for the “Rains Addition to the Village of Bluewater.” The map clearly showed the land around Elk and Maple Streets just south of Pinon Street. This new addition to Bluewater was located on land originally owned by T.J. McNeill.
 * In November 1978, a map of “Longs addition to Bluewater village” was recorded. The map clearly showed the land around Willow Street just west of the present day Bluewater Elementary School. This new addition was located on land originally owned by E.A. Tietjen.
 * In May 1979, a map was recorded for the “Sunrise Estates of Bluewater village.” The map clearly showed the land around Sunrise Loop Road, Sunny Shade Lane, Sunny Slope Road, and Sunny Dale Road. This new addition to Bluewater was located on Chapman’s hill where the land originally belonged to Welcome O. Chapman.
 * In June 1981, the county of Valencia was split. The larger part on the west became the county of Cibola, containing the Bluewater area. All county records from this time forward will be found in the Cibola county offices in Grants. All county records before this time will be found in the Valencia county offices.

Church Records

 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bluewater New Mexico Ward, Record of Members 1906-1923. Family Search Library microfilm 16723, Item 1.
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bluewater New Mexico Branch, Record of Members 1929-1942. Family Search Library microfilm 1958, Item 3.

Genealogy
The closest Family History center:

Grants Family History Center    1010 Bondad Street     Grants New Mexico 87020

Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Cemeteries

 * Pioneer Memorial Park (also known as Bluewater Cemetery) in Bluewater NM at Find A Grave. From I-40, take the Bluewater Village exit, 606 or Main Street. South 1 mile to stopsign, turn left. About half a mile, the cemetery will be off to the right.
 * McNeill Family Cemetery in Bluewater NM at Find A Grave. From I-40, take the Bluewater Village exit, 606 or Main Street. South a quarter mile, turn right on Center Street. West a half mile, turn left on Fir Street. South about a 200 feet, cemetery will be on the right.

Census
Remember that a census enumeration for a rural town such as Bluewater really covered an area that included the town. Therefore some of the names of people enumerated did not live in the town itself, but in the surrounding area.


 * In the 1910 US Census, 35 Heads of Household were recorded as living in Bluewater, Precinct #16 on 15 April 1910..
 * In the 1920 US Census, 66 Heads of Household were recorded as living in Bluewater, Precinct #16 on 1 January 1920.
 * In the 1930 US Census, 57 Heads of Household were recorded as living in Bluewater, Precinct #16 on 1 April 1930.
 * In the 1940 US Census, 58 Heads of Household were recorded as living in Bluewater, Precinct #16 on 1 April 1940.

Maps

 * November 1873, a map was recorded at the Surveyor Generals Office in Santa Fe NM called “Fractional Township No. 12 North Range No. 11 West of the New Mexico Principal Meridian.” This map clearly showed Bluewater Creek flowing through Bluewater valley and the "Agua Azul Station" located a little more than a mile north of the present day town of Bluewater. Several buildings were shown there at the confluence of three stagecoach roads - from Ft. Wingate, from Santa Fe, and from Albuquerque.
 * In 1879, a new map was made, called "Territories of New Mexico & Arizona / prepared in the Office of the Chief of Engineers, U.S.A." It clearly showed Provencher’s Ranch at Agua Azul in New Mexico.
 * About 1880, a railroad map was made showing the train routes through several western states and the stagecoach route through the Bluewater area. Notice the name of the Station is still "Agua Azul" the old Spanish name for the area.
 * About 1882, a railroad map was made showing the train routes through the United States including the Bluewater area. Notice that the name of the Station was Blue Water the Anglicized version of the older Spanish name.
 * About 1883, a railroad map is made. It clearly shows the name of the station as Bluewater (one word), which has continued to the present day.
 * Mar 1911, Ernst A. Tietjen and his wife Emma O. Tietjen sold lots 1 & 4 in block B in the new town of Bluewater to F.G. Nielson for $30. Along with this deed was a map of the original townsite, showing F.G. Nielson as land owner.
 * August 1914, Ernst A. Tietjen and his wife Emma O.Tietjen sold the lot containing the first Bluewater schoolhouse, lot 1 of block F, to School District #16 of Valencia County. The deed for this land also included a map showing the townsite.
 * May 1919, a new map was recorded by Thomas J. McNiel at the Valencia county recorders office - "McNeill Addition to the Old Bluewater Townsite." This map clearly showed a new street connecting from the town to the County Road with the new schoolhouse on the south side of this street in the middle of the block. This map showed some of the owners who had already purchased land in this new addition.
 * January 1923, a map was recorded called “Bluewater - Toltec Irrigation District Map.” It clearly showed Bluewater canyon, the canals & ditches, and the land covered by the district. And it also showed the Bluewater Cemetery.
 * Late 1925 or early 1926, another map of the town of Bluewater was recorded at the Valencia county recorders office, “PLAT OF portions of Section 22, township 12 N., range 11 W., N.M.P.M. Showing Bluewater Townsite, McNeil Addition and other TRACTS.” This is a very important map of Bluewater because much of the land still follows its layout. And the owners names for each of the lots and tracts of land are clearly shown. The date of the map was not given. However Tract 102 is shown with owner A.V. Tietjen. In August 1925, Emma O. Tietjen sold Tract 102 to her son Albert V. Tietjen. So August 1925 is the earliest date this map could have been drawn. Also the map showed Track 104 with owner Joseph F. Nielson. Then in February 1926, he sold this lot to Maria C. Nielson, the wife of his brother Frihoff. So February 1926 is the latest date this map could have been drawn.
 * About 1932, Glenn Chapman as a 17 year old student drew a map of the Bluewater area for a school project. It clearly showed the church & school, the graveyard, and the businesses. It also showed the railroad, the white bridge, Main Street and the new Highway 66. Included on the map are the locations of some of the current residents as well as a few who had previously lived in Bluewater.
 * September 1957, a map was recorded named “Rains Addition to the Village of Bluewater.” The map clearly showed the land around Elk and Maple Streets just south of Pinon Street. This new addition to Bluewater was located on land originally owned by T.J. McNeil.
 * November 1978, a map of “Longs addition to Bluewater village” was recorded in the Valencia county recorders office. The map clearly showed the land around Willow Street just west of the present day Bluewater Elementary School. This new addition to Bluewater was located on land originally owned by E.A. Tietjen.
 * May 1979, a map was recorded in the Valencia county recorders office for the “Sunrise Estates of Bluewater village.” The map clearly showed the land around Sunrise Loop Road, Sunny Shade Lane, Sunny Slope Road, and Sunny Dale Road. This new addition to Bluewater was located on Chapman’s hill where the land originally belonged to Welcome O.Chapman.

Lists

 * November 1923, a Branch Conference for the Bluewater Branch was held in Bluewater. In connection with that, a picture of the branch was made. Most of the people in the picture were residents of Bluewater with some visitors.


 * The General Land Office recorded all applications for land patents in Tract Books. They are organized by township and section. Section 22 of Township 12 North & Range 11 West is where the town of Bluewater is located. To see a list of those who applied for land in that section, click here.

For additional lists of people, check out the Census, Cemeteries and Church Records sections in this article. Also four of the maps above show the names of land owners - March 1911, May 1919, Late 1925 or early 1926, and About 1932.

Bibliography on the History of Bluewater

 * Ernst Albert Tietjen, Missionary and Colonizer, Second Edition by Gary Tietjen, 2007. This history is about the life of Ernst A. Tietjen, the founder of Bluewater It includes the early history of Bluewater.
 * Journal of Frihoff Godfrey Nielson in three volumes. Edited by Ellis Nielson, published in Phoenix 1974. Frihoff was a good friend of Ernst A. Tietjen and along with him was a participant in the early history of Bluewater. He recorded his activities most everyday, mainly about his farming, but sometimes about local affairs.
 * History of Bluewater by Allen Godfrey Nielson, unpublished manuscript. This includes stories of the people of Bluewater along with some of the history.
 * The Keystone Well Rig by Amos Tietjen Jr. unpublished manuscript. Includes a short history of Bluewater.
 * Story of Bluewater by Gene Sabin, unpublished manuscript. Includes a history of Bluewater as referenced in historical documents.