Santa Fe Living Treasures – Elder Stories

In 1915, Dorathea's father bought a house on Agua Fria, now 229 Polaco Street. "An irrigation ditch ran down Agua Fria at that time, and the house was surrounded by alfalfa fields," said Dorathea. "The house was originally two stories. It was built before the Civil War," but the top story had burned before the Koch family bought the property. Some of the timbers were stamped "not made by slave labor," and some of the floors were laid with "battleship" linoleum.

"Archbishop Lamy sent for all these trees to give to the churches. He planted all these Carolina poplars" along the ditch on Agua Fria, Dorathea said. "The last one of the Carolina poplars had to be cut down in 1986. Because we watered after the ditch was gone, we had the trees longer than anyone else. I'm sure it was the last tree left in Santa Fe planted by Archbishop Lamy."