The More Important Things

Most of Cabot Yerxa’s writings comprise his recountings in journals, letters, and newspaper articles about his life and the lives of people he encountered. But a person with his flair for narrative and observation surely needed another creative outlet of expression. And so it was that he dabbled in creative writing: poetry, short story, play. The text below, which comes …

Saving the Legacy: Cole Henry Eyraud

By the time of his death on March 5, 1965, Cabot Yerxa had hand-built a 35-room pueblo with 150 windows, 65 doors, and 30 rooflines. As noted in last week’s newsletter, Portia Yerxa helped her husband operate the pueblo as a museum offering tours and a trading post. When her health failed and she entered a nursing home, the property …

A Woman of Spirit: Portia Fearis Graham Yerxa

After his first marriage ended in divorce, Cabot remained on his own for some 20-plus years before wedding again at the age of 62. The following profile of his second wife, Portia, comes from Cabot Yerxa’s Family Circle. That book, published by Cabot’s Museum Foundation, contains a more in-depth reconstruction of Portia’s life based on research by the foundation’s history …

A Woman of Character: Mamie Katherine Yerxa

Our knowledge of local history is blessed by the fact that Cabot Yerxa was an astute observer and prolific writer. Much can be gleaned from his personal journals, letters, and newspaper articles. To develop an even deeper understanding of his life and legacy, Cabot’s Museum Foundation History Committee delved into and organized the pueblo museum’s trove of archives. Additional investigation …