ct spot he had pointed out. Zabriskie knew that site had been chosen long before the railroad ever arrived. It seems reasonable that Zabriskie would have shared this information with powerful friends even if only enlist them in helping him purchase the land. A single man would have had a hard time buying all of the land necessary. In order to bargain for a desired price with the railroads, one would need to own enough land that the railroads could not simply build around his land. In order to tie up that much land, Zabriskie would need help. Who better to turn to than powerful politicians? The other question that might arise is how did Zabriskie obtain this knowledge? That answer is easily suggested. Railroad companies depended upon the cooperation of both federal and state governments. Route proposals had to be ratified through government action. If the routes crossed government land or land being held in trust by the government, such as reservations, it would require Legislative approval. Fountain, being Chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee and President of the Senate, would have been consulted on proposed routes on Indian land. We do not know that Fountain passed any information on to Zabriskie, but he certainly had the opportunity. Seeing as how Fountain is a man who enjoyed a rapid ascent from poverty to power and wealth through underhanded dealings with the El Paso elite, it is safe to assume that he wouldn’t pass this opportunity up. Fountain was power hungry and had quickly manipulated individuals in El Paso’s elite from early on. It was clearly through both of the acts he pushed through the Senate that he was intent on continuing to do so as long as he could profit from it. Those who were in on the scandal and bought the lands became extremely wealthy over the years and the Tigua fell deeper and deeper into poverty. Eventually it was claimed by anthropologists and others that they had disappeared. The Tigua went...
