I first came across the name of Mabel Dodge Luhan while reading the very excellent autobiography “Of Time and Change” by Frank Waters. In his book Waters spoke fondly of his very good friend Mabel Luhan and spent several chapters writing about her, her Taos home, and her friends.
And then, several years ago, my husband and I stopped in Taos for the night and spent some time visiting the home of Luhan, which is now a Historic Inn. It was more beautiful than I ever imagined and as I walked through the rooms I could almost feel the ghostly presence of those literary figures who had stayed with Luhan, and whose careers Luhan helped to build.
Mabel Ganson Evans Doge Stern Luhan was born on February 26, 1879 to a very wealthy family in New York. Her first marriage was to Karl Evans, the son of a steamship owner. They had one son and two years later Evans was killed in a hunting accident leaving Luhan a widow at the young age of 23. Her second husband was Edwin Dodge, a wealthy architect.
During the early years of her marriage the couple, with her young son, lived in Florence, Italy where she entertained artists and writers such as Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and Andre Gide. In 1912 the family returned to America and Luhan set herself up as a patron of the arts holding weekly salons at her home in Greenwich Village. The salon attracted many important figures of the day.
But Luhan found herself becoming restless. Her marriage to Evans had ended and she was now involved with John Reed, who eventually proposed marriage to her in January of 1916. She rejected him and later that same year married the artist, Maurice Sterne.
Sterne, searching for new scenes to paint and sculpt traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He wrote Mabel of the beauty he found there and urged her to come and see it. In her memoir “Edge of Taos Desert” Mabel writes, “I was going to the Southwest, a little known neighborhood, for perhaps a fortnight, because I wanted to see what Maurice was doing, for his letters had intrigued me. I had always heard of people going to Florida or California, and more occasionally to the West, but no one ever went to the Southwest. Hardly anyone had ever heard of Santa Fe.”
She arrived in Santa Fe in the evening of December, 1917. Sterne met her at the train station and together they went to his very small pueblo. It was nighttime and Mabel found it difficult to see exactly where they were going. She wrote that she was “left standing on a dark street in front of a mud hovel that I had to enter and sleep in. I could hardly believe it was true. So this was the Southwest!”
The next morning the Santa Fe sun flooded the three little rooms. “From the very first day I found out that the sunshine in New Mexico could do almost anything with one; make one well if one felt ill, or change a dark mood and lighten it. It entered into one’s deepest places and melted the thick, slow densities. It made me feel good. That is, alive”.
But Santa Fe was too busy for Mabel. She wanted something more peaceful and she had heard of a place called Taos and wanted to visit there. She was already falling in love with Santa Fe. “Let us try and make a nice life out here, Maurice. It seems to me we could if we would be more alone and you would work. There is something so real about this country. It makes people seem trivial and false. We’ve always had too many people around”
Taos was about 75 miles from Santa Fe, but it was a long 75 miles. Mabel and Tony hired a local man to drive them to Taos. Mabel thought going 75 miles would not take too long, but it did, in fact it took almost all day. The roads were dirt and full of holes and traveling them was not an easy task.
Finally arriving at night, everything was dark and the streets were empty. Luhan and her husband Maurice booked a room at The Columbian Hotel, and ate a small supper. She asked if there were any houses to rent, but was told they didn’t rent them out, but that Dr. Martin may know of something. Luhan could not wait, she had to see Dr. Martin immediately.
“I have decided, Maurice. You must just trust me. This place has a feel to it that is just right. I know my hunch was a good one – wait and see. There is something wonderful here.”
Mable Dodge Luhan had found her home.
Part Two to follow.
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