After their October 1912 marriage in Santa Fe, Aldo Leopold and Maria Estella Otero Bergere, also of Luna family heritage, had seven happy months at “Mi Casita,” the Craftsman bungalow Leopold built when serving as Carson National Forest supervisor. However, he suffered extreme exposure in an April 1913 storm while on Jicarilla range patrol, causing serious kidney failure. The couple then endured 16 months traveling between the Leopold family home in Iowa and the Bergere mansion in Santa Fe for his recovery. In 1914, Aldo returned to the U.S. Forest Service for an Albuquerque District 3 administrative position. To build a growing family home, they chose a plot in the Rio Grande Valley southwest of downtown close to the Rio Grande, with large garden potential.
Richard Rubin is a Tax Policy Journalist at The Wall Street Journal. He covers a range of topics including U.S. tax policy, government, politics, and public policy, often emphasizing the financial implications of these issues. Richard's work has been featured in various publications, including El Paso Inc., MarketWatch, and The New York Times.
