Seton Village was an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Santa Fe County

Santa Fe County, New Mexico

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*76.2% White*0.9% Black*3.1% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*14.9% Other races*50.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

, New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It grew around the 32-room "castle" built by artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

, author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

, and naturalist

Natural history

Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...

 Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson Seton was a Scots-Canadian who became a noted author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians, and one of the founding pioneers of the Boy Scouts of America . Seton also influenced Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting...

 located a few miles southeast of Santa Fe

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...

.

The village was built on 100 acres (0.4 km²) purchased by Seton. The tract eventually grew to 2500 acres (10 km²). The Village was home to the Seton Institute, including the Woodcraft League

Woodcraft Indians

The League of Woodcraft Indians was an American youth program, established by Ernest Thompson Seton. Despite the name, it was developed for non-Indian boys. It was later renamed the "Woodcraft League of America", and would also allow girls to join...

 and the College of Indian Wisdom. The village has a view of the Jemez Mountains

Jemez Mountains

The Jemez Mountains are a volcanic group of mountains in New Mexico, United States. The highest point in the range is Chicoma Mountain at an elevation of 11,561 feet . The town of Los Alamos and Los Alamos National Laboratory adjoin the eastern side of the range while the town of Jemez Springs...

 and Mount Taylor.

Seton Castle

Beginning in 1933, Seton designed and built his castle. The 32-room, 6,900 square foot (640 m²) multi-level building has a flat-roof and rough hewn stone wall exterior. The interior has oak floors and plaster walls with the ceilings supported by log rafters.

The Castle is built on a hill at an elevation of 7,000 feet (2100 m). It is designated a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 and a New Mexico State Cultural Property. The castle burned down while being restored in 2005.

Seton Village Press

At Seton's invitation, Maurice and Marceil Taylor moved their printing equipment to New Mexico in 1938 and set up the Seton Village Press. Village Press continued until 1943, when it closed because of the effects of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Seton Institute

Housed at the village, the Seton Institute provided Woodcraft

Woodcraft Indians

The League of Woodcraft Indians was an American youth program, established by Ernest Thompson Seton. Despite the name, it was developed for non-Indian boys. It was later renamed the "Woodcraft League of America", and would also allow girls to join...

 and Scouting

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

leaders with a variety of training opporunities. With the outbreak of World War II, this effort ended.

External links

• http://www.hometownlocator.com/City/Seton-Village-New-Mexico.cfm
• Seton Village site at the NPS
• Ernest Thompson Seton Institute
• http://www.stateparks.com/seton_village.html
• Seton Village Press