Join us here at noon on Wednesday, March 2, to hear Scott Andrews speak about the Wisdom Archive and share some video excerpts from the archive which looks to preserve New Mexico’s vanishing cultural traditions.
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12th Annual Harvey Weekend happening again, Nov 12-15, 2021
The annual gathering of “FredHeads” is happening again. After a completely virtual gathering last year, this year’s event will be both in person, as well as virtually.
November 12-13:
The event kicks of at the New Mexico History Museum with docent led tours of the exhibition Setting the Standard: The Fred Harvey Co. and its Legacy and a slate of talks available in person and online on Friday and Saturday:
Best-selling author John Sedgwick and his new book “From the River to the Sea”
Q&A with the fabulous Jean Harvey Vanderbilt
“Deep Inside the Alvarado” with architect and rail historian Matt Kluge
“Insider’s Guide to Southwest Collecting” panel on collecting everything
Fred Harvey popularized in America
“Fred Harvey, Reinvented 1948-1968” the company’s postwar years explored by Daggett Harvey, Jr.
An auction and dinner will be held on Saturday Evening at La Fonda.
Remembering Steve Wimmer: Sharing memories of the longtime La Fonda concierge and Original FredHead, with an update on the new SW History Research fund created in his memory.
The Steve Wimmer Historical Research Fund for the Fray Angelico Chavez History Library at the New Mexico History was established in 2021 following Mr. Wimmer’s decease. The Fund honors Steve’s memory and enthusiasm for New Mexico history & cultural tourism which he shared with others in his role as the La Fonda Hotel’s head concierge.
November 14-15:
For in-person attendees, there will be an optional Legal Tender breakfast in Lamy 11/13, and Castaneda dinner in Las Vegas 11/14 (reservation info coming soon.)
For more information on participating in person or online, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fred-harvey-history-weekend-2021-tickets-136867762161
Native American Artisans Portal Program Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Native American Artisans Portal Program is taking place on Monday, October 25th from 8:30 – 1pm. The meeting will take place at the New Mexico History Museum.
Please note that proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test are required in order to attend, as is the wearing of masks.
Meeting Agenda
8:30 Begin registration (Committee members & coordinator)
9:00 Call the meeting to order (Chair)
Opening prayer
Welcome & comments by Chair
Welcome & comments by Director
Review purpose of the meeting and the agenda
9:15 Nominations for the Portal Committee (Director)
Finalize ballot
Verify that requirements for tribal/pueblo composition can be met
Send ballot to be printed
10:00 Proposals for rule changes (Presentation by the Committee)
10:30 Election of the Portal Committee
Distribute, collect, and count ballots
The tally can be done outside the meeting while other business is being done
10:45 Break
11:00 Discussion & vote on proposed rule changes
11:30 Announcement of Committee members
Election of Committee Officers (by raised hands)
12:00 Open discussion (new Chair)
12:45 Comments by outgoing Chair
Comments by incoming Chair
Comments by Director
Closing prayer
Adjourn
Portal Artists in the Courtyard this weekend.
The SWAIA Indian Art Market is taking place this weekend all around Santa Fe’s Plaza. Because of that, the artisans of the Native American Artisans Program will be selling their creations in the courtyard of the Palace of the Governors.
Be sure to drop by and peruse the offerings. Entry to the courtyard is free.
Palace of the Governors partial reopening set for June 26, 2021 with a new exhibit
Filled with more than 400 years of antiquity and culture, the New Mexico History Museum (NMHM) announces the opening of “Palace Seen and Unseen: A Convergence of History and Archaeology.” Set to debut June 26, 2021, this new exhibition explores the Palace of the Governors as a public building and a storied place.
Reflecting current archaeological and historical perspectives, “Palace Seen and Unseen” draws from historic documents, photographs, and archaeological and architectural studies produced by its former residents, visitors, stewards, and scholars. When the dynamic expertise of historians and archaeologists converges, a richer story and better understanding emerges. It is this integrative approach to what is seen and unseen that guides the themes explored by this exhibition. There is no better place for this to happen than at the Palace of the Governors.
Guest curators Cordelia (Dedie) Snow and Stephen (Steve) Post have nearly 50 years of combined experience with Palace architecture, history, and archaeology. Their firsthand experience excavating within the Palace walls and on its grounds provides a unique, expert perspective that visitors will appreciate.
“The Palace’s adobe architecture provides us with a unique backdrop to tell its 400-year story through the words, images, and objects of its many residents and visitors,” explain Snow and Post. “Just when you think you might be getting a handle on the archaeology or history of the Palace, something new crops up. Just as the puzzle always seems to be missing pieces, it grows even larger.”
All the archaeological objects selected were excavated by either Snow or Post and were dug up from Palace floors or the former Armory grounds – where the NMHM Domenici Building now stands.
“Palace Seen and Unseen” was originally scheduled to open in 2020. The exhibition will be on long-term view.
USS New Mexico sets sail to Los Lunas
The NMHM has facilitated the loan of a USS New Mexico model battleship to the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts for their exhibition: New Mexico’s Navy, which will be on display June 26, 2021 through August 21, 2021.
The exhibition highlights the fact that although New Mexico is landlocked, there are 95 U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine vessels that have been named after noteworthy people and geographic features in this desert state. John Taylor’s book, New Mexico’s Navy, details these ships, namesakes, images, and histories. Taylor has worked with the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage & Arts to honor these vessels and the men and women that called them home.
There is a video of a presentation by John Taylor about his book New Mexico’s Navy, on the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts Facebook page:
The Native American Artisans Portal Program Reopens June 11, 2021
The New Mexico History Museum is pleased to announce that the renowned Native American Artisans Portal Program will reopen on Friday, June 11.
The program has been closed since March 12, 2020 as a result of the Covid pandemic. A reopening plan has been crafted in accordance with state public health orders and Covid-safe practices. Protecting the health of artisans and the public is a primary concern of the museum and the Department of Cultural Affairs.
All vendors will wear masks and will be separated from one another by at least six feet. To adjust for the increased spacing, vendors will be selling along Washington and Lincoln Avenues, as well as under the portal. Pedestrian traffic under the portal will be one-way, from west to east. Customers are encouraged to comply with state law regarding mask wearing. The Portal opens at 10:00 every day and closes at 3:00 although vendors may stay later.
1st Wednesday Lecture: Pueblo Sovereignty
In this talk, Rick Hendricks, ….and former New Mexico State Historian discusses the way in which Pueblo Indians have fought to preserve tribal sovereignty as it related to issues of land and water from the Spanish Colonial Period to the present day.
Case studies of five pueblos will be examined, four in New Mexico and one in Texas: Pojoaque, Nambe, Tesuque, Isleta, and Ysleta del Sur.
Rick Hendricks, is the New Mexico state records administrator. He is a former state historian and editor of the Vargas Project at the University of New Mexico. He has written extensively on the history of the American Southwest and Mexico. His most recent book, Pueblo Indian Sovereignty: Land and Water in New Mexico and Texas, was coauthored with Malcolm Ebright and published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 2019.
Friends of History is a volunteer support group for the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Its mission is to raise funds and public awareness for the Museum’s exhibitions and programs. Friends of History fulfills its mission by offering high quality public history programs, including the First Wednesday Lecture Series. For more information, or to join the Friends of History, go to friendsofhistorynm.org.
Visit the history museum at nmhistorymuseum.org
1st Weds Lecture – Home on the Range: From Ranches to Rockets
Leah F. Tookey, Curator of History at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, joins us for our May lecture.
At the turn of the 20th century, most of the arid land east of Las Cruces, New Mexico was ranch land. Cattle, sheep, and goat ranches filled the Tularosa Basin, the Oscuro Range, and the surrounding countryside. Most of these ranches were small privately owned pieces of land supplemented by large parcels of federal and state property which ranchers leased for grazing purposes. These self-sufficient ranchers had maintained their homes for up to fi[y years, but events taking place halfway around the world would change their lives.
This is the story of the ranchers who were forced off their beloved land and the military and defense industry that would turn it into a military complex.
Leah F. Tookey is the Curator of History at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She earned a Master’s degree in Agricultural History and Rural Studies from Iowa State University. Her job at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum involves research and writing for exhibits, maintaining the Museum’s library and archives, and too many other jobs to mention. Last year Tookey curated an exhibit called Home on the Range: From Ranches to Rockets, which she will discuss in this lecture.
Friends of History is a volunteer support group for the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Its mission is to raise funds and public awareness for the Museum’s exhibitions and programs. Friends of History fulfills its mission by offering high quality public history programs, including the First Wednesday Lecture Series. For more information, or to join the Friends of History, go to friendsofhistorynm.org
Today in History: Billy the Kid’s Last Jailbreak
On this day in 1881, the renowned Billy the Kid escaped from the Lincoln County jail in Lincoln, New Mexico. Many have heard of The Kid, but not many know about his life story. Most of his notoriety that grew into legendary proportions happened because of his numerous jailbreaks, and his accuracy in shooting, and illustrated stories that were published in dime novels popular in the day. In New Mexico, this was all a part of what became known as the Lincoln County War, where various merchants in the region vied for lucrative military contracts and their motley crew of employees, later glorified as Hollywood’s “Young Guns” were in frequent wild western gun battles. In spring of 1881, toward the end of the Lincoln County War, William Bonney was jailed in Lincoln, having been tried for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. He would escape one last time from the courthouse jail on April 28th, killing Deputies JW Bell and R. Olinger on his way. Billy headed out to lie low with friends near Fort Sumner. It was in this area that a few short months later, Billy would meet his end when killed by the Sheriff Pat Garrett.
You can watch Billy the Kid related videos on our Youtube channel.