Name: Los Alamos
Brand: Toni Michnovicz Gibson
SKU: 9780738529738
Price: 17.49 USD
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Los Alamos

9780738529738

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Forever linked with World War II and America's entrance into the Atomic Age, Los Alamos was a small ranching community and the site of an exclusive boys' school until 1943. As the Manhattan Project unfolded, Pvt. J.J. Michnovicz--first assigned to Los Alamos as a photographer by the military but later working as a civilian--recorded the everyday spirit of the people and the events that shaped this mountain town into a home . . . and secret scientific hotbed. This comprehensive view of the social and professional world of Los Alamos is the photographic journal of a singular period, as seen through the eyes of one soldier.

Skiing in New Mexico

9781467107020

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New Mexico's long and distinguished skiing history began with the miners of the late 19th century and its pioneer settlers. Ski area development was launched in the 1930s in the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque and quickly spread to the southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains--the Sangre de Cristos, north of Santa Fe. Students of a boarding school, the Los Alamos Ranch School, took up the sport in the Jemez Mountains, and when the school was occupied in the 1940s by American and international scientists like Neils Bohr working to create the world's first atomic bomb, they enthusiastically pursued skiing in their rare spare time. Taos Ski Valley's founding in 1955 elevated the scene to world-class status, and today, there are eight major downhill ski areas and one cross-country center stretching from the deserts of south-central New Mexico to the Colorado border.

New Mexico in World War II

9781467106702

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In 1941, New Mexico was an agrarian state with just over half a million people, many of whom lived without electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, or paved roads. However, the state provided more military volunteers per capita--including eight Medal of Honor winners--than any other state and had the highest casualty rate per capita in the country. New Mexico provided essential resources ranging from oil and coal to potash and copper. The state is often remembered for being the location where the first nuclear weapon was designed and tested in 1945, but more important at the time were the development of the proximity fuze and the testing of the top-secret Norden bombsight. The state also housed German and Italian prisoners of war, and, in one of the darkest moments in US history, incarcerated American citizens of Japanese descent in several concentration camps.

Carlsbad and Carlsbad Caverns

9780738578842

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Created by the visionary Charles B. Eddy, Carlsbad rose from the humble beginnings of a tent city to become a vital community on the banks of the Pecos River. One of the largest irrigation projects known at that time made the transformation possible. The Carlsbad Caverns, discovered by James Larkin White and documented by local photographer Ray V. Davis, introduced the world to the wonders that lay beneath the desert surface. World War II saw Carlsbad members of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery units being thrown into the midst of the Bataan Death March. With the discovery of a large deposit of potash east of town, agriculture flourished nationwide and prosperity returned to the town. As the country moved into the nuclear age, Carlsbad once again played a significant role. The detonation of the Gnome Project in 1961 and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant of the present day have provided the country with vital knowledge and nuclear waste storage.

USS New Mexico BB-40

9781467127721

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USS New Mexico (BB-40) was commissioned into the fleet near the end of World War I, and the battleship's name was a great honor bestowed upon a state that was but five years old. Because of her superlative performance, New Mexico came to be known as the "Queen of the Seas." During World War II, she was one of the fiercest fighting ships in the Pacific theater, earning six battle stars. This book describes how battleships evolved over the years, how New Mexico was constructed and later modernized, and how she proudly displayed the American flag across two oceans. At the same time, it offers a rare glimpse into her inner workings, shipboard life, and her role in taking the fight to the enemy after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The sailing list for USS New Mexico (BB-40) reflects the highest credit upon her officers and crew. These men signed their names to naval history and will long be remembered for their incredible service to the Navy and the nation.

Las Cruces

9780738520971

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The city of Las Cruces, situated under blue skies in the Chihuahuan desert, boasts a wealth of Native American and Wild West history. As New Mexico's second largest city, it is a modern metropolis that has held fast to its picturesque past. Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500s in search of the Seven Cities of Gold, and after the United States conquered the territory, the area became a transportation hub, blossoming from its adobe beginnings into a permanent, important city. The photographs contained in this volume tell the unique story of this town of contrasts, where historic plazas sit next to modern office buildings and subdivisions sprawl alongside old Indian trails. Many of the original buildings are now restaurants, galleries, and shops, but here readers see them as they once stood, making this book a fascinating reference for those familiar with the city or exploring it for the first time.

Deming

9780738585376

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Deming, New Mexico, has been an essential stop for transcontinental travelers for centuries. First, wagon roads went through the area in service of the Butterfield Overland Mail Company. On the same route, Fort Cummings was established for the protection of these wagon trains. Later, Deming marked the site of the joining of the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, which created the second transcontinental railroad in March 1881. This attracted numerous entrepreneurs and settlers to Deming. The railroad was also significant in the establishment of two military installations, Camp Cody (World War I) and Deming Army Air Field (World War II). After the war, Highway 70-80 brought many tourists to Deming until Interstate 10 was built in the 1960s. Deming's location, along with the railroad and highway system, created an economic climate that has brought people to the area for centuries in search of their place in the American West.

Silver City

9780738599946

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Silver City is located at the southern boundary of the vast Gila Wilderness in a region of soaring mountains, lush river valleys, and bountiful mineral deposits. Ancient ruins give evidence of prehistoric occupation, followed by a historic parade of Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, miners, outlaws, and settlers, resulting in a community celebrating a rich cultural blend. When silver was discovered in 1870 at La Cienega de San Vicente, prospectors rushed in despite the danger from Apache Indians who traditionally occupied that land. Newcomers flooded into southwestern New Mexico Territory, and Silver City became the county seat the following year. Soon there were businesses, saloons, and homes. Silver City became the supply center for the widespread mining district with a brick plant and lumberyard. By 1883, a narrow-gauge railroad connected the town with the outside world.

Alamogordo

9780738584515

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In 1898, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad established New Mexico's first preplanned development community at Alamogordo. This city and its satellite communities of Tularosa, La Luz, and Cloudcroft are the only urban settlements in an area almost as large as Connecticut--the vast deserts and mountains of the Tularosa Basin are where people "climb for water and dig for wood." Alamogordo became the county seat after Otero County was created to modify the trial venue for the murder of Albert Fountain and his son Henry. West Texas ranching families moved into the Tularosa Basin in the 1880s and depended on ranching, farming, and tourism until World War II led to the creation of the Alamogordo Army Air Field (Holloman Air Force Base) and White Sands Proving Ground, the birthplace of the U.S. space and missile program. The first atomic explosion, Trinity, took place in White Sand's northwest corner on July 16, 1945. Col. John Stapp, pioneer of aerospace medicine, rode rocket sleds at the Holloman Test Track, leading to modern automotive seat belts.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

9781467106795

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El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road of the Interior, is the earliest Euro-American trade route of cultures and commerce in the United States. It spanned about 1,800 miles from Mexico City, where the road originated, to Santa Fe, in New Mexico. For three centuries, this Spanish colonial road followed a network of ancient Native American footpaths and trails that followed the wide expanse of the Rio Grande valley. There were parajes, or campgrounds, along the way for travelers, and early Spanish settlements were established too. Some of the towns and villages are now modern cities, such as Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. Mexico City, as the former capital of La Nueva España, New Spain, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Center. In 2000, El Camino Real was officially designated as a national historic trail, administered by the US Department of the Interior. In 2005, the El Camino Real International Heritage Center was erected near Socorro, New Mexico. This is an interpretive learning center that presents the history and heritage of the Royal Road in the region as an integral part of Spain's global network of roads and maritime trade routes.

Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau

9780738584836

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The story of Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau begins with explosive eruptions. An ancient volcano in northern New Mexico created the mountainous region known as the Jemez, and with time, erosion sculpted narrow mesas and canyons. The first residents were Native Americans. One of their many pueblos was called Tsirege, or the "bird place," from which the name Pajarito originates, meaning "little bird" in Spanish. Homesteaders arrived in the 1880s, but the area was sparsely settled. In 1917, former Rough Rider Ashley Pond started the exclusive Los Alamos Ranch School in the isolated setting, but in 1942 the US government took an interest in that isolation. They abruptly closed the school, and Los Alamos became a secret military post. There, under J. Robert Oppenheimer's leadership, the atomic bomb was created. Postwar housing shortages, Cold War threats, and disastrous fires have challenged Los Alamos, yet it has endured as a place of unique history and natural beauty.

Socorro

9781467132190

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The town of Socorro got its name from the "succor" travelers found at the northern end of a 90-mile-long desert trail known as the Jornada del Muerto, the "Journey of the Dead Man," in central New Mexico. The village of Socorro, located at the site of the ancient 1600s Piro Pueblo, was first settled sometime around 1816 as an agricultural community. The discovery of silver at Socorro Peak and the Magdalena Mountains and the arrival of the railroad in 1880 brought boom times to the town. The demonetization of silver in 1893 was the end of Socorro's boom, and the community gradually reverted to its agricultural heritage. Reminders of days gone by can still be seen in Socorro. The Garcia Opera House, the Crown Mill, the Illinois Brewery, and several historic houses have been successfully preserved.

Forgotten Albuquerque

9780738559674

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In 1706, Spanish colonists founded the Villa de Alburquerque on the wooded banks of the Rio Grande. Three hundred years later, that once quiet farming community has grown to become Albuquerque, the largest city in the state of New Mexico. Over the centuries, this fascinating city's identity has metamorphosed many times. In 1862, it briefly became the western capital of the Confederate States of America, before Confederate hopes for the territory were destroyed at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. In 1880, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad brought industry and wealth from the east, as well as tuberculosis-infected "lungers" who came by the thousands to seek a cure in "the Heart of Health Country." Then, in 1926, Route 66 transformed the city into a neon-decked oasis for automobile travelers journeying through the newly accessible West. Though many of these identities have faded, their legacy lives on in the beating heart of an ever-changing city.

Las Vegas

9781467130660

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Las Vegas, New Mexico, is 70 years older than the Nevada city of the same name. Eleven years after its founding in 1835, it was the first settlement in Mexico reached by invading US troops in the Mexican-American War. In later years, it was an intensely violent place, an equal to Dodge City and Tombstone. Gunmen such as Billy the Kid, Mysterious Dave Mather, Doc Holliday, and others walked the streets of Las Vegas. The town also built grand houses and mercantile buildings. It rivaled Albuquerque and Santa Fe for importance and boasted one of the state's two streetcar systems. Here, Teddy Roosevelt announced his availability to serve as president, and Tom Mix filmed his earliest movies.

Lincoln

9781467130561

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The town of Lincoln is nestled in the lush green valley of the Rio Bonito in Southeastern New Mexico. It lies on US Route 380 about 57 miles west of Roswell and south of the Lincoln National Forest. Lincoln has been a National Landmark since 1960, and historians often refer to it as the most authentic Old West town remaining in the United States. Spanish settlers arrived in the area during the 1840s. By the 1860s, Lincoln served as a supply center for local ranches, mines, and nearby Fort Stanton. Lincoln merchants vied for lucrative government contracts, and the famous Lincoln County War erupted. As a result, Lincoln holds a unique place in American history, connected with the names of Lew Wallace, Billy the Kid, Sheriff Pat Garrett, and John Chisum. Seventeen historic buildings and four museums highlight the town as well as an annual folk pageant, The Last Escape of Billy the Kid, held since 1949.

Cimarrón and Philmont

9780738595276

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Situated where the High Plains meet the Rocky Mountains and where the Santa Fe Trail crosses the Cimarron River, the village of Cimarrón has a richly varied history. Spectacular rock columns, thick seams of coal, dinosaur footprints, pit houses, and petroglyphs echo an early geologic and human presence. Spanish explorers encountered area Native American settlements in the 1700s, and by the 1820s, mountain men roamed these Rockies while eastern merchants followed Indian trails to Santa Fe. By the 1860s, Cimarrón was the headquarters of a vast Mexican land grant managed by Lucien Maxwell and Kit Carson. A gristmill supplied local soldiers and Indians, and the discovery of gold attracted thousands. The Colfax County War erupted after speculators purchased the grant in 1870. When the railroad arrived in 1906, a "New Town" was built on the north side of the river. Today, through tourism and the Philmont Scout Ranch, the Cimarrón area offers a unique window into the history and growth of the West.

Sierra County

9781467128568

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In 1884, Sierra County was formed in the Middle Rio Grande Corridor of the New Mexico Territory out of the existing counties of Grant, Doña Ana, and Socorro. Not everyone was pleased with the new county, and the courthouse was said to look like "a dance hall." From the fortunes and misfortunes of the miners in the historical towns of the Black Range to the comings and goings of the railroad towns, Sierra County is rich in history. The town of Hot Springs (later renamed Truth or Consequences) came into existence when entrepreneurs decided that the naturally occurring mineral springs could cure arthritis, neuritis, rheumatism, and alcoholism. The Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children, built to take advantage of the natural warm springs to help in the treatment of polio, is now the current New Mexico State Veterans' Home. Sierra County is also home to Elephant Butte Dam and Caballo Dam, both of which have history with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps.

Chaves County

9780738578507

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In 1889, Roswell patriarch Capt. Joseph C. Lea, Pat Garrett (the former sheriff who shot Billy the Kid), and land developer Charles B. Eddy ventured to the territorial council and house in Santa Fe to petition for the creation of two new counties from the massive Lincoln County in southeastern New Mexico. The request was granted and Chaves County officially came into being on February 25, 1889. Today, 120 years later, Chaves County still thrives with a population of more than 60,000 people and is the dairy capital of the Southwest, producing around 1.7 billion pounds of milk annually. Explored in this volume is Chaves County's earliest peoples and settlements, including Roswell, Dexter, Hagerman, Lake Arthur, and Elk. It also takes a look at long-forgotten towns such as Acme, Blackdom, Cumberland, Greenfield and even old ranching outfits and farms such as John Chisum's South Spring River headquarters, the Clifton Chisholm alfalfa farm, and many others.

Cover image for Chaves County, isbn: 9780738578507

Hatch Valley

9781467133142

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The headline said it all: "Chili Industry Gains Foothold in the Hatch Community." The Las Vegas Daily Optic of January 17, 1929, reported that the "Farmers of [the] Hatch community, who have developed the chile industry as one which threatens the laurels of King Cotton, are moving out shipments to market." The article reported that just three years prior, only a mere 300 pounds of chile had been marketed in the entire Rincon Valley, of which the Hatch Valley was a part. As of 1929, farmers estimated that 250,000 pounds of chile were being sent to market. The Hatch Valley was on its way to being known as the Chile Capital of the World. True to the nature of a pioneer, the hardy residents of the Hatch Valley have fought against the devastation of floods, the Great Depression, and a changing economy. Their tenacity has made the Hatch Valley what it is today.

Truth or Consequences

9780738579177

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"Hot Springs, New Mexico, Ain't That Any More" was one of the headlines on April 4, 1950, in the Gallup Independent. As a publicity stunt, Ralph Edwards had invited a town to change its name to "Truth or Consequences," the name of his popular radio quiz show, and Hot Springs agreed to do so. Since the late 1800s, the area has attracted health seekers to bathe in and drink from the area's hot mineral springs. The region is home to Elephant Butte Dam and lake, completed in 1916, which remains one of the largest irrigation dams in the United States. Carrie Tingley Crippled Children's Hospital, built in 1937 by New Mexico governor Clyde Tingley, utilized the natural hot mineral waters to treat children with polio. From the placement of the Hot Springs Bathhouse and Commercial District on the State and National Register of Historic Places to the centennial celebration of Elephant Butte Dam, Truth or Consequences continues to grow and develop while still honoring its heritage.

Albuquerque's Parks and Open Space

9780738584706

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Albuquerque is a city of crossroads and cultures. Located at the southern end of the Rocky Mountains, at the edge of the Great Plains, and in the high desert along the banks of the Rio Grande, it is the junction where historic Camino Real crosses venerable Route 66. Although officially founded as a Spanish Colonial villa in 1706, native people have lived in the Albuquerque area for over 10,000 years. Thousands of ancient petroglyphs are testimony to the endurance of today's pueblo peoples. Explorer Francisco Vazquez de Coronado overwintered his famed expedition here in 1540-1542. Albuquerque has been a boomtown several times, from the coming of the railroad to its role as a health mecca, and from postwar urban growth to recent sunbelt immigration. This mile-high city has always attracted outdoor enthusiasts, as this chronicle of its parks and magnificent open space system attests. Contributions of Aldo Leopold, Clyde Tingley, Harry Kinney, and many community activists have melded with native and Hispanic traditions to create a place unlike any other.

Around Hillsboro

9780738579528

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Hillsboro, Kingston, and Lake Valley developed in 1877 with the discovery of gold and silver. The towns were interconnected, and the history of one cannot be discussed without the others. Hillsboro became the center of commerce and law, and from 1884 to 1939 it was the Sierra County seat. Mining created the towns, but cattle, sheep, and goat ranching provided a more stable economic base. The towns remain surrounded by large ranches, some still owned by the original families' descendants. When the mines played out, Lake Valley became a ghost town; Hillsboro and Kingston are now quiet villages with a mix of old families, writers, artists, and retirees. The area had its share of Indian wars, range conflicts, prostitutes, rustlers, floods, and politicos who rose to fame and fell in shame, but it also had hardworking businessmen, miners, and cowboys who lived peaceful daily lives. The authors of Around Hillsboro acknowledge the sensational and newsworthy events of the area's history while heralding the people who provided a productive but less visible part of it.

Early Santa Fe

9781467125901

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The history of Santa Fe is encapsulated in imagery. Remnants of unearthed Native American artifacts from eons ago shed light on its first inhabitants. By the 17th century, Spanish settlers were capturing everyday life with brushstrokes on canvas. In the 1850s, the epic of this ancient land was brought to life through the camera's lens. These early images, which tell the story of the convergence of humanity, are as varied as the people themselves. They arrived at different times on the four major arteries that connect in the heart of the city: the Camino Real (from Mexico City), the Santa Fe Trail (from Independence, Missouri), the Old Spanish Trail (from Los Angeles), and the Mother Road, Route 66, which began in Chicago.

Roswell

9780738558547

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Best known as the site of an alleged flying saucer crash in 1947 and the Roswell Incident, Roswell began as a humble trading post in the late 1860s along the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail and eventually grew into a metropolis of southeastern New Mexico. Once a cow town and home to famous Western figures such as John Chisum, Pat Garrett, and Capt. Joseph C. Lea, Roswell is also the birthplace of the New Mexico Military Institute, the testing grounds for Robert H. Goddard's rockets in the 1930s, and the site of the Roswell Army Airfield and a German POW camp in the 1940s. Today Roswell is a popular tourist destination and home to more than 50,000 residents.

Cover image for Roswell, isbn: 9780738558547

Towns of Lincoln County

9780738579085

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Lincoln County is often associated with such legendary figures as outlaw Billy the Kid, Smokey the Bear, and renowned painter Peter Hurd. Named after Pres. Abraham Lincoln in 1869, the new county saw itself through many struggles, including the Lincoln County War, during which cattle barons and landowners bitterly fought over government beef contracts and farmland. At that time, Lincoln was the largest county in the United States and is now home to modern mountain towns such as Carrizozo, Capitan, Ruidoso, and the locally famous ghost town White Oaks, which had been a gold rush boomtown. Lincoln County also contains the beautiful Hondo Valley settlements and ranching communities such as Tinnie, Picacho, San Patricio, Hondo, and Glencoe. From the rolling hills of the Hondo Valley, to the bloody streets of Lincoln, all the way to the forested mountains of Capitan, this retrospective explores the area's rich history.

Cover image for Towns of Lincoln County, isbn: 9780738579085

Corrales

9780738584539

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Nestled in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, Corrales received its name from the corrals used by settlers on the 1710 Alameda land grant. Descendants of the grant holder, Juan Gonzales Bas, and others settled there and weathered frontier hardships and challenges: a small pox epidemic, floods, Native American raids, the loss of an old church and the building of a new one, and the never-ending demands of agricultural survival. Corrales became known for its vineyards and wines after French and Italian farmers put down roots at the end of the 19th century. After World War II, this isolated, bucolic village was discovered by Albuquerque's burgeoning population. Prominent among the newcomers were professionals and artists seeking inexpensive land in a beautiful setting. Corrales then became an artistic and free-thinking community. It remains a verdant, lively, and semirural suburban oasis sandwiched between Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, and Rio Rancho, the state's fastest-growing city.

Colfax County

9781467133562

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In 1841, Carlos Beaubien and Guadalupe Miranda received a grant of land from the governor of New Mexico in the northeastern part of the Mexican province. Frontier conditions prevented colonization of the grant until 1848, when Beaubien's son-in-law Lucien Maxwell led settlers from Taos to the Rayado River where it crossed the Santa Fe Trail. Maxwell's friend Kit Carson joined him the following year, and their ranch prospered in spite of frequent attacks by Jicarilla Apaches. Later, Maxwell moved north to the Cimarron River. Gold was discovered on the western part of the grant in 1866, and miners rushed to the diggings, establishing the town of Elizabethtown. It became the first seat of Colfax County in 1869. Maxwell sold the grant to foreign investors who organized the Maxwell Land Grant and Railway Company in 1870 and founded the town of Cimarron. The Santa Fe Railroad entered the county in 1879, which precipitated the creation of the towns of Raton and Springer and also fostered large-scale ranching, mining, and lumbering.

Towns of the Sandia Mountains

9780738548524

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Despite their seemingly impenetrable western facade, the Sandia Mountains of central New Mexico have been home to humankind for millennia. Ancient cultures ventured into these peaks for the creeks, game, and shelter. The Spanish established protective outposts along the canyons and intermarried with local tribes. Civil War soldiers passed through en route to their infamous battle at Glorieta Pass. Navajos marched around the mountains' southern end after the confinement that ended their Long Walk. Anglo settlers cleared the hilly land and built cabins. And tuberculosis patients moved up into primitive resorts, hoping that the mountains' abundant sunshine and fresh air would help them heal. Today the tiny resorts and traditional hamlets of the Sandias are established villages and communities-Carnuel, Tijeras, San Antonio, Cedar Crest, Sandia Park, San Antonito, Placitas, and others-and the rough dirt roads that once saw the passing of ox carts are highways and even an interstate. The area's history lives on, however, in crumbling adobe walls, bits of rust, fading memories, and in this photographic retrospective.

Eddy County

9780738579412

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Eddy County's 4,198 square miles were carved from the massive land holdings of Lincoln County, then the largest county in the United States, on February 25, 1889. Early Spanish explorers and Native Americans had used the seemingly endless water supply of the Pecos River, which bisects the county, as a trail to the north. Seven Rivers, the first settlement in the Pecos Valley, battled the newly formed town of Eddy for the honor of remaining county seat. Eddy won by a vote of 331 for and 83 against. Although born in lawlessness and diversity, the county flourished as the discoveries of oil, gas, and potash brought industry to support the established fertile agricultural and cattle foundations. This volume explores the early founding families and pioneers and brings to light many of the long-forgotten towns of Dayton, Lookout, Oriental, and Globe that helped form the Eddy County of today.

Aztec

9780738584959

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Aztec, New Mexico, is nestled in the Four Corners area of the United States and has a rich history beginning with the early Puebloan people. They built villages, irrigation canals, and roads--some of which became the Aztec Ruins National Monument. The town also has several buildings on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. The state's first commercial natural gas well was drilled here in 1921, and its influence continues today. An alleged UFO crash in 1948 led to an annual UFO symposium, and mountain bikers still flock to the annual Alien Run Mountain Bike competition. In 1963, Aztec was named an All-America City for the community's effort to build an 18-mile-long road to the Navajo Dam. The mountains are a short drive away, and the desert and Navajo Lake State Park make Aztec an ideal place to live and explore.

Italians in Albuquerque

9780738520544

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The close-knit Italian-American community has been a strong presence in Albuquerque, New Mexico since the transcontinental railroad first arrived in the city in 1880. In this new book, Nicholas P. Ciotola relays the journeys, struggles, and triumphs of these immigrants, from their hometowns in Italy, to their treacherous journey to the feet of Lady Liberty, and finally across the vast distance of America to make their new home in Albuquerque. Told in their own words and showcased in nearly 200 vintage images, these are the stories of the families who established a foundation for the growth and development of a vibrant Italian community in New Mexico's largest city. Readers will recognize names like Alessandro and Pompilio Matteucci, Antonio and Cherubino Domenici, Ettore Franchini, and Orseste Bachechi, who is known as the "Father of the Albuquerque Italian Community." Also included are images of Colombo Hall, the city's first Italian-American organization, and the Italmer Club, founded in the late 1930s. Collected largely from members of the Italian-American community, these photographs also document integral aspects of the immigrant experience including work, leisure, religion, and family life.

Grants-Milan

9780738599649

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Grants-Milan, New Mexico, is located on historic Route 66 between Albuquerque and Gallup. The Atlantic & Pacific Railroad hired three Grant brothers to establish Grant's Camp in 1882, including a post office and telegraph office. The railroad changed the way of travel, and the marketing of cattle, farm products, and timber created a number of booms for this little town. "Grant" was officially changed to "Grants" in 1935, and the village of Milan was established in 1957 by Salvador Milan. In 1946, he converted a sheep ranch to a truck farm, which resulted in Grants-Milan being designated the "Carrot Capital of the World." A uranium boom started in 1950 when the carrot boom busted. The uranium companies needed water and housing, while the auxiliary uranium businesses needed a place to operate, resulting in the village of Milan being incorporated since Grants refused to annex the original unincorporated Milan townsite.

Española

9780738579672

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The story of modern Española begins in 1790, about 100 years after the Pueblo Revolt, at the colonial settlement of Santa Cruz de la Cañada, the largest village in the Spanish Empire north of Chihuahua. At that time, the people of the region lived in tiny hamlets clustered around the hub of Santa Cruz. In 1848, following the Mexican American War, the U.S. government annexed New Mexico under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Santa Cruz de la Cañada was now American territory, connected to a larger world by the Santa Fe Trail. New energy began to flow into the region. The arrival of the Chili Line railroad in 1880 created a corridor of commerce across the river from Santa Cruz--a portent of the Española to come.

Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs

9780738570693

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The Sacramento Mountains are an oasis of cool pine forests, alpine meadows, and fast-flowing streams. For more than a century, the area has been a summer haven for people living in the surrounding desert. The town of Ruidoso-a Spanish word meaning "noisy"-is named for the sound of water rushing over rocks as the Rio Ruidoso runs (and occasionally rampages) through the town. The town's first resident, Civil War veteran Paul Dowlin, built an adobe mill that harnessed the river's power. Word of the area's beauty soon spread. Traveling over primitive roads, first by horse and wagon and later by automobile, visitors escaped the summer heat in what became known as "The Playground of the Southwest." Some came for horse racing or the gambling and night life offered by the town's many bars; others came to hike, fish, and later ski on the slopes of Sierra Blanca, the mountain whose 12,000-foot peak provides a stunning backdrop for the town.