New Mexico Historic Sites

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New Mexico Historic Sites

New Mexico Historic Sites Explore history where it happened! NM Historic Sites are storied places where the past is palpable.

02/14/2025

Bosque Redondo Memorial is starting tours again next Saturday! Join our ranger or instructional coordinator from 1 - 3 p.m. in an informative tour of our exhibit, "Bosque Redondo…A Place of Suffering…A Place of Survival." Listen to stories and oral histories not included in the exhibit. Our ranger tours will take place every Saturday from 1 - 3 p.m., so if you can't make it this week, join us on an upcoming weekend.

02/13/2025

💌In honor of Valentine’s Day weekend, Ranger Mike will read letters around the fireplace this Sat., Feb. 15, 10 - 11 a.m. at Fort Selden Historic Site written by Sargeant James H. Storey to his sweetheart Annie Cheshire. Sgt. Storey was a civil war veteran and soldier stationed at Fort Selden who shared his unique perspective of the old American West. His letters bring history to life, as you feel the warmth of their connection and the weight of their sacrifices while suffering the trials and tribulations during the Civil War and years after. Storey’s letters are filled with longing and hope of returning to his love Annie. This is the perfect occasion to bring your Valentine and experience a romantic morning around the fireplace. 💌

This program is included as part of general admission of $5 per adult. Children 16 years old and younger, Native/Tribal Affiliation, NM foster families, and NM disabled veterans are free.

Images: (1) Jas. Henry Story, 1st Lieut. 87th U.S.C. Inf., Sept. 1865, 18 years old. (2) Miss Annie Chesire, Jamaica, L.I., Rec'd Brashear City, La., January 1863. From the Fort Selden Collection.

02/12/2025

Greetings from Lincoln,
The newest addition to our team, our museum technician, Michael, would like to take a few moments to teach people the best way to handle and store old photographs.
Do’s:
✅For everyday storage of personal photographs, the best thing to do is to store them individually. They can be stored in polyester, polyethylene, or acid-free paper sleeves/envelopes.
✅They can also be stacked in flat containers, in alternating layers of acid-free paper and photographs.
✅They should be handled with cotton or nitrile gloves and stored in areas that are environmentally stable.
✅It would be advisable to scan the photographs too, as digital copies can be saved in cloud-based storage.

Don’ts:
🚫One should avoid stacking photographs directly, as they could stick together if there is excess humidity in storage.
🚫One should also avoid completely sealing photographs into storage, as humid microclimates can occur in plastic boxes.
🚫Be careful picking up older photographs, as the corners could tear.
🚫Certain insects will eat photographs, so it is good to monitor them frequently for damage.

Following these steps will certainly help preserve those precious memories for years to come! 📸Stay tuned in as our new museum technician gives more tips and behind-the-scenes info throughout the year.

02/11/2025

Check out this great photo of the San Albino Church, just north of Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site, circa 1872. After San Albino Church was incorporated in the Vicariate Apostolic of Arizona in 1872, the resident priest, Father José de Jesús Cabeza de Baca, departed Mesilla to minister to residents of La Ascensión, Chihuahua. Father Auguste Morin succeeded Father Baca and remodeled the church, adding the brick bell tower and shingled steeple in an architectural style known as “Folk Gothic.”

Photo courtesy of J. Paul Taylor and Mary Daniels Taylor photographs. RG-2023-055, Box EV 1. New Mexico State University Library, Archives and Special Collections Department.

02/10/2025

Greetings from Fort Stanton!
Presidents' Day is next week on Monday, February 17th, and we are open for your visit! Did you know that many past Presidents helped shape the history of Fort Stanton during the Hospital Era (1899-1953)?

In 1899, President William McKinley created the first Public Health Service federal sanatorium for merchant marine seamen to treat tuberculosis at Fort Stanton.

As part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Program, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp SCS-6, which focused on erosion control across the Rio Bonito was active from 1934-1940.

Additionally, several buildings were built at Fort Stanton, including the Nurses' Quarters, constructed between 1940-41 by architect Louis A. Simon, the principal architect for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in New York.

Finally, before John F. Kennedy’s presidency, he was the US Senator of Massachusetts. In the JFK online archives, former patients at Fort Stanton pleaded with him to keep the hospital open. However, in 1953, Fort Stanton was transferred to the State of New Mexico.

Image credits:
The photos of the presidents come from the National Archives, their identifying numbers are listed next to their names: McKinley-531081, Franklin Roosevelt-195776, Kennedy-343788739.

The photo of the Nurses' Quarters is from a postcard found in the Palace of the Governor's Digital Archive, by the Hubbard Museum of the American West, Neg. No. 2010.17.72.

For more info on the letters to JFK, you can visit the John F. Kennedy Archives online at www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/jfksen-0413-002 #?image_identifier=JFKSEN-0413-002-p0001

The handwritten letter shown can be found using the identifier JFKSEN-0413-002-p0012.

02/09/2025

Happy Sunday from Los Luceros Historic Site!

Did you know that all the water we use at Los Luceros is either from the river or from the well house on the property? Getting water in rural areas is not as simple as it is in larger cities like Santa Fe or Albuquerque. The use of well water is integral to survival in rural areas. There is a long tradition in Northern New Mexico of water sharing using the acequias, but wells are a part of this tradition too. Communal wells and getting help from the community to dig wells and maintain them is a time-honored tradition in the area.

Pictured here are a few wells from Northern New Mexico. All of the pictures are from the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives Digital Archive.

Photo 1: House well in Alcalde, c. 1920. Neg. No. 042798.
Photo 2: Family around water well in northern New Mexico, c. 1945. Photo No. HP.2007.20.666 by New Mexico Tourism Bureau.
Photo 3: Workers looking down during excavation and restoration of old well, patio, Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1956. Neg. No. 006825.

02/08/2025

Good morning from Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo!

Parts of the attached photo no doubt look familiar to many of our followers. Adobe ovens, known locally as hornos, are synonymous with the pueblos and villages of Northern New Mexico. However, did you know that these tools can be traced back to the Middle East and North Africa?

While many groups developed variations of ovens, similar dome-shaped clay forms go back thousands of years to the arid zones of the Old World, where earthen materials for construction were commonplace. Compared to squares or rectangles, domes permit better heat retention and even baking, thus, more efficient food production. Native North Africans, the Imazighen, had already been using these ovens for centuries before Muslim expansion into Iberia.

After 711 CE, this style was adopted by Spaniards, and, through them, the recognizable renditions of “hornos” were introduced to villages like Kuaua during the 16th and 17th centuries. Nearby communities continue to use these to prepare foods like bread and roasted corn. If you want to see one in person, several of our New Mexico Historic Sites, including Coronado, have reconstructed adobe hornos for visitors to appreciate.

The attached photo shows bakers using a clay oven near Ouarzazate, Morocco – courtesy of Maison D'hôte La Roche Noire

-Andalus

02/07/2025

Let the countdown begin! The Friends of Bosque Redondo Memorial's Navajo-Churro sheep will soon start lambing. A sheep's gestation period is 152 days, and our sheep were bred in October, so we will soon see new lambs in March. If you can't wait to see lambs, visit Los Luceros Historic Site to see their two new lambs. 🐏🐏🐏

02/06/2025

A significant part of Fort Selden Historic Site's history is tied to the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers who were once stationed there. For 25 years, about 1800 soldiers were stationed at the fort, serving to protect settlers, build roads, and es**rt travelers throughout the New Mexico Territory. The first Buffalo Soldiers arrived in 1866 and the last served in 1877 before being transfered to Fort Stanton.

This sculpture, called "The Sentinel," stands guard over the adobe ruins that remain of Fort Selden. "The Sentinel" is a bronze sculpture of a frontier Buffalo Soldier and was commissioned by Representative Bill Porter, designed by artist Reynaldo Rivera, and unveiled at the site in 1994. It serves as a tribute to the dedication and sacrifice of African-American soldiers of the western frontier during the late 19th century.

Photos by Tira Howard Photography.

02/05/2025

Greetings from Lincoln!

Did you know about Col. Albert Jennings Fountain and his relation to Lincoln and Billy the Kid?

Albert Jennings Fountain co-founded and edited "The Mesilla Valley Independent" newspaper, served in the Texas Senate, and was an adventurer, veteran, and attorney. In one of his most famous cases, he was appointed to defend Billy the Kid in 1881 on the charge of Sheriff Brady’s murder. Unfortunately for Billy, he was found guilty.

Today’s story focuses on Albert. On Feb. 1, 1896, Albert and his youngest son, eight-year-old Henry, disappeared while traveling from Lincoln to Las Cruces, NM. Their carriage was found plundered and abandoned near White Sands.

Albert had many enemies, including land barons, cattle rustlers, and other gangs of outlaws. Pat Garrett was hired to investigate their disappearance. In 1898, warrants were issued for ranchers including Bill McNew, Jim Gilliland, and Oliver Lee. Gilliland and Lee were later tried and acquitted. José Chávez y Chávez, a Regulator with Billy the Kid, claimed he was the one who killed Albert, Albert’s son, and Sheriff Brady.

No one was ever found guilty of their murders and their bodies have never been found.

Photo 1: New Mexico’s Digital Collections, Major A. J. Fountain and Staff, 1883
https://econtent.unm.edu/digital/collection/keleher/id/224/rec/18

Photo 2: New Mexico’s Digital Collections, White Sands National Monument at sunset, New Mexico, 1950?
https://econtent.unm.edu/digital/collection/acpa/id/10919/rec/3

02/05/2025

New Mexico Historic Sites and New Mexico Arts are pleased to announce two fellowships for the 2025 Artist in Residence program at Los Luceros Historic Site. This year’s artists include Jason Garcia (Okuu Pín/Santa Clara Pueblo Tewa), a contemporary clay artist and printmaker, and Chris E. Vargas, a video maker and transdisciplinary artist. The artists will each spend six weeks at Los Luceros, where they will have time and space to develop their creative practice and offer public programs.

Learn more about these artists and their residencies at https://newmexicoculture.pulse.ly/zqyhuwoimg

02/04/2025

Important Update from Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo:

In order to get some necessary repairs done on site, both the mural room and video room will be temporarily closed for visitors starting February 5, 2025. This work is expected to last several months, and we will inform the public as soon as these spaces reopen.

In the meantime, the site will still be operating during its regularly scheduled hours of Wednesday-Monday, 10 AM-4 PM. The museum, gift shop, and all of the trails are accessible, and we will also still be offering guided tours twice daily at 11 AM and 2 PM. Thank you and we hope to see you soon!

02/04/2025

Some of the most fascinating parts to Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site are the small touches the family made that truly make it a home. Throughout the Taylor Family Home, there are stickers and taped notes that tell the story of a family who made the space their home. That includes the sticker pictured. Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by Wichita University students Frank and Dan Carney. The brothers felt they needed a mascot for their business and created Pizza Pete. Pete wore a checkered neckerchief, apron, hat, and mustache. This sticker, on one of the doors in the home, likely dates to the 1960s.

What are additions you've made to your home that make it feel like home?

02/03/2025

Greetings from Fort Stanton,

In honor of Black History Month, we remember the Buffalo Soldiers and their families who were stationed at Fort Stanton in the mid to late 1800s.

From 1875 to 1881 the largest garrison of the 9th Cavalry of Buffalo Soliders was stationed at Fort Stanton. The 9th Cavalry consisted of black soldiers transferred to New Mexico from Texas. They were not the only group of black soldiers stationed here however, as members of the 10th Cavalry were also stationed at Stanton.

New evidence shows that the Laundress Quarters on the site were originally constructed by these troops in 1876. Many of the laundresses stationed here were married to troop members, creating a vibrant community of families. While stationed at Fort Stanton, the Buffalo Soldiers were involved in the Lincoln County War and the Victorio Wars and served sometimes as the only local law enforcement, as well as some of the first firefighting forces for the Fort.

Image 1: Soldiers groom horses at Fort Stanton. Some of these soldiers may have been members of the 9th Cavalry. Princeton Collections of North America. https://americana.princeton.edu/2014/05/19/fort-stanton-new-mexico-territory-ca-1887/

Image 2: This photo is found on the bronze plaque outside of the Laundress Quarters at Fort Stanton today.

Image 3: A framed copy of artwork by Bobb Vann completed in 1993, titled "The Victorio Campaign" (2nd Lt. Henry O. Flipper). This image hangs in the back office of the Fort Stanton Museum building.

02/02/2025

Happy Groundhog Day from Los Luceros Historic Site!

Unfortunately for New Mexico, groundhogs are not present in the state naturally. We do, however, have woodchucks, which are a closely related cousin. On site the closest animals we have to groundhogs are gophers, moles, and squirrels (photos). While cute, their shadow cannot tell us whether there will be more winter or not. We will have to see what the groundhog in Pennsylvania determines!

In the spirit of Groundhog Day, we'll be offering a children's story time today, Sun., Feb. 2, with Ranger Kara at 11 a.m. in the Community Room to read "Groundhog’s Day Off" by Robb Pearlman. Listen to this fun story, then participate in a related craft activity. Visitors are invited to explore the site afterwards and see if they can see their shadow to guess if there will be 6 more weeks of winter! Admission is free to NM Residents, as this is part of our monthly Dawn 'Til Dusk day.

02/01/2025

Good morning from Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo!

While generally not considered to be a warring people, conflict in the American Southwest did pose certain dangers for Pueblo groups. The competition for land and resources with other pueblos, with nomadic neighbors, and with later Spanish arrivals required each village to have residents willing to fight. The most common weaponry used during the inhabitation of Kuaua (c.1325) include the objects in the attached image: clubs, shields, and bows and arrows.

For short-range combat, wood- or stone-headed war clubs could inflict serious damage through blunt force. A heavy hit was capable of breaking bones or even killing an enemy. Though body armor wasn’t common here as it was in Mesoamerica, bison hide shields offered protection to the warriors by being able to deflect physical blows and arrow fire. Examples of highly decorative shields can even be seen in rock art around the region.

Finally, by this time, the bow and arrow had replaced the atlatl as the premier long-range weapon. This was aided by Pueblo architecture as most ground level rooms did not have doors. By removing ladders connected to the rooftops, defenders could launch projectiles or rocks at invaders while maintaining a safe distance. For similar reasons, many villages were constructed at areas of high elevation atop mesas or bluffs.

01/31/2025

There's one week left to submit a poem to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Ekphrastic Poetry Contest. Let the artwork on display around the state, including the pictured painting of The Long Walk at Bosque Redondo, serve as your guide for writing a poem. More info at https://nmculture.org/poetry

🎨courtesy: Shonto Begay (Diné), The Long Walk, 2011. Courtesy of New Mexico Historic Sites and on view at Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site (Fort Sumner, NM).

01/31/2025

Hello, from Bosque Redondo Memorial! We are showcasing an activity that many of our school groups have participated in. Can you guess what these historic objects are? We have three items from our educational collection that we invite you to identify by leaving your answer in our comments section. In the first photo the left item is A, the middle item is B, and the right item is C (individual photos of each item follows). We will answer if you are correct in the comments. Good luck!

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725 Camino Lejo
Santa Fe, NM
87505

Website

http://nmhistoricsites.org/

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Good meowning from Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo! Since October, we have been periodically seeing a mountain lion, also known as cougar or puma, on our trail cams. This Thursday morning, we got a really good capture along a path leading to the river. Most active at dawn, dusk, and nighttime, mountain lions are stealthy hunters with good night vision and jumping skills. Being atop the food chain, these large cats will eat a variety of animals around the area including rabbits, porcupines, coyote, deer, and elk. Perhaps the most remarkable trait of these carnivores is the vast distances they travel. Male mountain lions are largely territorial and will often have a range spanning 100 sq miles or more. This provides them ample territory for finding food, water, and mates. Although less territorial, even females may have large ranges of around 50 sq miles. Though they have been recorded, mountain lion attacks on people are infrequent. Generally, these incidents will only occur if the cats feel threatened or are in a state of starvation. If you do encounter one in the wild, the best strategy to avoid confrontation is to look as large as possible and make loud noises. #nmhistoricsites #coronadohistoricsite #kuauapueblo #nmwildlife #mountainlion #puma

Greetings from Lincoln, 🎄We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season!!! 🎄 We extend a big thank you to opera singer Karla Ramos for sharing her talent with us at the Fort Stanton Opera in the Chapel performance on December 14th. It was a beautiful afternoon of holiday music. As a small gift to you, we hope you'll enjoy this short audio clip of her lovely voice! #LincolnHistoricSite #FortStantonHistoricSite #NewMexicoHistoricSites #NMHS #NMCulture #LincolnCounty #ChristmasOpera #HolidayMusic #ChristmasMusic

Good evening from Coronado Historic Site! This past Saturday we posted a photo of a mystery object found on site and asked followers to guess what the object was. There were lots of great guesses and many people hit the nail on the head! The object was, in fact, a bird pellet! Pellets are made up of the regurgitated, undigested food from many bird species. In the sample found here, we saw lots of feathers and bones. This indicates that the pellet came from a raptor! One order of carnivorous birds that is synonymous with pellets is that of owls. Recently, we have caught several shots of owls on our trail cams like the attached one showing a great horned owl. Upon closer inspection, it appears that the owl in the video is still holding its prey. Great horned owls are one of the largest types of owls and are known to be fierce hunters. Their excellent night vision and strong talons help them take down other birds, rabbits, skunks, and even porcupines! *The trail cam footage was actually captured at 2:38 am, not 2:38 pm. #CoronadoHistoricSite #KuauaPueblo #NewMexicoHistoricSites #NMHistoricSites #NMCulture #NMHistory #GreatHornedOwl #OwlPellets

Bosque Redondo Memorial's Winter Letter's Event is next week! Here is a little preview video of our event. Our Winter Letters & Farolito Tour is on Sat., Dec. 7 from 5-9 p.m. The event will include a ranger-guided tour, food, craft activities, storytelling, and music by the local band The Lunas. Tickets are $7 for adults, and free for children 16 and younger and Tribal Members. Purchase online at nmhistoricsites.org/bosque-redondo. #NMCulture #NMTrue #BosqueRedondoMemorial #FortSumner #NewMexicoHistoricSites #NMHistoricSites #LandofEnchantment #Farolitos #NMHolidays

Greetings from Fort Stanton, We just wanted to take a moment to remind you that all 8 New Mexico Historic Sites will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 28 so that our staff can spend the day with their friends & families. We hope this reminder helps with trip planning and we look forward to seeing you on Friday, November 29! #FortStanton #FortStantonHistoricSite #NewMexicoHistoricSites #Thanksgiving #NMCulture #nmhistoricsites

Join us at Fort Stanton on December 14 to get in the holiday spirit with Opera in the Chapel. Karla Ramos will join us at 1 p.m. to share holiday classics in the historic chapel. Seating is limited so make sure to get your tickets soon! Tickets are on sale now! Purchase them using this link, https://my.nmculture.org/33869/41939. Adult tickets are $10, children 16 and younger are free. #FortStantonHistoricSite #FortStanton #NewMexicoHistoricSites #NMHistoricSites #FtStantonOperaInTheChapel #ChristmasOpera #HolidayOpera #NMHistory #NMCulture

Good morning from Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo! Among the recent game cam footage are a few clips from an animal with a special importance here, the black-tailed jackrabbit! Despite the name, jackrabbits are actually hares, not rabbits. Hares are notable for having longer ears, larger bodies, and being faster than their rabbit cousins. If you’ve been to the site, you have likely seen the representation of a black-tailed jackrabbit in the mural room. Although we see them much less often than cottontail rabbits, large numbers of jackrabbit bones were found during past excavations on site. While Kuaua was inhabited, these animals would have been hunted for their meat, fur, and bones. The meat could help supplement a largely plant-based diet, the fur could be made into warm clothing such as blankets, and the bones could be worked into tools to help with daily tasks. #NMHistoricSites #NewMexicoHistoricSites #CoronadoHistoricSite #KuauaPueblo #BlackTailedJackrabbit #NMWildlife

Good morning from Coronado Historic Site at Kuaua Pueblo! As September comes to an end, so does New Mexico’s monsoon season. This phenomenon occurs every summer as southerly winds bring moisture to the region from the Gulf of Mexico. As the daytime heat intensifies, the warm and moist air rises, causing evening thunderstorms that can provoke periods of intense rainfall. This season, the Bernalillo/Albuquerque area saw much more precipitation than expected during the month of June, while August and September were unfortunately below average. Even though there hasn’t been as much consistent rain of late, our game cams were still able to catch a few intense storms, like the one below, over the past two months. #NewMexicoHistoricSites #NMHistoricSites #CoronadoHistoricSite #KuauaPueblo #Monsoon #Thunderstorm

A big hello from Fort Selden! Often in the mornings, you can find a team of ants working together to collect vegetation here at the fort. In this video, we can see the ants collaborating to carry a piece of prickly pear fruit. These fruits either fall on their own or are knocked down by the javelina that root up the cacti. This weekend, you can learn more about another team that works together to create meals. On Sat., Sept. 28th, at 10 a.m., Ranger Mike will be giving an informative talk on a soldier's cookbook and what it took to prepare a meal as a soldier in 1865. He’ll be sharing plenty of recipes! #NMCulture #NewMexico #NewMexicoCulture #NMHistory #FtSelden #FortSelden #NewMexicoHistoricSites #HistoricCooking #ArmyCookbook #ExploreNewMexico #DoñaAnaCounty

With the excitement surrounding the white bison calf at Yellowstone National Park we want to take a moment to tell you about the white Merriam’s Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) waddling around Coronado Historic Site and Tamaya Pueblo. Like the bison calf, this turkey is not albino, it may have Leucism or piebald characteristics where most of their feathers lack pigment resulting in white patches. This may be because of inbreeding when the wild turkey population around the site was much smaller. Pueblo of Santa Ana Department of Natural Resources has an ongoing program monitoring wild turkeys after decades of population decline. The Merriam’s turkey was reintroduced to the area in 2004 and 2005. We acknowledge the importance of the white bison calf's birth and the indigenous people to whom the white bison’s birth is significant. Historic Site video of a white turkey walking across the frame from right to left. #NMCulture #NMTrue #NewMexico #NewMexicoCulture #NMHistoricSites #LandofEnchantment #PureNewMexico #NewMexicoLove #TravelNewMexico #iLoveNewMexico #ExploreNewMexico

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New Mexico Historic Sites

New Mexico Historic Sites are eight storied places to experience history where it happened. They invite you to hit the road and explore New Mexico. Follow in the footsteps of indigenous people, Spanish conquistadors, Civil War soldiers, outlaws, and lawmen. How often do you see a Native American kiva next to a 16th century Spanish colonial church, get a glimpse of military fort life, or walk through an historic town little changed from the 1800s? New Mexico Historic Sites offer exactly such unique experiences, and allow the visitor to discover the diverse history and prehistory of the state—all within a few hours drive by car.

Visiting a New Mexico historic site promises to grant you a deeper understanding of those who have gone before us and helped make us who we are today. Each site tells a unique story, important to the understanding of New Mexico history. So enjoy a day of discovery and Travel Back in Time. . . to each of the New Mexico Historic Sites.

Brigitte Bruggemann Studio
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02/14/2025

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01/31/2025

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New Mexico Historic Sites