Contested Territory: New Mexico’s Long, Twisted Path from Colony to Statehood When New Mexico became the 47th state of the Union on January 6, 1912, it already had been a European/American settlement for 314 years. Over that long history, New Mexico’s borders changed repeatedly as Spain, France, Britain, United States, Mexico, Texas, and the Confederate […]
New Mexico’s journey from colony to statehood Read Post »
Celebrating America’s oldest capital city Do the math! Yes, Santa Fe officially became a town under Spanish law fully ten years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Santa Fe is America’s oldest capital city and the second oldest surviving European settlement in the United States, following St. Augustine, Florida. Plans are underway for a
Santa Fe’s 400th anniversary Read Post »
From the Railroad to Route 66: The Native American Curio Trade in New Mexico From May 18, 2008, through April 19, 2009, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian presents a major exhibition, From the Railroad to Route 66: The Native American Curio Trade in New Mexico. Representing the culmination of nearly two decades’ research
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A Santa Fe Treasure Turns 75 by Jonathan Batkin, Director of Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian The Wheelwright Museum, the oldest private, non-profit museum in New Mexico, turns 75 this year. The result of collaboration between Mary Cabot Wheelwright, Navajo chanter Hastiin Klah, and reservation trader Frances J. “Franc” Newcomb, the museum was the
The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian Read Post »
Innovative travel industry pioneer showcasing Southwest Indian arts and crafts by Jerry Freund No organization had a greater impact on the American southwest as the Santa Fe Railroad and the Fred Harvey Company. In fact, these companies practically “invented” the image of the southwest that Americans have today. The Fred Harvey Company promoted a “kinder-gentler”
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