Category: History Category
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The History of Canyon Road
Learn about the early history and special architecture of this famous street The unique mingling of fine art galleries with gracious adobe homes on winding, shaded streets is the essence of Canyon Road’s charm. Although it is just blocks from Santa Fe’s busy plaza, Canyon Road’s special quality arises from its history as a rural…
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Francis Livingston and Dennis Ziemienski paintings
Francis Livingston and Dennis Ziemienski explore the golden age of Western tourism from Fred Harvey to Route 66 and everything in between There was a brief time in history when tourists in the Southwest had several exciting travel choices. They could glide through the desert landscape on the Santa Fe Railway’s Super Chief, dining at…
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New Mexico’s journey from colony to statehood
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…
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Santa Fe’s 400th anniversary
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…
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The history of New Mexico’s curio trade
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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The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
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…
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The Fred Harvey Company
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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The legacy of Carl von Hassler
The Albuquerque resident who built an artistic legacy painting the landscape of Northern New Mexico By Michael Ettema, Santa Fe Director of Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery Growing up in Bremen, Germany, Carl von Hassler always knew he wanted to be an artist. But parents often have different ideas, and at age 14, Carl found…
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Carlos Vierra, Sheldon Parson, and Warren Rollins
These three artists set the Stage for the Santa Fe Art Colony by Michael Ettema, Santa Fe Director, Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery The careers of the first three “members” of the Santa Fe Art Colony demonstrate how the intricate relationships between the Museum of New Mexico, the artists, the town, and its tourists helped…