Friends of History New Mexico

08/29/2024

Gallup sits on an otherworldly landscape bordering the Navajo Nation at the far western edge of New Mexico. Starting as a railroading and coal mining town, Gallup has ignited the imaginations of Americans for generations. For the Navajo people for whom the region has been home for millennia, the town and its alcohol-fueled economy has a more sinister pull.

Bob Rosebrough is a New Mexico-born and raised attorney, outdoorsman, elected official, and author who embraced the realities of this enigmatic town and its larger-than-life figures.

Friends of History invite the public to hear him offer a rare and true insight into Gallup, its iconic stories, and its long-kept secrets.

A PLACE OF THIN VEIL: Life and Death in Gallup, New Mexico
A virtual talk by Robert “Bob” F. Rosebrough

Wed, Sept 3 at 12:30 pm MT – Only on YouTube
Free, donations welcome.
For details and to register, visit: Register at: bit.ly/46L996L

08/21/2024

With New Mexico History Museum – I just got recognized as one of their rising fans! 🎉

08/15/2024

Friends of History cordially invite all New Mexicans, visitors, and fans of great storytelling and history to:

“HISTORY’S FOOTPRINTS: Weaving the Past into Modern Mysteries”
An in-person presented by journalist and award-winning author ANNE HILLERMAN.

Join us when she shares how her research into the Long Walk of the Navajo, explorations of Chaco Canyon, and the history of New Mexico and the Southwest enrich and inspire her novels.

Thursday, September 19, 2024
6:00 PM in the Auditorium of New Mexico History Museum
13 Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, New Mexico

With audience Q&A. Book sale and signing immediately after in the Lobby.

Tickets are $20.00, with proceeds benefiting the Museum.
Seating is limited so reservations are strongly encouraged.
Details and tickets at: bit.ly/4fMjIKD

(photo: Anne Kitty Leaken)

08/15/2024

This weekend is the 102nd Santa Fe Indian Market!

The Museum will be open its regular hours (10am-5pm) and there will be FREE ADMISSION on Saturday & Sunday.

Enjoy excellent exhibits, air conditioning, & comfortable chairs if you need a respite during the day.

The Native American Artisans Portal Program Sales will take place in the courtyard of the Palace of the Governors. Enter through the blue gates on Lincoln Ave. Portal sales take place 10am - 4pm.

Indian Market takes place Saturday & Sunday, 8am - 5pm and is free and open to the public.

The streets around the plaza (Cathedral, Lincoln, Washington, Marcy, Palace, Sheridan, W San Francisco) will be closed starting Thursday afternoon. Parking will be extremely limited. Carpooling and alternate forms of transportation are recommended.

08/05/2024

Ellen Wilder was six years old when her father moved the family from Kentucky to remote New Mexico in order to work at a top-secret government program. Years later, Ellen’s father-in-law would succeed Robert Oppenheimer as Director of Los Alamos Laboratory.
Today, Ellen Wilder Bradbury-Reid is a nonfiction author, art historian, and manages an educational nonprofit dedicated to the cultures and environments of the American Southwest.
In this public talk on YouTube, Ellen will share her vivid recollections of the Manhattan Project and cloistered life of Los Alamos during its early years.

A NUCLEAR FAMILY: Coming of Age in Oppenheimer’s Secret City

Wednesday, August 7 at 12-1 pm MT – Only on YouTube

Free, donations welcome. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/3marykfs

(photo: Children of the Secret City. Courtesy of Ellen Wilder Bradbury-Reid, undated)

08/05/2024

The public is invited to a ribbon cutting celebration and public unveiling of a new exhibit at the New Mexico History Museum on Friday, August 9 at 5 to 7 PM:

"New Mexico Showcase - Everyday Odysseys: Relics of Life and Adventure in New Mexico"

New Mexico's rich history is depicted through everyday objects in a new display in the second floor lobby of the museum.

Museum admission is free for state residents. Enjoy extended museum hours, complimentary refreshments, and exclusive souvenirs. Be among the first to discover this new addition to the New Mexico History Museum.

08/01/2024

Ellen Wilder was six years old when her father moved the family from Kentucky to remote New Mexico in order to work at a top-secret government program. Years later while married to John Bradbury, Ellen’s father-in-law would succeed Robert Oppenheimer as Director of Los Alamos Laboratory.
Today, Ellen Wilder Bradbury-Reid is a nonfiction author, art historian, and currently manages an educational nonprofit dedicated to the cultures and environments of the American Southwest.
In this public talk on YouTube, Ellen will share her vivid recollections of the Manhattan Project and cloistered life of Los Alamos during its early years.

A NUCLEAR FAMILY: Coming of Age in Oppenheimer’s Secret City

Wednesday, August 7 at 12-1 pm MT – Only on YouTube

Free, donations welcome. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/3marykfs

(photo: Children of the Secret City. Courtesy of Ellen Wilder Bradbury-Reid, undated)

Ellen Wilder Bradbury-Reid Author, Nuclear History; Art Historian Ellen will draw on her memories of growing up as a child in Los Alamos during the

06/18/2024

In New Mexico, the lush landscapes of the upper Río Grande are made possible by vital community-operated acequias dating from as far back as the late 16th century.
You’re invited to YouTube for a talk by two leading authorities and co-authors whose book, Water for the People, includes twenty-five essays by world-renowned acequia scholars and community members in New Mexico, northern Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Spain, the Middle East, Nepal, and the Philippines.

WATER FOR THE PEOPLE: The Acequia Heritage of New Mexico in a Global Context

A public talk on YouTube by Enrique R. Lamadrid and José A. Rivera, Ph.D.

Wednesday, July 3 at 12-1:30 p.m. MT

Free I Donations Welcome I For details and to register: https://bit.ly/3yLY34g

  Enrique R. Lamadrid Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Spanish University of New Mexico   José A. Rivera, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of

05/29/2024

Prior to 1492, corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, and cacao only existed in the Americas. Once these eight plants were introduced to outside cultures, these cuisines were changed forever.

Friends of History invite you to:
SEED TO PLATE, SOIL TO SKY: The History of Eight Plants Native Peoples shared with the World

WED, JUNE 5 at 12-1 PM MT on YouTube

Featuring Chef and Native food historian Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D. and Chef Walter Whitewater (Dine), co-authors of the James Beard Award-winning cookbook, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations.
Free but donations accepted. Register at: bit.ly/4dreD9v

Explore New Mexico with me and the Friends of History, an all-volunteer organization supporting our state’s official history museum.

Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D. Chef ; Native Foods Historian   Walter Whitewater (Dine/Navajo) Chef   Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky is the story of eight

05/28/2024

We are excited to announce the launch of ‘Assassins, Spies, and the Manhattan Project Walk Tour,’ a brand new addition to our Walking Tours of Historic Downtown Santa Fe.
Tour guests are escorted by a special member of the Friends of History docent corps, the only walking tour guides trained under the auspices of the official history museum of the state – and all volunteers.
During the one-mile, two-hour experience, guests learn of Santa Fe's extraordinary connection with dramatic and dangerous events during World War II and the Cold War through true stories, vintage images, and visits to actual sites.
The new spy tour is offered by Friends of History two Saturdays a month with tickets benefiting public exhibitions and educational programs of the museum.
Details, dates and tickets are available online at: https://tinyurl.com/3vp8j5pk

05/17/2024

FUNDS FOR RESEARCH

NMHM/FACHL invite new applicants for the next Steve Wimmer Southwest Historical Research Fund selection. Applicants should prepare a letter of interest detailing the questions guiding their research and at least one FACHL collection they hope to use, as well as a CV or resume, no more than two pages each. Priority will be given to candidates whose study is focused on aspects, people, organizations, or industries from New Mexico history between 1879 and 1949. Archival collections can be browsed online at https://nmarchives.unm.edu/repositories/10. Applications are due by June 3, 2024 and should be sent to Kathleen Dull at [email protected].

Wimmer researchers receive a $1,000 stipend, which can be spent however best aids their work. They conduct research for up to a week in Santa Fe, assisted by skilled archivists at FACHL, enjoy four nights at La Fonda on the Plaza, and are offered access to tours and museum visits around town. In return, the grantee will deliver a presentation and write an article for El Palacio or New Mexico Magazine.

The Steve Wimmer Southwest Historical Research Fund was established in 2021 to honor the memory of Steve Wimmer, La Fonda on the Plaza head concierge who spent 26 years enthusiastically helping visitors feel at home away from home. Wimmer had abundant enthusiasm for New Mexico history and cultural tourism.

New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs Stephen Fried

04/19/2024

You’re cordially invited to watch “Diaries of Pioneer Women,” a public talk on YouTube by educator, journalist and author Norma Libman. She’ll reveal secrets held in the diaries of women, some with familiar names and some you may not know, who took the exciting but perilous journey across America for a new life in the West.
These mid-19th century pioneers prepared meals, healed the sick, kept track of children, counted the dead and the miles traveled, and drove wagons if their husbands were lost along the way.

DIARIES OF PIONEER WOMEN
MAY 1 at 11 am - 12 pm MT
FREE – $25.00

Presented by Friends of History I Only on YouTube I Register at: bit.ly/4agoXiK

Norma Libman Educator, Journalist What was it really like for a woman to journey west to a new life? The journey west was perilous and exciting. The

03/29/2024

The first known publication about America in Europe is Historia de la Nueva Mexico, recounting the early days of Juan de Oñate’s 1598 expedition to colonize northern New Mexico. Written as a narrative epic poem by Captain Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá, a member of Oñate’s settlement party, it was published in Spain in 1610.

Friends of History in collaboration with Southwest Seminars invites you to attend a talk by Dr. Thomas E. Chavez, an independent researcher, consultant, historian, and author.

OŇATE AND VILLAGRÁ: 1598 NEW MEXICO
April 3 at 12-1 p.m. MT on YouTube
Free – Donations Welcome

Watch live or later at: https://www.youtube.com/

This talk was originally presented and recorded by Southwest Seminars in May 2003. Donations will be shared by both organizations.

03/20/2024

The New Mexico History Museum’s walking tours of historic downtown Santa Fe will resume on Wednesday, April 3, and run through December 31, 2024. The two-hour tours are made possible by Friends of History volunteers who provide insights along the walking route.
The 26 points of interest include National Historic Landmarks and significant locations such as the Plaza, Palace Avenue with a Manhattan Project historic site, the Santa Fe Trail, Barrio de Analco Historic District, “The Roundhouse” State Capitol, and the iconic New Mexico Museum of Art and St. Francis Auditorium.
Friends of History walking tour docents are storytellers and the only Santa Fe guides trained under the auspices of the New Mexico History Museum.
Tour tickets are affordable with proceeds benefiting the Museum. Explore New Mexico with us!
Book a spot on a scheduled two-hour walking tour or learn about custom and groups walking tours at: https://friendsofhistorynm.org/walking-tours/

03/18/2024

It’s NOT Too Late, New Mexicans and history lovers!
We’ll train you as a Friend of History volunteer docent to use your skills and personality to make true stories of Santa Fe and New Mexico come alive to visitors and locals.
Formal training begins with three 90-minute sessions via Zoom on three consecutive Saturday mornings: March 23 and 30 and April 6 at 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Learn more and register by emailing Scott at: [email protected]. Come join us!

New Mexico History Museum Friends of History New Mexico

03/08/2024

MAKE HISTORY WITH US. And make a difference.
Become a New Mexico History Museum volunteer and receive training as a Friend of History docent who leads walking tours of historic downtown Santa Fe.
Make a difference to others telling surprising and true stories of the people, places and events that have shaped our unique city and beautiful state for hundreds of years.
The first step is the easiest: attend a free 45-minute info session live on Zoom, or watch a recorded session on-demand. Details at https://friendsofhistorynm.org/volunteer/

02/19/2024

Please join us on YouTube when author Melissa Homestead explains the long relationship of novelist Willa Cather and editor and writer Edith Lewis, and their shared travels in the American Southwest.
Presented by the Friends of History, a volunteer organization supporting the New Mexico History Museum.
Register in advance at: bit.ly/42C6dag

01/16/2024

In October of 1913, 261 miners and two rescuers died when a massive explosion ripped through a coal mine in Dawson, New Mexico. Ten years later, a second blast claimed the lives of another 120 miners. Today, all that remains is a ghost town and a sea of white iron crosses in a cemetery memorializing the nearly 400 miners.
Please join us on YouTube when writer Nick Pappas presents the history of these tragic events, the rise and decline of a booming mining town that was once home to 9,000 inhabitants, and the strong bond of former residents and families of Dawson who gather every other Labor Day weekend.

WEDNESDAY, FEB 7 at 12-1 p.m. MT – ONLY on YouTube
Register at: https://rb.gy/zm1q25

FREE I Donations accepted

New Mexico History Museum

Nick Pappas Journalist, Author In October 1913, 261 miners and two rescuers died when a massive explosion ripped through a mine operated by Phelps,

12/12/2023

Union and Confederate generals, American and Mexican politicians and diplomats, Native groups, bandits, revolutionaries, and even a French king all vied for power and control along the U.S.-Mexico border during the Civil War era.
Please join us when historian and author William S. Kiser explains a series of events by diverse players that influenced the course of global affairs and reveal that borderlands simultaneously enable and stifle the growth of empires.

ILLUSIONS OF EMPIRE: The Civil War and Reconstruction in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands

WED, JAN 3, 2024 at 12-1 p.m. MT— Only on YouTube

For details and to register, visit: https://bit.ly/3GDRv8C

11/23/2023

To our members and volunteers, New Mexico History Museum staff, guest speakers, lecture attendees and walking tour guests, and supporters such as Tourism Santa Fe and the Los Alamos Post, thank you.

11/16/2023

In a first, the New Mexico History Museum and Friends of History are offering two-hour walking tours of historic downtown Santa Fe through December 31st.
State residents and visitors of all ages can explore 400 years of history and architecture, cultures and peoples with the only tour docents trained under the auspices of the state museum – and they are all volunteers. Tour fees benefit the Museum.
Scheduled tours depart every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1:15 p.m. – including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, weather permitting. Group and custom tours at other times may be available upon request.
Explore New Mexico with Friends of History this holiday season. For details and tour schedule, visit: https://friendsofhistorynm.org/walking-tours/

New Mexico History Museum Museum of New Mexico Foundation

11/08/2023

We cordially invite the public to a YouTube talk by historian Rick Hendricks about Pablo Abeita of Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico, one of the most important Native leaders and advocates in the Southwest in his day.
Hendricks has written extensively on the history of the American Southwest and Mexico. His talk is based on his book, "Pablo Abeita: The Life and Times of a Native Statesman of Isleta Pueblo, 1871-1940", available from the New Mexico History Museum’s Spiegelberg Shop, University of New Mexico Press, and your local bookstore (bookshop, org).
Register free at: https://tinyurl.com/wv5w9xdp

10/12/2023

Join us on Wednesday, November 1 at 12—1 p.m. MDT for "EnchantOrama’s Lenses: Photographs from the New Mexico Magazine Collection" with Hannah Abelbeck.

This YouTube talk is offered in conjunction with “EnchantOrama! New Mexico Magazine Turns 100”, currently on display at the New Mexico History Museum. Collections Curator Hannah Abelbeck takes us behind the scenes to view the exhibition and New Mexico Magazine Photo Collection, including items not on public display, and explain the visual legacy created by the magazine’s editors and photographers.

Only on YouTube I Free I Donations Welcome
Register at: https://friendsofhistorynm.org/event/enchantoramas-lenses-photographs-from-the-new-mexico-magazine-collection/

(Photo: From the New Mexico Magazine Collection,
Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), No. HP.2007.20.1197)

Hannah Abelbeck Curator of Photographs and Archival Collections New Mexico History Museum   The “EnchantOrama! New Mexico Magazine Turns 100”

10/04/2023

Join us for this public talk on YouTube today at 12 noon MT.
Free; donations gratefully accepted.

09/25/2023

Only four months after the U.S. government made him governor of New Mexico, Charles Bent was killed during the bloody Taos Revolt of 1847. At the time, he was one of the most powerful men in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

Friends of History invite all to join us on YouTube when David C. Beyreis reveals the history of a man and family that is remarkable for intercultural cooperation, horrific violence, and pragmatic adaptability in the face of expanding American power.

Register free at: https://rb.gy/gav39 Donations gratefully accepted.

David C. Beyreis, PhD, is Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences at Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina. His work on Southwest borderlands and Great Plains history has won multiple awards, including from the Historical Society of New Mexico. He is the author of Blood in the Borderlands: Conflict, Kinship, and the Bent Family, 1821-1920.

Friends of History New Mexico New Mexico History Museum