New Mexico Trivia & Tidbits - Page 13

Looking for New Mexico trivia? Try our list New Mexico little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

Founded in 1923, New Mexico magazine is reported to be the nation’s oldest state magazine. It began as the New Mexico Highway Journal, to inform people about road developments as the automobile began to make travel more practical. The magazine became simply New Mexico in 1931, focusing on highway projects, outdoor activities, and tourist attractions.

first appeared: 8/17/2003

Constructed around 1740, the Plaza del Cerró in Chimayó (pop. 2,924) is one of the Southwest’s last surviving Spanish fortified plazas. The plaza, which was originally named the Plaza of San Burenaventura, consists of adobe buildings that surround a square. The square’s few entrances—only wide enough for people or animals—and a torreon, or defensive watch tower, that still stands on the square’s south side, made it easier to defend.

first appeared: 8/10/2003

One of the world’s most diverse collections of dragonflies can be found at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 10 miles northeast of Roswell (pop. 45,293). At least 54 dragonfly species have been identified there, including the lace-winged skimmer, considered one of the rarest and most beautiful. The refuge, where the Chihuahuan Desert meets the Southern Plains, also is home to other rare creatures, including barking frogs and the Pecos pupfish.

first appeared: 8/3/2003

At 650 feet above the Rio Grande River, 12 miles northwest of Taos (pop. 4,700), the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is one of the nation’s highest bridges. It was built in 1965, and a year later won an award from the American Institute of Steel Construction for its beauty.

first appeared: 7/27/2003

Best known for rescuing Fay Wray from the clutches of King Kong in the 1933 film, character actor Bruce Cabot was born in Carlsbad (pop. 25,625) in 1904. He went on to roles such as Magua in Last of the Mohicans, and later appeared in many of John Wayne’s movies, including The Green Berets.

first appeared: 7/20/2003

With more than 21,000 rock drawings found over a 50-acre area, the Three Rivers Petroglyphs Site north of Tularosa (pop. 2,864) is one of the Southwest’s largest petroglyph sites. The ancient images—depicting birds, humans, animals, fish, insects, plants, and geometric designs—were carved by the Jornada Mogollon people, who lived in the northern Chihuahuan Desert between 900 and 1400 A.D.

first appeared: 7/13/2003

Rivers and lakes cover only 234 square miles—less than 0.2 percent—of the state’s total area of 121,598 square miles, the lowest water-to-land ratio among the nation’s 50 states.

first appeared: 7/6/2003

At 13,161 feet above sea level, Wheeler Peak in Taos County is New Mexico’s highest point. The state’s lowest elevation is 2,817 feet, at Red Bluff Reservoir in Eddy County.

first appeared: 7/6/2003

Exhibits at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo (pop. 35,582) include rock from Earth’s nearest neighbor, the moon. The museum site opened in 1976 and includes the International Space Hall of Fame. Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon, and Robert Goddard, who launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket, are among the Hall of Fame’s earliest inductees.

first appeared: 6/29/2003

The Road Apple Rally is reported to be the world’s longest running annual mountain bike race. Launched in Farmington (pop. 37,844) in 1981, it combines a fat-tire bicycle race course with a horse trail riding competition. Bicycle events range from kids’ fun races to those sanctioned by the National Off-Road Bike Association.

first appeared: 6/22/2003

Each month, the Crownpoint Rug Weavers Association in Crownpoint (pop. 2,630) holds an evening rug auction at the elementary school, during which as many as 400 hand-woven Navajo rugs from across the reservation are sold. The association has been auctioning Navajo rugs since 1968, and now draws visitors from across the United States and the world.

first appeared: 6/15/2003

The Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe is thought to be the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States. Construction on the adobe building began in 1610, for Spain’s seat of government in what is now the American Southwest. The palace has been a governor’s residence, the territorial legislature, courts, a library, post office, jail, U.S. Depository, and a printing office. Since 1909, it has served as a Museum of New Mexico site.

first appeared: 6/8/2003

The town of Lake Valley was once the site of the richest body of silver ore in the state. Prospectors in 1882 discovered a silver pocket that they named the Bridal Chamber, because the walls glistened with silver in the candlelight. The silver was so pure that the heat from a single candle could melt it. Lake Valley, near Hillsboro, (pop. 305) is now virtually a ghost town.

first appeared: 6/1/2003

The Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles was officially designated a National Historic Trail in December 2002. Its 3,500 miles of pack mule routes were based on ancient American Indian trade routes. The trail was later used by Spanish, Mexican, and American traders and pioneers—including Kit Carson on his journey back to the East Coast to report the discovery of gold in California.

first appeared: 5/25/2003

Author John Nichols wrote his New Mexico Trilogy after his move to Taos (pop. 4,700) in 1969. The trilogy’s best-known novel, The Milagro Beanfield War, was popularized by the 1988 film of the same name. The University of New Mexico has awarded Nichols, who writes both fiction and non-fiction, an honorary doctorate degree.

first appeared: 5/18/2003

The Cerrillos Hills area, which features about half a dozen conical hills 25 miles south of Santa Fe, is one of the earliest mining areas in North America. Prehistoric Indians mined turquoise here before 1000 A.D., and one of the hills, Mount Chalchihuitl, bears the Tlascalan people’s name for “turquoise hill.” Cerrillos Hills Historic Park, created to recognize the area’s geological, historical and natural beauty, celebrates its grand opening this month.

first appeared: 5/11/2003

Each year, Living Desert State Park near Carlsbad (pop. 25,625) holds a traditional Mescal Roast. Mescal (the agave, or century plant) was a diet staple for the Mescalero Apache. At the roast, about 1,000 pounds of mescal is roasted in a large oven pit for four days, then shared between the Mescalero and visitors. Depending on the plant and growing conditions, mescal may taste like molasses, or a combination of squash and sweet potatoes.

first appeared: 5/4/2003

The co-founder and first Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of America, Ernest Thompson Seton, is remembered at Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimmaron (pop. 917). The Ernest Thompson Seton Memorial Library and Museum houses his personal art, books, and collections, much of which he used in the creation of his well-known animal stories.

first appeared: 4/27/2003

Golfer Nancy Lopez, who hails from Roswell (pop. 45,293), won the New Mexico Women’s Amateur when she was 12. In 1987, at the age of 30, she became the youngest inductee into the LGPA Hall of Fame, and last year was named the PGA First Lady of Golf for her contribution to the sport. Her many achievements include winning the LGPA championship in 1978, 1985, and 1989.

first appeared: 4/20/2003

Lechuguilla cave near Carlsbad Caverns was first effectively opened to exploration in 1986. Since then, nearly 100 miles of Lechuguilla’s passages have been explored and mapped, with no end in sight. So far, the deepest part of the cave measured goes down 1,571 feet.

first appeared: 4/13/2003

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