New Mexico Trivia & Tidbits - Page 6

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

The highest minimum wage in the United States—$9.50 an hour—went into effect in Santa Fe (pop. 62,203) in January. The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, but states and cities can set their own minimums.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

Hermit's Peak near Las Vegas (pop. 14,565) was named for Italian Juan Maria Agostini. In the 1860s, the hermit lived in a cave at the peak where he carved religious emblems, which he bartered for food. The hermit walked 500 miles with a wagon train to New Mexico from Council Grove, Kan., where a dugout he made home is now called Hermit's Cave.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

The Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum in Cerrillos celebrates the area's mining legacy with displays of mineral samples, mining artifacts, rocks, dioramas and tools used to extract turquoise, gold and silver.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

Nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Bishop's Lodge Resort in Santa Fe (pop. 62,203) once was the retreat of Jean Baptiste Lamy, who became the first archbishop of Santa Fe in 1851. He also was the subject of Willa Cather's 1927 novel Death Comes for the Archbishop.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

One of the eating establishments founded by Fred Harvey (1835-1901) and his son, Ford Ferguson Harvey (1866-1928), the Harvey House in Belen (pop. 6,901) now houses a museum that preserves the history of this chain of Western restaurants. Known for cleanliness and fine food, the restaurants originally were located along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad lines and staffed by waitresses known as "Harvey Girls."

first appeared: 7/30/2006

Ham, the first chimp to blast into space, is buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo (pop. 35,582). The world's first astrochimp rocketed from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 31, 1961, and traveled almost 157 miles in a Mercury capsule before splashing down safely in the Atlantic Ocean.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

The 1940s home of Pulitzer Prize-wining journalist Ernie Pyle, a war correspondent who told the story of World War II from the GI's point of view, has been preserved as the Ernie Pyle Memorial Branch Library in Albuquerque.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

The legend of outlaw Billy the Kid is alive and well in Fort Sumner (pop. 1,249), where the Billy the Kid Museum houses 60,000 relics of the Old West, including the young outlaw's rifle, chaps and spurs, an original "Wanted" poster and even locks of his hair. Billy the Kid was a frequent visitor to Fort Sumner, where he was shot to death in 1881 by Sheriff Pat Garrett.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

The Pecos River Flume spans the Pecos River, carrying water to irrigate farmland near Carlsbad (pop. 25,625). The flume, essentially, a raised water channel measuring 475 feet long and 25 feet wide, originally was constructed of wood in 1890, but was vulnerable to flooding. When the flume was rebuilt of concrete in 1903, it was one of the world's largest concrete structures.

first appeared: 6/25/2006

Along with dinosaur eggs and tracks, Mesalands Community College's Dinosaur Museum in Tucumcari (pop. 5,989) features bronze replicas of dinosaur bones created in the college's foundry. The museum specializes in the Mesozoic era, which spanned from 245 million to 65 million years ago. The museum also features one of the world's few Torvosaurus dinosaurs, a relative to Tyrannosaurus rex.

first appeared: 6/25/2006

The first swing for golfers participating in the one-hole Elfego Baca Shoot takes place atop 7,243-foot Socorro Peak, also known as M Mountain, near Socorro (pop. 8,877). Established in 1960, and named for Sheriff Elfego Baca, the June event provides each competitor with 10 balls to reach the target, which lies about three miles away and 2,550 feet lower in elevation.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

The first "movie" filmed in New Mexico was produced in 1898 by Thomas A. Edison, one of the inventors of the motion picture camera. Edison, or a member of his staff, visited the Pueblo of Isleta and filmed children going in and out of a schoolhouse. Less than a minute long, the film is titled Indian Day School.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

In 1989, New Mexico adopted the bizcochito as its official state cookie. The small anise-flavored shortbread cookie was chosen to help encourage traditional home-baked cooking. Albuquerque's Frances Mitchelle Maldonado, known for her version of the cookies, worked to pass the bill. The Spanish treat is traditionally served at wedding receptions, religious feasts and other celebrations.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

Silver City (pop. 10,545) is the final resting place of the mother of notorious outlaw Billy the Kid. Seeking relief from tuberculosis, Catherine McCarty and her two sons moved to the West where she met and married William Antrim. They later moved to Silver City, where she died in 1874.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

The state has announced an agreement to build a $225 million spaceport near Truth or Consequences (pop. 7,289). The spaceport will be home to Virgin Galactic, a space travel company launched by British entrepreneur Richard Branson. The company plans to send 50,000 paying customers into space during its first decade of operations. Spaceport construction is scheduled to begin in 2007, with completion set for 2010.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

Rodeo champion Bob Crosby earned the title of top all-around cowboy at events in both Cheyenne and Pendleton three times in the 1920s, a feat that won him the Roosevelt Trophy. Crosby owned the Cross-B Ranch at Kenna, southwest of Elida (pop. 183), and died in a 1947 car accident. Bob Crosby Draw, in Chaves County, was named for him.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

With more than 4,000 acres of pecan trees, Stahmann Farms near Las Cruces is one of the world’s largest family-owned pecan operations. W.J. Stahmann founded the farm in 1926 and originally planted cotton, but he replaced the fiber crop with pecans in the early 1930s. Today, the orchard features some 180,000 trees, producing 8 to 10 million pounds of Western Schley and Bradley pecans annually.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

During a coaching career spanning more than 50 years, including 49 at Hobbs High School in Hobbs (pop. 28,657), Ralph Tasker (1919-1999) compiled a record of 1,122 wins and 291 losses, making him one of the nation’s winningest high school basketball coaches. Tasker’s coaching innovations helped teams win 11 state championships beginning in 1949.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

Businessman Charles Ilfeld funded the Adele Ilfeld Auditorium, a memorial to his wife built on the New Mexico Highlands University campus in Las Vegas (pop. 14,565) between 1914 and 1921. The sandstone building is one of the state’s finest examples of the Romanesque Revival style, and incorporates Roman arches, Tuscan columns and early Christian basilica designs. Ilfeld made part of his fortune trading on the Santa Fe Trail.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

Floeck’s Country Ostrich Ranch in Tucumcari (pop. 5,989) is home to hundreds of flightless birds. Established in 1980, the ranch reportedly is the state’s first to specialize in raising ostriches, emus and rheas—all of which are part of the ratite (flightless) family. Ostriches can grow up to 9 feet tall, and their meat is known for its high-protein, low-fat qualities.

first appeared: 3/12/2006

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