From New Town to the Nuclear Age

New Mexico’s biggest metro area deserves a book all its own. And what a book it is! Simmons gives a rich, detailed, and colorful history of the area from its beginnings in Old Town, the emergence of New Town, to the rise of the military bases.

In 1975, retired New Mexico Magazine editor George Fitzpatrick and photo illustrator Harvey Caplin collaborated on a beautiful photo review of Albuquerque's history.

Jan Dodson Barnhart's update to Albuquerque Bibliography: a Guide to Published and Archival Materials.

Published by Albuquerque National Bank from 1934 through 1964, Albuquerque Progress chronicles Albuquerque's growth and development and includes black and white photos of residential, commercial, and community buildings.

An informative and entertaining history of 'The Duke City'. Under the flags of Spain, Mexico, the United States, and for a brief period, the Confederate States, Albuquerque grew from a small farm and ranch village in the northern reaches of New Spain to the thirty-fifth largest city in the United States. Howard Bryan devotes special attention to some of the colourful characters who have populated the city's history, and also includes business and civic leaders who helped shape the city's growth and character. Humorous episodes and anecdotes, as related in early newspapers, are scattered throughout the text to balance some of the dramatic and often violent events that occurred in Albuquerque over the years.

Side-by-side then-and-now photographs showcase landmarks like Kistler's department store (now demolished), the Old Bernalillo County Courthouse (rumored to be haunted), and the beautiful California Mission-style Alvarado Hotel, considered the finest railroad hotel of its time. From Old Town across the tracks to New Town, you'll discover a thriving, modern city filled with remarkable architecture and culture.

A recent update of Judy Nickell's essential reference guide to how Albuquerque streets got their names.

A compilation of the work of the Historic Landmark Survey in Albuquerque from 1975-1978. Includes overview histories as well as illustrations and brief descriptions of residential, public, and commercial buildings.

This impassioned book, both a loving description and a critique, defines urban values in a milieu that is rarely recognised as a city. Updated over ten years after its initial publication, it is more relevant than ever to Albuquerque's future. A new chapter describes Albuquerque's recent development, placing it in the context of urban growth in the West.

Erna Fergusson, granddaughter of Franz Huning, tour guide, author, and library advocate, presents vignettes from Albuquerque's history, circa 1947. A very personal account of Old Town, New Town, and the social and cultural boundaries between.

Compiled as the city celebrates its Tricentennial, Albuquerque: Portrait of a Western City celebrates the city's rich history and culture while helping visitors and residents become aware of what makes the city and its attractions unique.

Collections of newspaper clippings documenting news, issues and events that involved Albuquerque City Government (1922-1974). Preservation and photocopy reproductions of the press clippings scrapbooks that were made possible by a grant awarded by the New Mexico Historical Records Advisory Board and by the support of the University Libraries, Center for Southwest Research, and Center for Regional Studies, Friends of the University of New Mexico Libraries, Inc., and the Albuquerque Historical Society. Permission to photocopy was granted by the Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Tribune.

Preservation and photocopy reproductions of the C.E. Wells scrapbooks that were made possible by a grant awarded by the New Mexico Historical Records Advisory Board and by the support of the University Libraries, Center for Southwest Research, and Center for Regional Studies, Friends of the University of New Mexico Libraries, Inc., and the Albuquerque Historical Society. Permission to photocopy was granted by the Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Tribune.

"Why were they attracted to this area? What conditions in New Mexico facilitated their rapid and almost seamless acculturation? Hardworking, imaginative, and enterprising, Los Árabes of New Mexico became successful businessmen and prominent entrepreneurs, who enriched this state with their unique culture, their cheerful perseverance, and boundless enthusiasm." -- Sunstone Press

Covers Albuquerque's aviation scene from balloonists and barnstormers at the Territorial Fairs through World War II bombardment squadrons.

Often referred to as Mayor of Albuquerque, Clyde Tingley may have had more influence on Albuquerque's history as Governor of New Mexico. Lucinda Lucero Sachs tells the story of how Tingley's networking talents helped him capitalize on the New Deal programs that built Albuquerque's infrastructure and kept its people working during the Great Depression.

The book and its accompanying CD "[explore] the lives of African Americans residing in Albuquerque and in the western region of the State." -- introduction

A compilation from the scrapbooks begun by P. F. McCanna and continued by Raymond J. McCanna. Quirky layout, and a fascinating chronology of when businesses were established and buildings built from 1860 to 1973.

The index by Sabatini and Gagne turns these transcriptions of Fergusson's newspaper columns into a great research tool for Albuquerque historians.

"Roy Stamm, entrepreneur, prominent Albuquerque businessman..., sportsman, writer, potato farmer, dedicated family man, patriot, scholar, athlete, balloon, aviation and bicycle enthusiast, newspaper promoter, camp cook for construction crews, horseman, and director of the New Mexico Territorial Fair, has given us a picture of life in Albuquerque 1882 to 1957." -- introduction by Jim and Ann Carson

In 1706, Spanish colonists founded the Villa de Alburquerque on the wooded banks of the Rio Grande. Three hundred years later, that once quiet farming community has grown to become Albuquerque, the largest city in the state of New Mexico. Over the centuries, this fascinating city’s identity has metamorphosed many times. In 1862, it briefly became the western capital of the Confederate States of America, before Confederate hopes for the territory were destroyed at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. In 1880, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad brought industry and wealth from the east, as well as tuberculosis-infected “lungers” who came by the thousands to seek a cure in “the Heart of Health Country.” Then, in 1926, Route 66 transformed the city into a neon-decked oasis for automobile travelers journeying through the newly accessible West. Though many of these identities have faded, their legacy lives on in the beating heart of an ever-changing city.

Commissioned by the Albuquerque Conservation Association.

A quick and readable guide to Albuquerque's history from 1706 through 1961. Good as an overview, but not a definitive resource.

Told in their own words and showcased in nearly 200 vintage images, these are the stories of the families who established a foundation for the growth and development of a vibrant Italian community in New Mexico's largest city. Readers will recognize names like Alessandro and Pompilio Matteucci, Antonio and Cherubino Domenici, Ettore Franchini, and Orseste Bachechi, who is known as the "Father of the Albuquerque Italian Community." Also included are images of Colombo Hall, the city's first Italian-American organization, and the Italmer Club, founded in the late 1930s. Collected largely from members of the Italian-American community, these photographs also document integral aspects of the immigrant experience including work, leisure, religion, and family life.

During the expansive railroad days of the 1880s, Jewish citizens were poised to take on leadership roles in business, government, and community life. Henry Jaffa, a Jewish merchant and acquaintance of Wyatt Earp, served as Albuquerque's first mayor. From launching businesses along Central Avenue, to establishing the Indian Trading Room at the famed Alvarado Hotel and founding trading posts, Route 66 tourist establishments, and the Sandia Tram, Jewish businesspeople partnered with their neighbors to boost Albuquerque's already plentiful assets. Along the way, community members built Jewish organizations-a B'nai B'rith chapter, Congregation Albert, and Congregation B'nai Israel-that made their made their mark upon the larger Albuquerque community.

Includes brief biographies, information on early African American settlement in Albuquerque, church histories, housing discrimination, and civil rights. Expands earlier editions published in 1995,1996, and 1999.

Ten years before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, settlers were already moving into the American Southwest, building houses, planning towns - & laying out streets. The names of the streets of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, & Taos reflect a long history of contrasting cultures: Spanish, Anglo, Native American. The stories behind the names are surprising, funny, & compelling, like the tales Native American storytellers pass down.

"...begins with the first Greeks coming, at the turn of the nineteenth century, to Albuquerque with the railroad. It details how they began immigrating to the town in large numbers after the First World War, and shows how, by the 1920s, these indomitable men owned and operated numerous businesses in the heart of new Albuquerque. It also shows how their brides made their own unique contribution by transforming the Greek population into a community." -- Sunstone Press