Images from New Mexico

Located in the "Land of Enchantment," Taos has a long history that predates the pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth Rock. Anasazi Indians first inhabited the Taos Valley in 1000 A.D., and the Taos Pueblo (both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark) has been continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years. Spanish conquistadors explored Taos in 1540, and by 1615 many Spanish families had settled in the region. Taos later became a crossroads for French and American trappers, and by the early 1800s it was a bustling headquarters for mountain men, including the legendary Kit Carson. When artists Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein passed through in 1898, a broken wagon wheel delayed them and ultimately resulted in another wave of newcomers, who established an art colony. In 1917, New York socialite Mabel Dodge became enthralled with Taos, and during the next four decades she invited many highly regarded creative people to visit, including Ansel Adams, Carl Jung, Georgia O'Keefe, Willa Cather, D. H. Lawrence, and Aldous Huxley. Taos continues to attract adventurous, spirited individuals.

Details historic adobe homes in the Taos Valley, in the Spanish Colonial and Territorial styles, with some photographs dating back to 1901.

Historical and contemporary photographs from around New Mexico. Images of: Kit Carson's house c. 1920, Old Taos Plaza c. 1880.

Photographs of New Mexico scenes--old and new, side-by-side. Taos Plaza c. 1910, 1930 and 1940s, Kit Carson House late 1800s, Charles Bent House c. 1930s.

"In the early years of this century, William Pennington and Lisle Updike roamed the Four Corners area of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona, photographing people and landscapes. They traveled on horseback, by narrow gauge railroad, horse-drawn wagon, or Model T Fords, sometimes working together from the studio they shared in Durango, sometimes working alone. They went to mining camps in the nearby San Juan Mountains as well as to the Navajo, Jicarilla, Apache, Acoma, and Zuni Indian reservations.

Photographs from Tierra Amarilla c. 1910.

Historical photographs of Tierra Amarilla and other towns in the Espanola Valley such as El Vado, El Rito, Espanola, Alcalde, Los Luceros, Cebolla, Rosa, Chamita, Ponds Mill, Barranca, Chama, and La Madera.

Historicial photographs from Tijeras as well as Carnuel, Canoncito, San Antonio, Cedar Crest, Sandia Park, San Antonito, and Placitas. Also featured is Hobbies Mountain Ranch, which became the Well Country Camp for tuberculosis patients from around the country.

"Hot Springs, New Mexico, Ain't That Any More" was one of the headlines on April 4, 1950, in the Gallup Independent. As a publicity stunt, Ralph Edwards had invited a town to change its name to "Truth or Consequences," the name of his popular radio quiz show, and Hot Springs agreed to do so. Since the late 1800s, the area has attracted health seekers to bathe in and drink from the area's hot mineral springs. The region is home to Elephant Butte Dam and lake, completed in 1916, which remains one of the largest irrigation dams in the United States. Carrie Tingley Crippled Children's Hospital, built in 1937 by New Mexico governor Clyde Tingley, utilized the natural hot mineral waters to treat children with polio. From the placement of the Hot Springs Bathhouse and Commercial District on the State and National Register of Historic Places to the centennial celebration of Elephant Butte Dam, Truth or Consequences continues to grow and develop while still honoring its heritage.

Photographs of New Mexico scenes--old and new, side-by-side. Truth or Consequences c. 1956.

Historical and contemporary photographs from around New Mexico. Photograph of Main Street (Route 66) c. 1947

Historical images derived from postcards of Tyrone and Leopold, as well as Hillsboro, Santa Rita and Hurley, Silver City and Pinos Altos, Cooney and Mogollon, and western Grant County. Includes images of the T.S. Parker Hospital, and the Phelps Dodge Mercantile Company store.