Highway Eighty Five revisited

Prior to 1952, Grand Avenue was a 2 lane road, barely paved, with wide planting strips dense with trees, separating sidewalks from traffic. The Las Vegas Urban Highway project of that year transformed Highway 85 from a small town throughway to a modern highway. The improvements included new mercury vapor lights, wider lanes that eliminated the tree lined strips and added a median divider.

The latest project to enhance Grand Avenue has begun. Over the next six months, the orange barrels will be out between National and Tilden Avenues. At times the Museum may be a challenge to access, but we are not anticipating any reduction in public visiting hours. Parking will continue to be available along National Avenue and Fourth Street. On the positive side, the building will benefit directly from some of the intended improvements. The sidewalks along Grand Avenue will be widened, putting more distance between our historic building and traffic. Transitions between sidewalks, paths, and landings will be eased and repaired. Renovated storm inlets will make those rivers of runoff along the curb after a summer thunderstorm a thing of the past. The Museum will be easier to find with the proposed signage along Grand. And that middle median will be back.

Meta L. Christy

The Museum receives an average of three to six enquiries per week from individuals, scholars, and even Public Broadcasting System’s show “The History Detectives.” The most recent enquiry came from the New Mexico State Preservation Division (NMSPD) for information on Meta L. Christy, D. O., believed to be the first Black female osteopathic surgeon in the United States and perhaps the world.

Meta Christy (1895-1968) moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico, in the early 1930s and set up a practice in her home on Sulzbacher Street. Born in Kokomo, Indiana, Christy graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1921. She was the first minority student to graduate from that college. She was practicing medicine at the same address in 1967, a year before she died. She is buried in the Masonic Cemetery.

The NMSPD, under the Historic Women Marker Initiative, is considering placing a roadside marker in Las Vegas near Christy’s home and office.

Pat Romero
Museum Assistant/Research Specialist