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

They’ll be back!

Says Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of our collection items that left for the California State Capitol Museum today. Okay, he probably didn’t, but he could. Museums often loan articles from collections to other institutions, usually for display purposes. The Director of the California State Capitol Museum, Bruce Stiny, contacted us several months ago. He and his staff are developing an exhibit about Californians in the Spanish American War. Some of our Rough Rider collection would help illustrate part of that story.

There’s a lot to do to send some of our collection away. First, the Museum Board must review and approve the request. We require the borrower to obtain insurance on our items for the length of the loan and pay crating and shipping costs. Staff assembles the pieces and examines them carefully. The condition of each item must be recorded and photographed. The items are packed for shipping, taking particular care to guard against abrasion, bumps, and moisture. A few companies specialize in hauling fragile and high value items between museums.

Representatives of such a company arrived today to pick up the boxes. The deed was done. The exhibit “This means War” opens at the Capitol Building in Sacramento in June 2010 and will be one display until May 2011.

Raffle Winners

2009-2010 Raffle Ticket Winners
February 3, 2010
Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Rider Memorial Collection
Endowment Fund

Congratulations to the winners:

1st Prize: Sue Young, Greeley, C0 - $1,000 5year CD @ 5%, Bank of Las Vegas
2nd Prize: Elmer J. Martinez, Las Vegas, NM - $750 Cash, Friends of the Museum
3rd Prize: Vanessa Padilla, Las Vegas, NM - $250 Cash, Rosemarie Montoya, State Farm
4th Prize: Vanessa Padilla, Las Vegas, NM – $200 Suite for Two – Las Vegas Plaza Hotel
5th Prize: Hal & Joanne Olafson, Rociada, NM - $100 Gift Certificate, Charlie’s Bakery/Café
6th Prize: Vincent Howell, Las Vegas, NM - $100 Gift Certificate, Charlie’s Bakery/Café
7th Prize: Bernadette Almanzar, Las Vegas, NM - $50 Jewelry, Tito’s Gallery
8th Prize: Gilbert Rivera, Las Vegas, NM - $50 Gift Certificate, El Rialto Restaurant
9th Prize: Jean Marie Crockett, Las Vegas, NM - $50 Gift Certificate, El Rialto Restaurant
10th Prize: Hilario Rubio, Las Vegas, NM - $50 Gift Certificate, Advanced Skin/Hair/Body
11th Prize: Linda Smith, Las Vegas, NM - $75 Cash, Friends of the Museum

Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, your support is greatly appreciated! Details of the re-scheduled Annual Meeting, and Silent Film viewing will be posted soon.

Tom Mix’s View of the West

Join us Wednesday, February 3rd, at 7pm to view "Local Color", a Tom Mix silent film made in Las Vegas, New Mexico around 1915-16. This black and white film of 14 minutes is directed by, and stars, Tom Mix. The theme revolves around a young woman writer from the eastern states who wants to write a story about the West. Her father expects her to personally experience “"local color" of the west before she writes her story. Therefore he sends his daughter by train to Las Vegas where she is greeted by ranch foreman Tom Mix. From this moment on, Tom Mix and his ranch sidekicks, demonstrate what the West is “"really" like.

The film showing, with piano accompaniment, is part of another public program by the Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Riders Memorial Collection.

Architect/Historian, Elmo Baca will also present historical context for the film when discussing Las Vegas and the Gilded Years of Statehood. Finally, raffle tickets will be drawn for great prizes, including a $1000 CD and $750 cash. (You can buy Raffle tickets at the Museum or by calling me at 505-425-5929.)

Bob Mishler

President, Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Riders Memorial Collection

**NOTE**

WE HAVE REACHED OUR 500 TICKET LIMIT! NO MORE RAFFLE TICKETS WILL BE SOLD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WHO PURCHASED RAFFLE TICKETS.

Museum Archives: From Daily Use To Preservation

The word archive refers to both a collection of historical records and the place where the records are located. Archives contain primary source documents, i.e., letters, diaries, newspapers, important documents, and photographs. Secondary source materials are stored in the Museum’s “scrapbook,” the Vertical File. Archival records are preserved because of their cultural and/or historical value to researchers and Museum staff.

Because these materials are “one-of-a-kind,” they are carefully preserved. When handling this collection, Museum staff wear cotton gloves to avoid transferring dirt and oils. Many paper items contain acids which, over time, deteriorate the documents, so these papers are interleaved with acid-free tissue to draw out some of the acids. Registers, scrapbooks, journals, and pamphlets are preserved in acid-free covers and boxes. Photographs are kept in individual sleeves that do not react with emulsions, and negatives are stored separately.

The Museum archives, available for research, contain documents related to Las Vegas, the surrounding area, and the Rough Riders.

Pat Romero
Research Specialist

Friends of the Museum Raffle — Get Your Tickets Now!

The Friends of the City of Las Vegas Museum are pleased to announce our Second Annual Endowment Fund Raffle. As a result of past generosity, the current endowment fund balance is over $27,000. We need your help to reach our goal of $100,000 by 2012, New Mexico’s Centennial Year. Purchasing a raffle ticket is one way to support the Museum’s collections, exhibits, and educational programs. Recent projects at the Museum include the development of an interpretive plan and an interactive educational game, Las Vegas Alive!; redesign of the Website; Songs of the Cowboys program; and Scrapbooking Las Vegas and Git Fer Vegas, Cowboy! exhibits. Proposed projects include an exhibit about clothing and an interactive oral history program.

The drawing will be held February 3, 2010 at the Friends of the Museum Annual Meeting. You do not need to be present to win.

For more information about the Friends of the Museum, the endowment fund, and where to buy your tickets, go to our website.