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Statehood
On Saturday, January 6, 1912, at 1:35 p.m. in Washington D.C., President William H. Taft signs the proclamation making New Mexico the 47th state of the United States of America. More than 61 years had passed since the first statehood convention had been held in New Mexico on June 20, 1850. On that day, President Taft, in the presence of Delgate W.H. Andrews, Congressman George Curry and Harvey Butler Fergusson, four members of the cabinet and other friends of New Mexico, affixed his signature to -
Period: to
New Mexico Statehood to the beginning of WWII
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The Year of 1913
U. S. Supreme Court rules that Congress has authority over Pueblos similar to that for other tribes and can prohibit the introduction of liquor into “Indian Country”;
New Mexico adopts general design of Territorial Seal as its official state seal;
first issue of El Palacio magazine (first museum magazine in the U. S.) is issued;
the Society for the Preservation of Spanish Antiquities is incorporated under the leadership of former Governor L. Bradford Prince
fifteen separate railroads are -
The Year of 1915
Taos Society of Artists is formed
first New Mexico chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded -
Pancho Villa raids Columbus, NM
In January 1916, he kidnapped 18 Americans from a Mexican train and slaughtered them. A few weeks later, on this day in 1916, Villa led an army of about 1,500 guerillas across the border to stage a brutal raid against the small American town of Columbus, New Mexico. Villa and his men killed 19 people and left the town in flames. -
The Year of 1917
Art Gallery of the Museum of New Mexico opens (later the Museum of Fine Art, now the New Mexico Museum of Art)
Nina Otero-Warren is elected to be Superintendent of Public Schools in Santa Fe, making her the youngest Superintendent in the State
“O Fair New Mexico,” by Elizabeth Garrett, is adopted as state song
New Mexico National Guard is activated for service in France as U. S. enters World War I -
The Year of 1918
Influenza hits New Mexico, as many as 5,000 may have died, Josephine Cox Anderson, the “Angel of Pecos,” leads nursing care effort in Carlsbad, not losing a single patient
Maria Montoya Martinez and husband Julian Martinez of San Ildefonso produce their first successful black-on-black pot
the Los Alamos Ranch School is founded by Ashley Pond
USS Battleship New Mexico is christened -
The Year of 1919
Santa Fe Fiesta is revived under the leadership of Edgar Hewett and the School of American Research/Museum of New Mexico
Mabel Dodge Stern (later Lujan), wealthy banking heiress, moves to Taos and attracts many artists and writer, including D. H. Lawrence, to join her “salons” -
The Year of 1920
New Mexico becomes one of the last states to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, giving women voting rights -
The Year of 1921
Oil is discovered in northwest New Mexico
Albert Fall, U. S. Senator from New Mexico, is appointed as U. S. Interior Secretary by President Harding
Santa Fe’s Los Cinco Pintores holds their first exhibit (at the Museum of Art in Santa Fe)
Meta L. Christy graduates as the first woman and first African-American osteopath, later establishing a lifelong practice in Las Vegas, New Mexico -
The Year of 1922
First Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial is held at Gallup
first Indian Market show in Santa Fe is held as Southwest Indian Fair under auspices of School of American Research/Museum of New Mexico
first New Mexico radio station, KOB, begins transmitting
Soledad Chacon is elected as New Mexico Secretary of State and Isabel Eckles as Superintendent of Public Instruction, becoming the first women to hold statewide office in New Mexico
Harriet Belle Amsden Sammons becomes the first woman bank pre -
The Year of 1923
Fred Harvey’s El Navajo Hotel, designed by Mary Colter, opens in Gallup
first issue of New Mexico Highway Journal (later New Mexico Magazine) is published -
The Year of 1924
Gila Wilderness is established in southwest New Mexico with more than 550,000 acres
Pueblos Lands Act recognizing Pueblo land rights is passed by U. S. Congress -
The Year of 1925
Spanish Colonial Arts Society is founded in Santa Fe by Mary Austin and Frank Applegate;
Zila symbol flag design is adopted as new state flag
“Indian Detours” operating out of La Fonda in Santa Fe are established as a tourist service by the Fred Harvey and Santa Fe Railroad companies -
The Year of 1926
Route 66, the “Mother Road,” is designated as Chicago-to-Los Angeles route, goes through Santa Fe;
Fred Harvey Company leases La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe, hires Mary Colter and John Gaw Meem to redo it
Spanish Colonial Arts Society organizes first Spanish Market
Zozobra is created by artist Will Shuster for the Santa Fe Fiesta -
The Year of 1927
Willa Cather’s Death Comes to the Archbishop is published. -
The Year of 1928
Oil is discovered at Hobbs, setting off a boom in the New Mexico “Oil Patch”
John Philip Sousa publishes the “New Mexico March” -
The Year of 1929
Transcontinental Air Transport plane crashes on Mt. Taylor
Georgia O’Keeffe visits New Mexico for first time
Blackwater Draw near Clovis is recognized as important early human occupation site, later becomes “type site” for the “Clovis” culture, long regarded as the oldest in the Americas -
The Year of 1930
Carlsbad Caverns made National Park
Robert Goddard arrives at Roswell, begins pioneering rocket experiments
Clyde Tombaugh of New Mexico State University discovers the “planet” Pluto (in 2006 reclassified as a “dwarf planet”) -
The Year of 1932
Pojoaque Pueblo and its culture are revitalized by 14 tribal members, including Feliciana Tapia Viarrial, a leader and matriarch in the Pueblo for many decades following
Dorothy Dunn establishes “The Studio” at Santa Fe Indian School, teaching many who subsequently became well-known artists -
The Year of 1933
New Deal art and public works programs begin
White Sands National Monument is established
Bottomless Lake State Park, first state park built with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps -
The Year of 1935
Robert Goddard launches first powered vehicle to exceed speed of sound
U. S. Senator-elect Bronson Cutting dies in airplane crash, opponent Dennis Chavez appointed to seat
New Mexico becomes known as the “Land of Enchantment”
Congressional legislation establishes Indian Arts and Crafts Board
artifacts, erroneously believed to be about 25,000 years old, are found in Sandia Cave
