Wagons Further West in New Mexico

 Our next stop is in a city park in Bernalillo, NM. 

Coronado Campground has pretty nice sites, the front row where we were is near the highway, but not that noisy, considering how close to the road. For those that enjoy a good beer once in awhile, it is a short walk (less than a 1/4 mile) to the Bosque brewery/eatery, and walking distance to the Coronado Historic Site.

After our rest day we took a walk to the Coronado Historic Site.

There is some controversy as to whether or not Coronado actually visited this area. Visit: https://www.nmhistoricsites.org/coronado.

These are the ruins visitors walk past on their way into the Visitor Center. This is a fee site. 

The ruins that visitors see today are re-creation of the original community. Somewhere around the 1200s northern New Mexico Indians began migrating to this area because of draught in their areas. The tribe in this area at the time were known as Pueblo Kuaua (pronounced like chihuahua, only the "chi" is "K"). 

I understood the word pueblo to mean a house, but in reality it means town, or community.

A nice job was done re-creating a community that was here in the 12th,13th, 14th, and possibly 15th centuries. It is estimated that the community/town/pueblo could have had as many as 1500 rooms in it. What had happened was the migration of other Indian tribes to the area because of draught in the old regions.

In the pueblo they had separate houses for preparing food for eating, and grinding meal. These rooms are not for the ""tall", at 5'10" I had to bend over, even in between the beams.

Here is a log entry from Pedro de Castaneda in 1540: "They keep the separate houses where they prepare the food for eating, and where they grind the meal, very clean. This is a separate room or closet, where they have a trough with three stones fixed in stiff clay. Three women go in here, each having a stone, with which one of them breaks the corn, the next grinds it, and the third grinds it again. They take off their shoes, do up their hair, shake their clothes, and cover their heads before they enter the door. A man sits at the door playing on a fife while they grind, moving the stones to the music and singing together. They grind a large quantity at one time, because they make all their bread of meal soaked in warm water, like wafers." 

The archeologists are still learning the techniques used to build the adobe buildings. You see, what I didn't tell you was that the original Pueblo of Kuaua was covered back up in the 30's because of how quick the structures were deteriorating.

The next adobe structure, or kiva, was built on top of the original foundation of another building.

This particular kiva would have been used ceremonially, and only men would have been allowed in. Access was up and down the ladders.

Visitors are allowed into the kiva because it is not used ceremonially... so watch your step. The paintings on the walls are re-creations of the original paintings found in discovered kiva. The paintings are exact to the originals, which means some of them are partial; they are partial because the originals were damaged by water. The paintings in the photos are complete.

Items in each painting represent significant items in mother nature. For example, a jagged white line represents lightning; dotted lines in motion to the ground represents rain. These reproductions were painted by a local Native American Indian.

These arenas would have been deeper, because they were used for various ceremonies.

When new tribes would arrive to a pueblo, they built new structures, adding to existing structures. Here is how Gasper Perez de Villagra logged it in 1610: "We visited a good many of these pueblos. They are well built with straight, well-squared walls. Their towns have no defined streets. Their houses are three, five, six, and even seven stories high, with many windows and terraces. The men spin and weave, the women cook, build houses, and keep them in good repair. They dress in garments of cotton cloth, and the women wear beautiful shawls of many colors. They are quiet, peaceful people of good appearance and excellent physique, alert and intelligent. They are not known to drink, a good omen indeed. We saw no maimed or deformed people among them. The men and women alike are excellent swimmers. They are also expert in the art of painting, and are good fishermen. They live in complete equality, neither exercising authority nor demanding obedience."

This is the reason the pueblo lived in this area... the Rio Grande. Back during their days it probably flowed more than it does today. Today people can walk across it in many areas.

While on our walk through the pueblo we came across an interesting plant.

This seed pod is known as "Devil's Claw". It is believed that there are medicinal uses, which include the reduction of arthritis, and inflammation. You can go on Amazon and buy plants, or tablets.

This is what the plant looks like in bloom, and when the seeds are harvested.

On the way back into the museum visitors can see a large group of birds running around:

These are the two types of quail that run around at the site. Gambel's Quail, with the club on his head, is the most commonly seen darting around the ground. The other is the Scaled Quail, or cottontop. We saw both on our walk. The photos are courtesy of Jack Ellis.

This is a short visit, but enjoyable. 

BREAK...BREAK

We continued our American Native Indian journey, the next day. We drove into Albuquerque to visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC). Visit: https://indianpueblo.org.

Right up front... we were really intrigued with the skateboard decks exhibit.

The Indian culture realized they needed to walk been two cultural societies.

This artist used these five decks to tells a story, and is entitled Prayers of Restoration.

The above deck was created using multi-medium: spray paint, acrylic paint, gold foil, and turquoise arrow points.

Some of these decks were created by artists associated with a local New Mexico skateboard deck manufacturer. The decks are made from seven layers of Maple veneer, laminated in a concrete mold, they are under pressure for eight hours, then rest for a day.

The other mediums that can be used include printing, burning, and carving.

The next section we ventured to speaks of the sacred fetishes used in the Pueblo culture, particularly the Zuni Pueblo.

These fetishes guide hunters in harvesting game, protect individuals and communities, ensure abundance and fertility, and bring rain and bountiful crops. They also play an important role in healing ceremonies.

There are specific fetishes that pertain to the six directions: eagle represents the sky; mole represents the earth; mountain lion represents north; bear represents west; wolf represents east; badger represents south. 

Considered sacred objects, fetishes can be worn, carried, or kept in a special place.

Strolling on, we enter exhibits displaying the life of a pueblo resident, and a few stories passed down through time. One of those stories is of the Three Sisters. As the story goes: when these three sisters lived in a field, the taller sister provides shade for the two smaller sisters. Over the course of several weeks, a powerful old woman visits the field, taking away the smaller sisters until the tall sister was left sad and alone. At last, the old woman returned and brought the last sister  to her home, where the sisters experienced a joyful reunion. The old woman was named winter, and the three sisters were corn, beans, and squash. The three sisters sustain us, providing a balanced, nutritious meal when eaten together.

There are several interactive spots throughout the cultural center. One of the sit down spots allows the visitor to listen to greetings from various Pueblos in their native tongues. Another area lights up figurines used to tell cultural stories.

These are some of the artwork created by Pueblo artists. The small purple frog is Sugilite, and Mother of Pearl eyes (Zuni Pueblo); the turtle is with a shell lid (Hopi-Tewa Pueblo); large frog is Marble, Turquoise, Mother of Pearl, Coral, Heishi (Zuni Pueblo).

This would be a clay polychrome turkey, made by one of the artists of the Tesuque Pueblo. The work done on this bird is fantastic. We will take a closer look at the paint job later.

Take a close look and figure out what you are looking at. If you have given up, I will tell you this... its a blanket. Ok, who can figure out what it is made of? If you guessed woven turkey feathers, congratulations. This was the second time we saw a blanket made with turkey feathers.

I said we would talk about the paint job on the turkey... so here we

go. These are Yucca brushes. The spines of the Yucca is stripped down to the desired size they are looking for to paint their project. The black paint is made from Rocky Mountain Beeweed plant. This plant has many different names, and in this region might have been called Navajo Spinach.

It is an annual flowering plant that attracts all kinds of insects, especially bees, which do their job pollenating other plants.

The Native Indians are a proud people, and sometimes others from a different continent can cause problems. This became apparent in the late 1600s.

This gentleman's name is Po'pay, of the Tewa Pueblo, and was a spiritual leader. Po'pay was not a fighter, but a hunter and tended his gardens, responsible for ensuring the ceremonial calendar was followed, was a medicine man, and was concerned with protecting his family and community.

He was not a rebel against the Spaniards, but concerned with the survival of the Pueblo culture. He feared that the Spaniards were suppressing the Pueblo Indians centuries-old religion and beliefs. 

Po'pay lead the Pueblo Revolt, an anti-colonial movement to remove Spanish colonies in what was known as the Upper Rio Grande Valley. Before the revolt, he, alongside dozens of indigenous leaders were convicted of practicing "sorcery". After his release, he relocated to Taos and planned the successful 1680 assault on the colonial administration, located at Santa Fe. Pueblo runners carrying knotted deerskins to local communities announced the date of the attack. The assault actually started a day earlier because of the deaths of some of the indigenous Natives. The uprising lasted ten days, and did drive out the colonials, who were forced to move hundreds of miles south to El Paso del Norte.

Lets take another look at this sculpture of Po'pay. In the artist's rendition, Po'pay holds in his hands items that will determine the future existence of the Pueblo People. In his right hand he holds the knotted cord that determined the beginning of the revolt; in his left hand is the bear fetish, which symbolizes the center of the Pueblo world and the Pueblo religion. The drum symbolizes the songs and ceremonies of the Pueblo culture. The medicine bags around his neck are filled with the necessary elements for his commitment to his medicine society of which he belongs. He worn a loincloth and moccasins representing Pueblo fashion; his haircut is traditional Pueblo, hanging loosely, symbolizing rain. He wears an eagle tail, down tied, on top of his head, connecting his soul and prayers to the Creator. The broken crucifix represents the break from the oppressors and forced religion, that was forced upon the Pueblo People. The sculptor is from the Jemez Pueblo.

Before we leave the cultural center, I offer this poem from Simon J. Ortiz:

After we walked out of the exhibition area we stopped at a couple of the local vendors. I watched the artist carve a  ceramic figurine... and bought it.  The ceramic is a single firing, keeping the piece soft

enough for the artist to carve on. The black coloration is from horse hair during the firing. The design is all free hand. I had to come back and pick it up after he finished putting the protective coating, so we went to lunch at the center's restaurant. 

We didn't really try anything too outside the box, just ribeye with cheese enchiladas. Our choice of drinks is what really created the excitement... root beer from a local manufacturer, Zia. The root beer was made with the usual, plus anise, yucca rot, licorice, clove, mint, and Madagascar bourbon vanilla. 

After lunch we returned to the local vendors to pickup my purchase, and Carol took a look at the jewelry vendors wares, purchasing a necklace. The pendant piece is amethyst and

sterling silver.

Of course we hit their store too... and bought a couple of sand art squares depicting Father Sky and Mother Earth.

Before we left the Albuquerque area there was a threat of snow the last night... the temperatures dipped into the mid-twenties, and the wind was a blowin'. See you down the road.

Tucumcari or Bust

Off we go on our way to Tucumcari, NM. The drive was not a very small tasking with the winds a blowing briskly most of the trip. 

We saw lots of these... gave the wind a purpose.

New Mexico isn't afraid to announce their presence... or what I call a large print border sign. Right after the border sign is a visitor center. The KOA we are going to stay at isn't far from the border, maybe 40 miles.

The campground is a quick right turn off Rte. 66.

How many remember watching Cars? It is my opinion that the movie was loosely based on this town. Rte. 66 was the main drag in this town... until I-40 created a bypass right around the town. The town really never recovered. This campground is more of a short stay, like a couple of nights. We are going to try and make the best of this stop.

The first three days we stayed in house because of the extremely windy and overcast clouds the first couple of days, and rain the next day.

The sun finally came out, so we went out. Our venture today was the Tucumcari Historical Museum.

https://www.tucumcarimuseum.org.

This building had many functions before it became the museum. In 1903 it started out as Central School; in the 30's it was a soup kitchen; 1935 saw it as the district offices for the Army Corps of Engineers. 1936/37 it was a hospital. In support of the war effort, it became a military glider school in 1942. In 1948 it was again opened as the Central School, and stayed that way until it closed in 1965. The Tucumcari Historical Research Society was handed the building.

This room is filled, like all the others, with history of the people from these parts.

I love the railroad, and am always intrigued with the making of the railroad. I am constantly amazed at how they tracked the laying of track, and here is no different.

These are date nails, used to identify when track was laid. This collection dates from the late 1800s, to the 1970s.

Another fascination for me is the opportunity for blind folks to read and write. I remember the Little House On The Prairie episode where the oldest daughter lost her sight, and started a school for the blind with her husband. Back then it took time to create braille books for the blind.

Then along comes modern technology... the braille typewriter. This machine is known as the "Perkins Brailler" It functions similar to a conventional typewriter, with the major difference being the six keys that correspond to the braille code. To made words the user would simultaneously push combinations of keys. The rollers that hold and advance the paper, are grooved, to prevent compressing the punched holes. Should you wonder, this machine began production in 1951.

As we venture into the next room, we find that it is a tribute to the militaries, and previous uses of the building. If you remember, I said the building served as a hospital for awhile. We have all seen the different types of wheelchairs that use to clutter the halls... but how about this designer chair:

I am told it was designed for the sports fans so they wouldn't miss any part of their game... I think it was used for other reasons... being it was in the hospital.

William (Billy) Spurgeon Walters Jr. was not one of those that spent time in the hospital. Billy was born here in Tucumcari, and enlisted in the Navy. 

He was the first Tucumcari resident to die in WWII. He was stationed on the USS Arizona, in Hawaii, and was killed nine days before his 20th birthday. In memory of Navy and Marine son's, a Mother's Club was organized in Tucumcari, and named in honor of Billy Walters.

For those of us that were at home during WWII, we enjoyed ration stamps for many of our food items and gas, our guys in the Civil Defense were ensuring we were prepared to survive if the U.S. was attacked. This was achieved through air raid exercises, and the storage of food provisions.

These would have been provisions kept in or near a bomb shelter. What you see is a can of saltine crackers, a can of biscuits, a sanitation kit, and... toilet paper.

When my mom and I lived in Wichita in a house that was part of turned over government housing, I ventured into (broke into) the vacant house in front of ours, and found similar items in the kitchen, including a bag of sugar, and a bag of dried beans. Apparently military families were issued similar rations.

In a different room visitors can find the everyday household items like an old ice box, an assortment of irons, and bottles.

The ice box is circa 1904, and manufacturing lasted into the 20's, when electric refrigerators became available. Ice boxes like this survived into the 30's in rural areas where electricity hadn't made its way. The bottle are a small sample of everything from alcohol to medicine bottles.

Depending on the family income it may have determined what type of iron they owned. Can anyone identify this little kitchen device? Turning the tag around, the visitor learns that it is a cherry stoner, used for removing cherry pits. There were many other items to be seen in this room, but we are going to take a walk outside to visit some of the other buildings.

Outside, the museum was preparing to re-mount their windmill, after its restoration. We moved to the caboose.

This Southern Pacific Railroad caboose #443 was used on the Arizona/New Mexico rails of Southern Pacific, and was donated to the museum in 1982, by Southern Pacific.

The next building on the trail is Firehouse #1. The firehouse was

used by the Tucumcari Volunteer Fire Department. The firehouse is probably about 30 feet square. Inside of the firehouse is a fire truck purchased by Tucumcari, for the volunteer fire department; the arrival was reported in an addition of the 1927 Tucumcari newspaper, reporting it came "with a representative and demonstrator." After the fire truck was retired, it sat on museum property before  being restored, which only occurred thanks to the community on different levels.

This is an F-100A Super Sabre, of which there are only 17 known to be in existence in the United States. Manufactured in 1955, it was removed from inventory in 1966, when donated to the museum. Before it was retired it spent time fighting in the Vietnam War. It arrived from Santa Fe via helicopter, landing at Tucumcari Airport in 1969. The plane originally was on display at the Tucumcari Park, but due to vandalism, was moved to museum grounds.

The next building was filled with overflow items such as a telephone switchboard, wagons, and tools. The last building we moved to was an annex to the compound. This was an interesting bench seat

The wagon wheel is attached to the seat and arms. Inside the annex is a variety of items from clothing to a roulette table. I was intrigued with the juke box they had on display, very ornate.

This next exhibit may be unfamiliar to some of you folks, but there are a few of us that recognize what it is.
For those unfamiliar with this device... it is a rotary telephone. Callers were required to stick a finger in the hole of the number they wished to use, then make the clear wheel move in a clockwise motion... this had to be done for each number being dialed.

Before we leave this museum, lets talk some about the legend of Tucumcari Mountain.

This is how the legend goes passed down by the Indian tribes: Wautonomah, an Apache Chief, knew he was close to death and was concerned about his successor. He had a daughter named Kari. His two finest braves, Tonopah and Tocom, were both interested in her hand in marriage, but they were bitter enemies because of this. So-Wautonomah took them aside and told them that they were to fight for his daughters hand and leadership of the tribe. Kari loved Tocom, and hated Tonopah. The braves hurled themselves at each other, knives drawn. No one knew that Kari hid herself during the fight. Tonopah got the upper hand on Tocom, and killed him. Kari came out of concealment and killed Tonopah. She grabbed Tocom's knife, and stabbed herself in grief. Wautonomah was led to the scene, heartbroken, he took Kari's knife and killed himself. His last utterance before dying was "Tocom-Kari". The legend lives on, with a slight change to "Tucumcari".

This was a small museum, but full of information and exhibits. They did want visitors to know that the museum is to be fun and informative.

The next day we drove all the way over to the other side of town to visit their Rte. 66 museum.

This was a sculpture in front of the convention center, which is located in front of the museum.

This is a small museum that deals more in the New Mexico portion of Rte. 66. On several of the walls are photographs from a gentleman that drove the entire route, from Illinois to California.

We spoke with the gentleman working the day we visited, and he had some good stories to tell. That orange car on the left in the photo was owned by a high school student he went to school with. The owner of the car graduated high school and moved on, and after making his "fortune", he returned to Tucumcari. Before he left town, he sold his car. Over the years he kept track of the VIN for the vehicle. He tracked his old car to an area near Gallup New Mexico, and bought it back. After $70,000.00 in restorations, the car looks good as new. There are a couple of Chevrolets on display that belong to a teacher that taught at the high school.

I'm going to give you a look at how Carol and I looked in our younger days... so beware.

that's right, time does something to people. 

After the museum we began our drive back to the campground. Before we got there we made a few stops at some points of interest... probably more for us than you the reader.

Rte. 66 was considered the "mother road" of America in its day. In its day people traveled more for pleasure, I believe they called it vacation, so there were many stopping points for a good nights rest... they called them motels, or motor lodges. Like it is today, advertising was the way to get customers to stay at one's motel, and here is an example:

note the selling point "100% refrigerated air", another term for air conditioning. The Blue Swallow is still one of the original active motels in town.

How many of you know that John Deere made motorcycles... I didn't.

Probably a one and only prototype. This one is in front of the town's welcome center/gift shop.

For those adventurous wanderers interested in traveling Rte. 66, there is a guide to help on your adventure. This guide breaks down Rte. 66 by state.

We have driven more of Rte. 66 than we knew. A lot of the route was made into I-40 in the southwest. Don't be afraid to get your kicks on Rte. 66.

My last chore before leaving Tucumcari was getting propane. I knew ahead of time I could not get it from the KOA, it is under new ownership, and they are not certified in New Mexico yet. My next stop was the Conoco in town... that was a no-go. There was a sign on their propane filling station indicating it was closed for business. We needed to get diesel, so we got it at Conoco, and while doing so I got the story about their propane. Apparently earlier in the month a tractor trailer took out their propane tank and all associated equipment. The fill station was repaired, and just waiting for state certification. Moving to plan "C", the Love's truck stop down the road. I arrived there to be informed they were out of propane and didn't know when they would get their nest shipment. So off to our next stop, one tank down on propane.