Written by: Jaymi Firestone
New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment, and as residents, we probably could name many reasons why we think it is enchanting. Our State is full of little gems that even residents may not know about. We’ve found 13 little tid-bits about the State of New Mexico that you may not know!
13 Little-Known Facts About New Mexico
Fact 1:
In 1950, two fires raged through the Lincoln National Forest in Central New Mexico. They were started in different areas, one from a discarded cigarette butt that was thrown out carelessly, the other was a result of sparks from a cookstove. The two fires resulted in 17,000 acres of the forest burning.
As firefighters hurried to put out the fire, a game warden noticed a bear cub that had climbed to the top of a tree to escape the blazes below. The bear cub had burns on his paws and hind legs from climbing the tree, so a New Mexico Game and Fish Ranger took the cub home and cared for him.
He was quickly tagged with the name, “Smokey Bear,” and became the mascot for the National Forest Service. He is widely known around the country as the National Fire Safety Symbol, and cartoon depictions of the bear can be found somewhere in most National Forests. Smokey received so much attention that soon after healing from his wounds, he was transported to Washington D.C. to the National Zoo, where he lived out the rest of his life. He is now buried in Capitan, NM and you can visit his grave and museum there. New Mexico will forever be the resting place of the orphaned cub that changed the face of fire safety. We are proudly the home state of Smokey Bear.
Fact 2:
Originally constructed in the 17th Century, Santa Fe’s Palace of the Governors is the oldest government building in the United States. It was built as Spain’s seat of government in the American Southwest in 1609, and was converted to a history museum in 1909. The museum contains exhibits on American, Mexican, and Spanish colonization dating back to the late 1500s.
It is a little gem in our state capital that is known as both a National Historic Landmark and an American Treasure. Many tourists visit the museum every year and learn a bit of New Mexico History. On most days you can find blankets sprawled out on the front concrete walkway, where local artists, jewelers, and vendors sell their handmade goods. It is a beautiful place to visit and highly recommended if you are looking to know about New Mexico history.
Fact 3:
If you’ve been in New Mexico long, you have heard about, or even visited White Sands National Monument. This landscape of beautiful white dunes is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo. Contrary to what most believe, the dunes are not made of sand, but rather of gleaming white gypsum crystals. The beautiful National Monument covers approximately 275 square miles of desert in the Tularosa Basin. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the entire world and one of the greatest natural wonders in the world.
Fact 4:
The Whole Enchilada Festival in Las Cruces once held the Guinness World Record for the largest enchilada. The event held the title from 2000 until 2010. The enchilada measured about 10 1/2 feet in diameter. To make this giant enchilada, Roberto’s Restaurant volunteers and family members used 750 pounds of masa, 175 pounds of cheese, 75 gallons of red chile, and 60 pounds of onions.
It took 48 people to make it. The enchilada still holds the record for the largest flat enchilada in the world. Each year the Festival creates a giant enchilada and allows visitors to participate in an enchilada eating contest, with the winner receiving a $1,000 prize. Sounds like a delicious opportunity! The Festival is held in the early fall every year. As a bit of extra info for you, Gallup, NM happens to hold the record for the largest Navajo taco.
Fact 5:
There are long rivers all over the United States, but did you know that our very own Rio Grande River is in the top 5? As New Mexico’s longest river, the Rio Grande runs the entire length of the state. It is almost 1,900 miles long. That’s longer than the Colorado River!
The Rio Grande’s water flows from the Colorado Rockies’ snow-capped mountains to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a great place for fishing, kayaking, white water rafting, and swimming throughout the state.
Fact 6:
As proud New Mexico Citizens, we all have heard about our very own Las Vegas. Here are four interesting tidbits about Las Vegas all rolled into one though. The infamous OK Corral figure Doc Holliday operated a saloon/gambling hall and dental office in Las Vegas before moving to moving to Tombstone, Arizona. Doc Holliday lived in NM! Who knew it?!
Second, Las Vegas, which was named before its better-known counterpart in Nevada, was New Mexico’s largest city at the turn of the 20th Century. It used to be a booming city. Third, it was the first territorial capital for one whole day! Finally, Las Vegas has nine historic districts on the National Registry with 900 buildings. This is more than any city in the entire United States. Pretty cool to have that title.
Fact 7:
Have you ever seen 5 states at once? If you’ve been atop the 8,182-foot high Capulin Volcano in Union County you have!
The volcano is in the northeastern part of the state, and when you stand at the top, you can see Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and, of course, New Mexico. That’s almost as cool as standing at the spot of Four Corners in the northwest part of the state!
Fact 8:
The Gold Rush started in New Mexico when Jose F. Ortiz struck gold in Dolores (near Cerrillos). His gold strike in 1827, took place almost two decades before the California gold rush. New Mexico struck gold first!
Another fun fact for you — Thomas Edison had a large plant near the mine where he attempted to extract gold using static electricity. It wasn’t one of his best inventions though, and the plant closed shortly after it opened.
Fact 9:
Have you ever heard of Thomas Edward Ketchum? He was better known as “Black Jack.” and was the only person hanged in New Mexico. He was hanged for “felonious assault upon a railway train” which, at the time, was a capital offense.
Sadly, he also has the dubious distinction of being the only person in the U.S. who was ever decapitated during a legal hanging. Yikes! Talk about going down in history.
Fact 10:
Gila National Forest manages a whopping 3.3 million acres, including the Gila Wilderness. With that amount of acres, it is in the top 10 of the largest national forests in the United States.
In fact, New Mexico has seven national forests, covering one-fourth of the entire state. Maybe this is why New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment.
Fact 11:
In recent news, Philmont Scout Ranch has been drawing attention due to the fires. Created in 1938, Philmont is the largest camping facility in the world. IN THE WORLD! Thankfully, only a few small structures burned during the recent Ute Park Fire. So the camp is still mostly in tact.
Each year, more than 18,000 scouts from across the globe visit the 140,177 acre ranch. The area surrounding the Ranch is rich with history, from the Native Americans who made this arid land their home to the land barons of the 19th century. More than 1 million scouts and venturers have experienced the adventure of Philmont since it’s first camping season in 1939. And just to add a bit of fun for you, it’s supposedly haunted. You can even buy a book about the ghosts and legends of the Philmont Scout Ranch.
Fact 12:
The very first New Mexico movie was filmed in 1898. It was made by Thomas Edison. This silent, black and white film called “Indian Day School,” had a run time of about 30 seconds and featured children going in and out of the Isleta Indian School. There have been many movies filmed here since, including (but not limited to): “Cowboys and Aliens” (2011) featuring Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde, “Wild Hogs” (2007) featuring Tim Allen, John Travolta, and Martin Lawrence, “The Cowboy” (1979) featuring John Wayne, and of course, the most recent, “Hell or High Water” (2016) featuring Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges. We love our New Mexico film industry and all the great movies filmed here.
Fact 13:
The world’s first atomic bomb was detonated on the White Sands Testing Range in Alamogordo on July 16, 1945. Plans for a uranium bomb began as early as 1939, when Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt supporting the theory that an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction had great potential as a basis for a weapon of mass destruction. Research began in 1940 with a grant of $6,000 from the government. Finally, after much research work was put in, on the morning of July 16, in the New Mexico desert, the first atomic bomb was detonated. The scientists and a few dignitaries had removed themselves 10,000 yards away to observe as the first mushroom cloud of searing light that stretched 40,000 feet into the air and generated the destructive power of 15,000 to 20,000 tons of TNT. The tower on which the bomb sat when detonated was vaporized. Nothing was left. That was a big bang!
The Land of Enchantment holds some little known secrets that make New Mexico pretty cool. Did you know these facts or were you surprised? We’d love to hear from you!
