Oppenheimer House Symposium Set for Sept. 23-24

The wartime home of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer is owned in a life trust by the Los Alamos Historical Society. Eventually, the house will be open to the public, and the Society's wants to begin planning now for that time. On September 23-24, a group of scholars, preservationists, historic house experts, and community members will gather to talk about the best ways to incorporate the house in the "museum complex," which includes the Los Alamos Historical Museum, the Los Alamos Historical Museum Archives, and the homestead-era Romero Cabin.

The public is invited to participate in the round-table and panel discussions. These will be held Thursday, Sept. 23 in Fuller Lodge from 1:45 p.m.-5 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 24 at the Hilltop House from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. In addition, a meeting specifically for soliciting public comment will be held on Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the La Vista Room at the Best Western Hilltop House. A complete schedule will be available online soon. Please contact our offices at 505-662-6272 for more information.

The symposium is sponsored by the New Mexico Humanities Council, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and members of the Los Alamos Historical Society.

What I Did on My Summer "Vacation"

Latest Podcast: Physicist Joe McKibben (no relation to Los Alamos gatekeeper Dorothy McKibbin) tells how he was able to make himself useful and get to the Trinity test in this podcast. (1.91 MB .mp3 file.)

Learn more about podcasts or how to subscribe to the Los Alamos Historical Society's podcast here.

Ashley Pond's First Ranch School

Thirteen years before he started the Los Alamos Ranch School, Ashley Pond almost started another school on a ranch near Watrous, NM. Just weeks before that school was set to open, the great flood of 1904, one of the worst disasters in New Mexico history, struck and washed away the school buildings. Ashley was fortunate to escape with his life, along with that of his wife, 10-month-old daughter, and two school employees.

Sharon Snyder, a board member of the Los Alamos Historical Society and biographer of Peggy Pond Church (that 10-month-old daughter), put together an excursion to visit the site of Pond's first ranch school. It included visits to other historic sites, some with Los Alamos connections. The trip was put up for bid at the Historical Society's "experience" auction in May, and won by long-time supporter Jane Sherwood. Jane invited a group of friends along for the ride. Special thanks to Georgia Strickfaden of Buffalo Tours for providing transportation and historic input along the way.

In the photos below, Sharon Snyder talks with the current ranch owners, Karen and Brian Boyd, neighbors, and other visitors about the history of the 1904 flood. The middle picture shows the barn, on higher ground than the house, which was restored in 2003. It is where the Pond family waited out the flood. The third picture is Jane Sherwood walking in front of the house. Water from the flood came up to -- and through -- the second story.

Council Delays Action on Archives Facility

The Los Alamos County Council has delayed action on a new Los Alamos Historical Archives and County Records Center until October. At that time, the Council should have bids for design and construction costs of the new municipal building. The preferred alternative from the county's contractor that has studied the feasibility of a new archives and records center is to include it in the municipal building. The bids the Council is awaiting include that addition. However, the Council is also considering an alternative that would place the archives at the community building next to Ashley Pond and a separate county records facility at the municipal building or at the Pajarito Cliffs (formerly Airport Basin) site.

For more information about this complex project, including a detailed study on the needs for a new facility and the space requirements, visit the Los Alamos County website.

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