Celebrate the Centennial of New Mexico and 100 Years of Los Alamos History
As part of the New Mexico state centennial, the Los Alamos Historical Society is celebrating 100 years of Los Alamos history in 2012, from the early homesteads on the Pajarito Plateau to the Manhattan Project to the development of a modern community. We have a number events coming up and hope you will join us.
- Through Feb. 29, Exhibit at Mesa Public Library, "100 Years of Los Alamos People and Places: Community Connections." Exhibit visitors are invited to add their connections with stories, photographs, drawings, and more. The exhibit will be on display through the end of February.
- Sunday, Feb. 5, 2-4 p.m., Community Open Mike Event. Tell your Los Alamos story and collect your book! At Mesa Public Library.
- Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m. in Fuller Lodge, “Los Alamos, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the Manhattan Project,” with Dr. James Hopkins, professor of history at Southern Methodist University.
Long Awaited Peggy Pond Church Biography Now Available
Peggy Pond Church, author of the classic book, The House at Otowi Bridge, has been called the first lady of New Mexican poetry. Now her story appears in a biography that traces a historic life through canyons and ruins, trails and tall pines, a great flood, and the loss of her home to the Manhattan Project of World War II. Born in 1903 on a ranch in the Territory of New Mexico, Church lived in Pajarito Canyon and at the Los Alamos Ranch School before being uprooted during the war to live the second half of her life in Taos, Berkeley, and Santa Fe. Although her poetry has many inspirations and sensitive observations of land and people, she once described it by commenting, "It's the land that wants to be said." Church's journey is revealed also in her books of poetry such as Accidental Magic and This Dancing Ground of Sky. In 1984 she received the Governor's Award for Excellence and Achievement in the Arts and was also named a Living Treasure of Santa Fe.
A new biography, At Home on the Slopes of Mountains: The Story of Peggy Pond Church by Sharon Snyder, is now available for $30 in the Museum Shop or by clicking this link to our secure online shop. Orders may be made by e-mailing our Publications Department, publications@losalamoshistory.org or calling 505-662-2660.
Las Conchas Fire Exhibit Extended Through February
The sheer size and scope of the Las Conchas Fire last June lent itself to some amazing pictures. View a sampling of these from community photographers in the Çhanging Exhibit room of the Los Alamos Historical Museum. More than 40 images from more than 20 photographers capture the flames, smoke, firefighting efforts, and aftermath of the largest blaze in New Mexico history. The exhibit will be on display through February. The panel discussion scheduled for Dec. 13 has been postponed until after the first of the year. Check back for a new date.
A Strategic Plan for a Golden Anniversary
After a year of effort, community input, and lots of editing, the Los Alamos Historical Society has a new strategic plan aimed to take us to our 50th anniversary in 2018. Our vision is to be respected worldwide as the source and repository for the stories of Los Alamos. Check it out by clicking on this link, and let us know what you think by sending an e-mail to .
