Doug Gelbert

How New Mexico Happened: A Story of the Land of Enchantment in 100 Buildings Doug Gelbert

Imagine a group of settlers arriving in an undeveloped location. First come shelters in which to live and then structures in which to work and shop. There are buildings for worship and education. As the community grows government buildings are required. With prosperity comes places in which to spend leisure time. And each step along the way builds a story unique to New Mexico.



That story is all around you in the work of those who came before you. In these pages you'll learn the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that make New Mexico uniquely New Mexico. How did Chaves County end up with the state's best Beaux Arts building? Solved. Where to find the largest collection of National Park Service "parkitecture"? Mystery solved. The building that received the most government money during the Great Depression? Identified. America's only school built as a bomb shelter? Revealed.



Roadside architecture...iconic art... Ernie Pyle...historic stages... Ben Hur... Carnegie libraries... The Mother Road...boomtowns... Pancho Villa...iron horses... Buffalo Soldiers...five and dimes... Harvey Houses...early aviation... Henry Trost... Confederate dreams...the atomic bomb...chiles...water...the golden age of motoring...the Civilian Conservation Corps... Billy the Kid...quarter horses... This book will have you telling stories like a native in no time.



Almost all of the selections within are open to the public, or at least visible from public spaces. So, if you haven't seen these landmarks in person, fire up your GPS and get out and see the story of the Land of Enchantment standing in plain sight on New Mexico streets!