Museum Matters

Eyes on Earth

2012-01-27T09:07:00.003-07:00

Join us for the opening of our newest traveling exhibit: Eyes on Earth on Feb 1, 2012.

Exhibit opens at 5:30pm and at 6pm we will have a special speaker, Dr. Vic Berner from New Mexico Junior College.

Refreshments will be served.

Far beyond the atmosphere of Earth, at orbits ranging from 290 to over 35,400 km (180 to over 22,000 miles) above sea level, circle the satellites of the Earth Observing System (EOS), NASA’s primary satellite mission. This small group of human-made scientific observers is constantly scanning our planet--tracking weather, monitoring pollution, creating maps, and gathering information that helps scientists predict storms, monitor forest fires, and study the holes in the ozone layer.

EYES ON EARTH, a highly interactive science exhibition, focuses on the EOS and examines how satellite observations are made and what we can learn about the Earth using space technology. Designed primarily for families and school groups (elementary through adults), visitors learn what a satellite is, discover the different types of orbits, and explore cutting-edge technology similar to that used by EOS scientists. EYES ON EARTH brings these concepts “down to earth” through a combination of fun, accessible interactives in a playful and “spacey” environment.

Volunteers Needed!

2012-01-27T09:05:00.004-07:00

The Western Heritage Museum will hold a luncheon and training session for our docents and anyone who might be interested in becoming a docent on Monday, January 30th at 11:30 a.m. Docents are volunteers who help guide visitors through the museum or a specific exhibit suc...h as Eyes on Earth, our newest traveling exhibit opening on February 1. Docents also have the opportunity to help out with other aspects of the Museum such as special events or installing an exhibit depending on where your interest lies. If you are interested in knowing more about the opportunities available at your local museum and the traveling exhibits that come through, please join us for this special luncheon and training. If you are unable to attend but would still like to become a docent or would like more information on becoming a docent please contact Mary Lyle at 575-492-2679.

Website

2012-01-27T09:04:00.002-07:00

Have you checked out our new website? The donation and store buttons are now active! Check it out and stay updated with what's happening at the Museum.

Website designed by Musketball Group.

Ceramics

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-07:00

I do enjoy showcasing pieces that we may take for granted inour daily lives. For example: a jug. A plain old brown ceramic jug that seems pretty stereotypical for thetime. We have one of these on displayfrom the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection. Now, the jug itself we may take for granted but I would rather focus onthe material it is made of: ceramic.

What are ceramics? Ceramicsare inorganic and nonmetallic materials. Mixtures of clay, earthen elements, powders, and water are generallyused to make ceramics (http://depts.washington.edu). Once shaped, ceramics are then fired at ahigh temperature and become a hard, wear-resistant, brittle material. Humans figured out the usefulness of ceramicslong ago. According to www.depauw.edu, ceramic materials were used tomake pots and pot-making was one of humankind’s first inventions. Because of this, it remains one of the bestrecords of early cultures including Chinese, Roman, Egyptian, African, andNative American. Styles, shapes, andadornments have changed over the years and vary from place to place dependingon what level of technology that civilization was in at the time. The jug that we have in the Virgil and ThelmaLinam collection follows a folk tradition that became “ubiquitous to theAmerican scene:” a small mouthed, single handled jug (www.depauw.edu). Obviously, this style jug is veryutilitarian, but ceramics, depending on what they are, can be utilitarianand/or aesthetic. Just a few things thatcontain ceramics include tiles, bricks, toilets, watches, snow skies, spaceshuttles, electrical insulators, figurines, and plates (http://depts.washington.edu).

As you can see, humans have known about ceramics for a longtime and have molded them into many different uses. For more information on ceramics come checkout the ceramic jug from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection in the SouthGallery or look into one of the ceramics classes at New Mexico Junior Collegeand you won’t take ceramics for granted again.

Brown Bag Lunches

2012-01-27T08:56:00.002-07:00

The Western Heritage Museum Complex is a regional Museum that covers Southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. What are some of the major events that shaped this region? Join us as Calvin Smith discusses 10 significant parts of the region's history. Each brown bag talk will cover a different topic.

Calvin Smith, Executive Director of the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame will be presenting a series of Brown Bag Lunch talks. “The series,” states Smith, “will focus on ten events in Southeastern New Mexico during the prehistoric and historic periods that have shaped this ‘place’ we call home.” The lunches will start at 11:30 am at the Western Heritage Museum and the public is welcome to attend. Don't forget your lunch and we hope to see you there!

January 27 - The Mammoth Hunters

February 10 - The First Well Diggers

February 24 - The Pottery Makers

March 9 - The Pearlers

March 23 - The Trail Drivers

April 13 - The Water Seekers

April 27 - The Buffalo Soldiers

May 4 - The Homesteaders

May 18 - The Wildcatters

June 1 - The New Energy Pioneers

For more information please call 575-492-2678.

Welcome Back

2012-01-11T13:57:00.002-07:00

Hello! We are back from our winter break. We had a snow day yesterday so our hours have been kind of screwy since returning. Never fear, however, because we are here and unless we get some more snow (which is in the forcast) we will be open for regular hours. Our new website is up and running. There are a few things that are still being worked on but overall it's really good and you should check it out. Right now we are planning for the installation of our spring exhibit: Eyes on Earth. This will be a fun, interactive exhibit about satellites orbiting around the earth. That exhibit will be open Feb 1 - May 1, 2012. 2012...can you believe it? Happy Centennial New Mexico!!!

Holiday Season

2011-12-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

The Museum will be closing from Dec 22 - Jan 8 for the holiday season. The entire Museum staff would like to wish you a safe and Happy Holiday, whatever and wherever you may be celebrating. Remember to check out our new website!!! Thank you all for a great year! Do you have comments or suggestions? We'd love to hear them. :)

New Website!!

2011-12-14T16:18:00.002-07:00

We have a brand new website created and designed by Musketball Group. Please go check it out! The store and donate pages will be active soon.

http://museumshobbsnm.org/

Tick, tick, tick, ching!

2011-12-12T16:40:00.002-07:00

With the holiday season underway there are countlessChristmas cards and letters being sent across town and across the country. Most Christmas cards are handwritten but ifyou include a letter it is probably typed. These days people use computers for their typing needs but not that longago typewriters were commonplace. Wehave a wonderful example of a Remington Portable typewriter in the Virgil andThelma Linam Collection.

Some of the old advertisements say that the RemingtonPortable was the smallest and lightest typewriter with a standardkeyboard. While not the first portabletypewriter, according to Xavier University, it was the first one with afour-bank keyboard. The RemingtonPortable #1 was manufactured from October 1920-January 1925 and in 1924 cost$60. In contrast to the plain blacktypewriter, the #1 DeLuxe with gold-colored sides, cost $75. In order for it to fit into its case, usuallymade of wood covered in black cloth, the typewriter had a “folding-typebar”mechanism to raise and lower the typebars. The portable typewriter had everything that the desk model had but theywere able to fit it into a sleek box about three inches high(portabletypewriters.co.uk). The small,streamlined size fit well with the Art Deco movement of the 1920’s and1930’s. The Remington factory had tomeet such demand that they boasted they could manufacture a typewriter everyminute. The demand for portabletypewriters lasted for more than fifty years.

If you think about today, the demand for smaller and smallercomputers is much like that of the portable typewriter. People want the freedom to move around andyet take conveniences along with them. Their portable typewriters have turned into our iPads and tablets. Stop by the Western Heritage Museum Complex andLea County Cowboy Hall of Fame to see many of the conveniences of the early 20^thcentury in this area.

Christmas Traditions From Around the World

2011-12-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Despite windy, cold weather, we had a wonderful turnout for Christmas Traditions From Around the World. This was our 4th year to do it and it was amazing. We had tables and food representing a number of countries and states: New Mexico, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Spain, Lebanon, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Great Britain, and Germany. We had Story Tellers in the South Gallery. We had live music: in the Theater David Allen and Carol Floyd played a wonderful Sax/Piano duet with Stacy Allen and Claudia Acosta switching with them at times with their oboe and clarinet duet. The wandering carolers, Accidental Harmony, also returned to share their music. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their elf joined in the festivities and visited with the children and adults. Everyone who attended had a fantastic time. Comments included: "It's just not Christmas until I come here!" and "Even better than last year!". We had door prizes donated from Ashley Furniture, Bozena Kaczan, Gladys Sanchez, Kountry Korral, Laura Rendon-Navarette, Meagan Rollins, Sweet & Spicy, and US Cable. The Home Depot and Lowe's donated poinsettias, La Tienda donated pinatas, and Wallach Concrete donated sand for the luminarias. Sadly the weather did not permit us to light the luminarias like we had last year but we tried! A special thanks to the Hobbs High School Special Education Group and to the Boy Scouts who helped with much of the set up. Also thanks to all of our volunteers and patrons. Without all of you, the event would not have been the same. We appreciate you all and look forward to seeing/working with you again.

Pressure Cooker

2011-12-12T15:55:00.001-07:00

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching I’m sure many of usare planning menus, decorations, and much more. Just the other day I was watching the Iron Chef Thanksgiving special andwas shocked 1) when I realized Thanksgiving was just about a week away and 2)when I realized how many of those tools they used that we may not know muchabout. For example, how much do we knowabout the pressure cooker? We have apressure cooker on display from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection in ourSouth Gallery and that is what I’d like to look at this time.

A pressure cooker, in general, is a pot with an airtight lidthat uses steam to build up pressure to cook food. The pressure and steam cooks food much fasterthan ordinary cooking methods, nutrients are not boiled off, and the fastercooking saves energy. Denis Papin, aFrench physicist, is credited with the invention of the pressure cookeraccording to fastcooking.ca. In May of1679, he demonstrated his “steam digestor” to the Royal Society in London,England by cooking bones. Early models,according to a pressure cooker recipe website, missvickie.com, were cumbersomeand dangerous because of the difficulty in controlling the steam andtemperature. Explosions were commonuntil Papin developed a safety valve. Commercialsauce-pan style pressure cookers didn’t debut in the United States until the1939 World’s Fair in New York. With theonset of World War II pressure cookers became extremely popular. WWII was a time when food and fuel wasrationed and shortages were commonplace making the pressure cooker the perfecttool. Families oftentimes shared apressure cooker between one another. Apressure cooker company made the following statement in Life Magazine in 1943: “Themanufacturing facilities of the makers of Presto Cookers are now devoted to warproduction. Once victory is won – therewill be Presto Cookers for everybody. Until then, if you own one, share it, won’t you? It’s a good neighbor policy”(missvickie.com). Post war society hadsuch a demand for the cookers that companies went for quantity over qualitywhich meant the safety features weren’t up to par and the cookers becamedangerous once again. Pressure cookers,today, however have multiple safety features and improved vent systems.

Moral of the story: pressure cookers can save you time and money but be careful of olderpressure cookers that may not have all the safety features. Why not try looking for pressure cookerrecipes to use this holiday season? Youmay be pleasantly surprised. Don’tforget to come down and see our pressure cooker on display in the South Galleryfrom the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection. And don’t miss all the tasty holiday treats from different countries atthe Christmas Traditions from Around the World event here at the Museum onDecember 1^st. Contact us formore details on this wonderful event! 575-392-6730

November

2011-12-12T15:50:00.002-07:00

How did I not post my November article??? Hmmm....well, here it goes. So sorry!!

Rock-a-bye-Baby

2011-10-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

In keeping with last month’s theme I’m going to focus on anartifact that deals with raising a family during the early twentiethcentury. We’ve had a baby bath tub, sowhat next? Another common item that wedon’t usually think about is our beds. But that leads to the question of where does, or in this case did, aninfant sleep? From the Virgil and ThelmaLinam Collection we are given an answer: a rocking cradle. Bassinets and cradles were a common choicefor infants.

Both cradles and bassinets have been around for hundreds ofyears if not longer. According to theHouston Museum of Natural History, “Baby cradles are almost universal objects.” Both cradles and bassinets are meant forinfants. For a bassinet think of thestory of Moses and the basket into which he was put. Bassinets were more suitable for children upto about age four months or until they could roll over because once they couldroll over they could tip the bassinet. Cradles were a little sturdier and were meant to swing or rock accordingto www.finewoodworking.com andcould be used until the child outgrew it. Cradles could be as simple as a hollowed out log in the early days or asdetailed as the richly carved furniture of royalty. Cradles were not always what we think oftoday: Native Americans had a multitudeof styles of cradles “including bark cradles, skin cradles, lattice cradles,board cradles” and basket cradles (www.amish-furniture-home.com). Both bassinets and cradles are usuallyrectangular in shape and are meant to cocoon the infant and give them a senseof comfort. As an infant grew older theywould move on to some kind of bed, possibly a trundle bed of sorts that wouldslide underneath their parents’ bed.

Bassinets and cradles can still be found today but are notas common. Most families have replacedthese two objects with the crib. Whilethey all may seem very similar, there are distinct differences but all aremeant for the same purpose of giving an infant a place to sleep. For an example of an early wooden rockingcradle stop by the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall ofFame and visit the South Gallery where you can see the cradle from the Virgiland Thelma Linam Collection.

Concert

2011-10-27T15:58:00.001-06:00

The concert that was supposed to be on November 5, 2011 has been cancelled. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Bathtubs

2011-09-22T08:59:00.005-06:00

One of the things I love about working in a Museum is that you get to do research on things that we take for granted. For example: the bathtub. Who really thinks about their bathtub? We don’t…that is unless we need to clean it and even then we’re not thinking about its history. What got me thinking about this is the baby bathtub that we have on display from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection. This bathtub was a gift to Bruce A. Linam. In looking at it, the baby bathtub is a small tub or it could be described as a large bowl. The size is perfect because infants are small and require less space and water than adults do. There is not much history about baby bathtubs specifically but the concept of the bathtub has been around for a long time.

A short history: Bathing back in the Roman times was a combination of a social event, in something like a shallow swimming pool, as well as an act of cleanliness. Later, bathing became more personal with the use of portable chamber pots or washbowls (www.oldhousejournal.com). According to www.bathtubadvisory.com, bathing continued through the Middle Ages, but was replaced shortly after the Renaissance with heavy use of sweat-bathing and perfume because of the belief that water carried diseases through the skin into the body. Bathtubs and sanitation became more of a permanent fixture thanks to indoor plumbing. But in the beginning, as indoor plumbing was a luxury, the bathroom concept was a sign of high status. After World War I when houses became larger, according to www.oldhousejournal.com, bathtubs became a staple of the home and claw-foot tubs became all the rage. Sanitation concerns led to the enclosed bathtubs that we are more familiar with today.

A fake history from The Museum of Hoaxes (www.museumofhoaxes.com): Journalist Henry L. Mencken published an article on December 28, 1917, in New York Evening Mail entitled “A Neglected Anniversary.” In this article he mourned the passing of the 75th anniversary of the invention of the bathtub. He wrote that a man named Adam Thompson first installed a bathtub in Cincinnati on December 20, 1842. Supposedly this new invention created a commotion when papers called it an “epicurean luxury,” “undemocratic,” and “dangerous to health.” He claimed it wasn’t until President Millard Fillmore installed the first bathtub in the White House that bathtubs became acceptable. Everything in Mencken’s article was false, a joke. He wrote later: “My motive was simply to have some harmless fun in war days.” He knew it was more than a joke when he saw his own writings in scholarly papers across the nation and in Europe. In 1926 Mencken printed another article in Chicago Tribune and other papers explaining what he had done and why but the damage had been done. Mencken’s hoax “facts” have been used numerous times since then and can still be seen today.

Who would have thought there would be so much information, whether it be true or false, about a bathtub? Again, this is why I love working in a Museum. Everyday items can have a fascinating story. Come check out the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame and check out the baby bathtub from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection in the South Gallery!

Raramuri Exhibit

2011-09-22T08:45:00.001-06:00

Raramuri: Runners of the Sierra Madre
October 13 – November 20, 2011

The Raramuri: Runners of the Sierra Madre provides visitors with an exclusive look into the lives of the reclusive Raramuri peoples, indigenous to the canyons of the Chihuahua’s Sierra Madre. The exhibit will explore the tribe’s distinct simple way of life and close connection with nature. The displays will take a deeper look into the expert traversing skills the people have acquired when crossing through tough terrain such as mountains and foothills, which completely gives a new meaning to the word “surefooted.” The photo exhibition will include their racing tradition, Semana Santa, Matachines, the planting and harvest, education, family and other aspects of daily life.

The exhibit directs itself towards raising consciousness about the important balance of lifestyle and habitat while furthering the understanding and appreciation for the unique and exceptional Raramuri tribe. Images will focus on the lifestyle and ritual that is unique to this tribe because of its limited exposure to modern developments, while also illustrating the visible effects occurring from increased contact with outsiders. This exhibit is a celebration of the lives and traditions of the Raramuri peoples of the Sierra Madre.

Diana Molina is scheduled to speak the opening of the exhibit on October 13 at 6pm.

Made in New Mexico Westerns: Part I

2011-09-22T08:43:00.001-06:00

The Western Heritage Museum Complex presents Jeff Berg’s Made in New Mexico Westerns: Part I on Thursday, October 6 at 7:00 pm. The program is free of charge.

Jeff Berg is a board member of the Mesilla Valley Film Society, film reviewer for the Las Cruces Bulleting, and a contributing writer for Albuquerque Arts. Berg’s other writing credits include New Mexico Magazine and True West Magazine.

A native of Chicago, Berg lived most of his adult life in the west. Before moving to New Mexico in 2001, he lived in Montana and Wyoming. “I am a self-taught amateur New Mexico film historian,” writes Berg. His “Made in New Mexico Westerns” film series was first presented at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum, in Las Cruces, and has since been picked up by the Mesilla Valley Film Society.

According to Mary Lyle the Museum’s Education and Events Coordinator, “this is the first of a four part series.” “We plan to bring Jeff back on a continuing basis.” The presentation lasts approximately 90 minutes with film clips from westerns made in New Mexico from 1898 until around 2007.
Berg will give live narrations with the screening, giving commentary about where the film was shot, trivia about the film, notes about the actors/actresses, director, scene, historical connection, etc. “Audience participation is encouraged and humor is prevalent,” Berg quipped.

Film buffs will not want to miss this unique presentation!

Staked Plains Round-Up

2011-09-13T13:41:00.002-06:00

Don't miss the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame annual Staked Plains Round-Up!! This event happens this Thursday and Friday (September 15 and 16) from 9am-3pm. We have on average about 2,000 local school children who attend this event. The public is welcome to attend as well. You won't want to miss Brice Chapman the famous trick roper. Other attractions include demonstrations such as butter churning and sheep shearing, a petting zoo, games and more! You also won't want to miss the authentic chuck wagon lunch. Tickets can be purchased for $12 from 11am - 1pm. For any questions contact Stacy Allen at 575-492-2675. We hope to see you there!

Museum Day

2011-09-12T10:09:00.003-06:00

Saturday, Sept 24 is Smithsonian's Museum Day. Get into the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame FREE! Just go to the Smithsonian website (http://fieldmuseum.org/schools/educator-open-house) and print out your ticket. Fill out your ticket and bring it to the Museum. You'll get into the Museum, the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, our special traveling exhibit: Underground of Enchantment, and a special movie that we will be showing. This opportunity comes around once a year so don't miss it!

Covered Wagons

2011-08-25T17:25:00.004-06:00

With school starting I’m reminded of all the school projects I had to do. Some were not fun but others I enjoyed. For example, in the 4th grade we learned about the westward expansion and pioneers. Projects included writing a paper on pioneers, building a log cabin diorama, or creating a covered wagon. These projects really stuck with me and helped me to remember what I learned about traveling west. Visual items such as projects or models are a good way to help reinforce what is being learned. We have a model of a covered wagon from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection that could have been used as a toy and/or a teaching tool.
Oftentimes people confuse the Conestoga wagon and the covered wagon, or prairie schooner, but in reality the Conestoga wagon was bigger and used mainly in the East and very rarely went farther than Missouri except as a freighter along the Santa Fe Trail according to “The Prairie Schooner Got Them There” in American Heritage. In 1840 the 2,000 mile journey to Oregon called for a light yet strong vehicle that could be easily fixed along the trail with materials on hand since most of the trail was uninhabited. It also had to be able to transport an entire family. Wagons, while being slow, heavy, difficult to cross rivers, ravines, and mountains, were used as moving homes because they could be easily packed, did not need to be unpacked and repacked each night like a pack animal, could hold more pounds per animal, could transport the sick or wounded, and could be a fortress in times of distress. To keep goods or people inside the wagon protected from the elements, these wagons were fitted with a canvas cover over bent bows, giving them their name of covered wagons, or prairie schooners as the canvas reminded some writers of the sails of ships. The wagons were sometimes fitted with false floors for storage, water barrels, tar buckets full of some type of grease for the wheels, chicken coups, butter churns, and an assortment of tools according to the Historic Oregon City website. Early in the trail’s history wagons were pulled by oxen or mules because they could endure the long trip over harsh terrain. Once the trail became more established, pioneers used horses to pull their wagons.
The journey was a dangerous one filled with peril, mystery, and adventure, but at the end was the ultimate goal: the American Dream. Those who dared venture into the West were courageous and filled with determination much like the pioneers of our area. To learn more about pioneers of Southeastern New Mexico visit the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. You can also make plans to attend Staked Plains Round-Up September 15 and 16 at the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame and New Mexico Junior College where you can see first-hand the skills that the pioneers needed to survive, many of which are still being used today, and you can also have an authentic chuck wagon meal! For questions about Staked Plains contact Stacy Allen at 492-2675.

Talking and Museums

2011-08-12T10:45:00.005-06:00

One of Sandy the Mammoth's friends posted an interesting article on Twitter. Keeping your kids from getting Museum fatigue. A noble idea. In fact, not a bad idea for adults as well as kids. Make your own connections, don't overdo it, change it up, even have a reward system. All good suggestions. There is one thing that I really don't agree with: you should visit a gift shop because you can speak at a normal volume level. Visiting the gift shop is fine but in most cases, I think a museum should be a place where you can speak at a normal level within the galleries. A museum should be a place that prompts discussions and you should be able to talk about your ideas while standing in front of the thing that inspired you. Now I'm not condoning shouting, absolutely not, but talking at a normal level is just fine (also, cell phone conversations should be kept more quiet and probably be taken outside the gallery...just my opinion). Of course, be considerate of those around you (that's just good manners in general) but don't be afraid to have a conversation about the object, gallery, or museum with your friends and family. Whether the conversation happens at the museum, in the car on the way home, at home, or even days later, a museum should inspire and even make you question what you know.

Call for Presentations!

2011-08-09T11:08:00.001-06:00

REQUEST FOR PRESENTATIONS

“THE BEGINNINGS OF NEW MEXICO HISTORY: THE IMPACT OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST AND COLONIAL PERIOD IN NEW MEXICO AND THE SOUTHWEST”

The Western Heritage Museum Complex and New Mexico Junior College are inviting scholars to participate in an International Symposia exploring, “The Beginnings of New Mexico History: The Impact of the Spanish Conquest and Colonial Period in New Mexico and the Southwest” to be held January 12 – 15, 2012, sponsored and supported by numerous organizations such as the New Mexico Humanities Council, the Historical Society of New Mexico, the New Mexico Archaeological Council, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, the New Mexico Statehood Centennial Committee, the New Mexico Arts Council, the New Mexico State Museum, the Office of the State Historian, the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives and other regional and local governmental and commercial entities and foundations, individuals and special interest groups who wish to support the project.

This would be the third in a series that started in April 2000, with Richard and Shirley Flint at New Mexico Highlands University, “The Contemporary Vantage on the Coronado Expedition Through Documents and Artifacts” and followed by, “Museum Interpretation of the Spanish Colonial Period, 1492 – 1836” at Baylor University in Waco, Texas in November 2002. Without an understanding of the history prior to Statehood there is little likelihood that the participants in the Centennial celebrations will fully appreciate the importance of the event. Based on the success of the previous convocations this meeting would present newly researched material covering the archaeological evidence, flora, fauna, music, art, cultural material, architecture, clothing and textiles, medicine and disease, transportation, military aspects, law, theology and cosmology, historiography and other subjects as they relate to the “Contact” experience.

Documents are currently being reviewed and translated that give us insights into the complexity and events involved in establishing a presence in the New World and the resulting clash of cultures, especially as the indigenous peoples encountered a new philosophy and belief system about the land and its use and the church and its baptisms, marriages, burials, wills and property transfers as well as the physical and social elements that challenged both the Native Americans and the immigrant colonialists. The reasons to include discussions about acculturation, assimilation and adaptation become imperative if we are to better understand all of our various heritages.

Already scheduled is an outstanding exhibition of prints from copper etchings by Floyd Solomon, a Pueblo artist, who captured the oral traditions of the elders from a majority of the Pueblo groups about the first encounters between the Native Americans and the Europeans. “This is one of the most emotional, powerful and challenging exhibits I‘ve put up during the last 40 years in this business”, Calvin Smith, organizer and Executive Director of the Western Heritage Museum Complex.

Please contact us with proposals for papers, demonstrations, poster sessions and/or cultural traditions that would enhance our understanding of the beginning of history in New Mexico and the Southwest.

Calvin B. Smith, Executive Director

Western Heritage Museum Complex New Mexico Junior College

5317 Lovington Highway

Hobbs, NM 88240

575.492.2676 office

csmith@nmjc.edu

Water Conservation

2011-08-02T15:04:00.003-06:00

Remember the water exhibit we had Spring 2010? Well, today more than ever it is important to conserve our water. Our area and much of the nation is in a major drought. As of today we have had 310 days without measurable rain. What are some ways that you can conserve water? Do you remember the suggestions from Water's Extreme Journey? Use this fun tool from National Geographic to figure out your water footprint is and make a pledge to conserve water!! http://fd7.formdesk.com/heritagepreservation/C2COnlineEvaluation080211

Cupboard

2011-07-18T08:53:00.000-06:00

There are many household items that we may not give two thoughts about and then there are others that have to coordinate or be of a certain style or period. I guess you could say that I’m a pretty utilitarian person so I love when something can serve a dual purpose as a functional and decorative item. Cupboards are one of these dual purpose items and a great example can be found at the Museum from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection.

What exactly is a cupboard? Well, if you go the very literal route looking at the name it is a board that you place a cup on for display or storage. That seems a little too easy but describes the function pretty well. Early on we would have recognized these items as more of a sideboard than cupboard, but in the 16^th century the “press” came about and was recessed with doors and shelves according to word-origins.com and looked more like the cupboards we know. These presses eventually evolved into modern cupboards, armoires, and wardrobes. Armoires and wardrobes were completely closed, according to finewoodworking.com, while cupboards remained partially open. Cupboards must have doors or else it might be confused with a chest-of-drawers or the like. The cupboard in the Museum has drawers on the bottom and doors on the top. The partial opening comes from the punched tin on the top half. The tin is punched in geometric patterns and makes the cupboard more decorative without having to use what’s inside as the decoration. Cupboards can be used to store just about anything from pies (the punched tin area would have been a great place to cool a pie while keeping it safe) to cups and plates.

During pioneer times, a time when your possessions consisted of items that you transported from the East or items that you made yourself, something like a cupboard that could be both decoration and functional was a great asset. Come and check out this wonderful piece of history from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection in the South Gallery at the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Foreign Films

2011-07-08T15:10:00.002-06:00

July 12 – Disco Dancer – A delightful film from Bollywood (India)

July 19 – Children of Heaven – A critically acclaimed film from Iran

July 26 – Cinema Paradiso – Academy Award winning film by Italian director, Giuseppe Tornatore

Metate

2011-06-29T13:26:00.002-06:00

Sometimes museums can amaze visitors with something they’ve never seen before and sometimes you wonder why something as common as a metate would be displayed in a museum. While it is the rare, never before seen objects that immediately draw your attention, it is the common, everyday artifacts that really shape our lives and our culture. Metates, like the one from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection, shown here, have been around since at least the Aztec society and are still being used today. Similar to a mortar and pestle, a metate is used to grind corn, grain, and spices. A smaller stone, called a mano, is rubbed back and forth over the metate to produce a grinding affect. According to the Tonto National Monument website, one problem with stone grinding is that little pieces of stone can end up in the food acting as an abrasive. “Many prehistoric skulls show evidence of teeth being worn down to the gumline.” (http://www.nps.gov/archive/tont/archeology/metate.htm)

Three main styles of metates exist. A traditional Aztec metate had a slanted slab and three short legs as a base. The Mayan version, like the one from the Linam Collection, sits flat on the ground. Finally, the Costa Rican style has three legs like the Aztec style but is much taller. The indentation in the metates comes from use, that is, the grinding motion will eventually create a bowl-like shape in the metate. In Costa Rica, ceremonial metates have been found in burials, and it has been suggested that they could also have been used as a throne (http://www.precolumbianstone.com/costarica.htm). Shape and form vary on region and time period for the ceremonial metates. Many times, a ceremonial metate would be more highly decorated and include iconography of animals. The most common animals portrayed on metates were crocodiles, alligators, birds, jaguars, and monkeys.

The more common, utilitarian metates, like the one in the Linam Collection are plain and unadorned. Metates, no matter what shape or size have set apart Mexican cooking, which in turn helped to define cultures (http://www.gourmetslueth.com). Because of this, metates have earned a place in museums. Mrs. Webber recognized the significance of this item and collected a number of them in her museum, one of which is on display in the South Gallery of the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. For a closer look at the artifact come by the Museum and while you’re here, check out many of the other items that have shaped the region that we call home.

Foreign Film Festival

2011-06-15T09:52:00.002-06:00

Lea County Fair and Rodeo

2011-06-09T14:00:00.003-06:00

Are you ready for the Lea County Fair and Rodeo? It will be here before you know it!!

The Lea County Fair and Rodeo is an annual event that takes place at the Fair Grounds in Lovington, NM. This is the 76^th anniversary of the Fair and Rodeo and will be open August 5 – 13, 2011. Each year the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame presents a booth with a raffle and information about the Hall of Fame. Don’t miss this year’s booth in the Chaparrelle Building.

See You There!

This year’s raffle tickets can be purchased for a chance to win a rifle (more information to come) and a wonderful statue by Curtis Fort. Tickets are $1. Contact Stacy Allen at the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame to purchase tickets before the Fair!

Travel Films are Back!

2011-06-01T09:55:00.000-06:00

2011-05-26T10:34:00.002-06:00

Are you interested in oral history? If so we welcome you to attend Introduction to Oral History with Rose Diaz, Ph.D, who will be teaching us what it takes to take down and properly document oral histories. There's more to it than you might imagine but it's well worth it. There are so many people who have stories to tell and this workshop will help us learn the skills necessary to collect these stories. The workshop has a $25 fee which covers an Oral History Workbook and lunch. Call Mary Lyle for more information: 575-492-2679.

Come and Get It!!

2011-05-23T10:20:00.000-06:00

The printed photograph is not something we see much of anymore. In this digital age I feel like I am one of the last ones still printing out their pictures and putting them in a photo album. I know there are others out there but it is becoming rarer and rarer. Since the late 1800s when photography was developed, photographs have been an important snapshot in history and until the development of digital photography the printed photograph was the most common medium of documentation. Just as in my last article, the Museum has a great photograph from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection that captures one moment in history and thanks to Thelma’s diligent documentation we know what year and where the photo was taken as well as most of the men in it, including one of the horses. This photo, taken in 1906 or 1907, was near Seminole, Texas and shows 11 men and 2 horses gathered around a chuckwagon.

The idea of a mobile kitchen has been around for centuries but the invention of the chuckwagon has been attributed to Charles Goodnight in 1866. To feed his men on the long trail drive led by himself and Oliver Loving, Goodnight reworked an army surplus Studebaker wagon, customizing it to his specifications (http://lonehand.com/chuckwagon_central.htm). He placed a box on the back of the wagon where the hinged lid could come down and form a table for the cook. Opening the box exposed a series of shelves and drawers which would help with storing the tools used for cooking the “chuck,” or food. Along with the box in the wagon, a water barrel would be stored on the side of the wagon and could hold two days worth of water. The chuckwagon not only carried food, cooking supplies and utensils, many times it also carried bed rolls and personal effects. The chuckwagon became a cowboy’s dining spot as well as their social and recreational gathering place. The cook, many times called “cookie,” not only cooked but was also expected to act as barber, doctor, banker, and mediator of disturbances (http://www.phudpucker.com/bluebonn/chuckwagon.htm). The chuckwagon and cook, therefore, were and remain to this day a very important part of a cowboy’s team.

You will have many chances in the near future to see and learn about chuckwagons. This photo from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Webber Collection is on display in the South Gallery of the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. Also in the Museum is a chuckwagon with an animatronic cowboy who can explain more about what the chuckwagon is and the food the cowboys ate. If you’re interested in seeing a chuckwagon in action come out to the NMJC campus September 15th an 16th for the Staked Plains Roundup where there will be a chuckwagon demonstrating cooking. You can even purchase a lunch ticket for an authentic chuckwagon meal. Finally, keep your eyes on the Museum website for more information on the Centennial Cattle Drive that will be happening in 2012. The trail drive will be from outside Hobbs up to Carlsbad. There will be music, fellowship, and, of course, chuckwagons. More information on that will be posted on our website soon (www.westernheritagemuseumcomplex.com).

Windmill

2011-05-17T09:12:00.001-06:00

Our windmill is back to its fantastic self! Come check it out.

Taking Pictures is Making Memories

2011-04-18T14:02:00.001-06:00

In my last article I discussed a little about written documentation. An important part of a museum’s collection, written documents can give us a firsthand account of what was happening, who was where, etc at a specific point in time. Another good snapshot of the time, literally, is photographs. People have been recording their perceptions of the world for the longest time, from cave drawings to classical sculptures to Renaissance paintings. With the invention of photography, however, people could create an image more quickly and didn’t necessarily need to be a talented artist in order to capture the world around them. What’s especially great, from a museological standpoint, is that a photograph can be art and/or documentation. For example one of the photographs on display here at the Museum is from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection and depicts 35 people of varying ages standing/sitting in front of an early ranch of the area.

Thelma Webber had this photograph posted in her Museum and had an accompanying label: Friends and relatives for Christmas dinner. While this may not seem all that important, I mean, who doesn’t have a group picture from a Christmas of the past, Thelma’s family was one of the pioneer families of the area, so this picture is an important documentation record of who was here. While she didn’t date the picture she did list the people in the photograph and some of them she labeled as so and so’s father or so and so’s grandmother. Between those labels and other records we could estimate a date as to when this photograph was taken. Again, thanks to Thelma’s great record-keeping we have a fantastic picture of who was in this area on this early Christmas.

Because of the equipment, chemicals, and time involved in early photography, not many people could participate in the photography phenomenon, but with the invention of film by George Eastman in 1889, people didn’t have to carry around their own personal dark rooms, in fact they just had to take pictures and then send in the entire camera or eventually just the film and have someone else develop it so it became more accessible to the masses. Photography has become even more accessible with digital photography. Don’t be afraid to capture the history happening in the world around you, you don’t have to be an artist to take pictures. You never know what or who you will want to remember and you never know, one of your photographs could become a museum piece like the one of Thelma’s family on display at the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Run to the Museum!

2011-04-06T10:35:00.003-06:00

Actually it's more like run away and then back to the Museum. Do you like to walk or run? Well then don't miss your chance to be a part of the New Mexico/Texas Challenge Marathon on April 23, 2011.

New Mexico/Texas Challenge
5k/10K/Half Marathon/Marathon
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Hobbs and Lovington, New Mexico

After 170 Years Texas Invades New Mexico Again.

Contacts: Jim Harris
leacomuseum@leaco.net
www.leacountymuseum.org
575-396-4805 (Lea Co. Mus.)

West Texas Running Club:
www.wtrunning.com

Marathon at 7 a.m. All others at 9 am

Battle of New Mexico & Texas Running Clubs

Club Awards

Individual Awards

Age Group Awards for Male & Female

Click here for registration.

Sponsors:
Lea County Museum (Lovington)
West Texas Running Club (Lubbock)
Western Heritage Museum (Hobbs)

Courses:
5K/10k/Half Marathon Begins at Western Heritage Museum (Hobbs)

Marathon Begins at Lea County Museum (Lovington) Finishes at WHM (Hobbs)

Written Documents

2011-03-16T10:38:00.001-06:00

Museums collect a variety of things and depending on the museum that variety may be narrowed down more than others. Here at the Western Heritage Museum Complex we collect items relating to Southeastern New Mexico and the surrounding regions. Some of the most important things in our collection are written documents. Writing is a very important development for humans. Writing really marks the difference between history and pre-history. Because of these written documents we have firsthand accounts of events, lists of who and what was where (census), and much more. One of the pieces on display at the Museum is a copy of a wedding license from 1859. This license comes from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection and belonged to Charles Holbert Eller and Martha Jane Snow who were the maternal grandparents of Thelma. Their license is from the state of Texas and dates from December 19, 1859.

There seems to be controversy about the legality and morality of state-issued marriage licenses but I’m not going to go into that. To me and to the Museum, something like a marriage license is a record of where these people were at a specific time and who they married and since it has their names it can lead us to who their families were as well. Thankfully we have Thelma’s book, Life on the Prairies: Settling the Llano Estacado, where she traces her lineage back, but if we didn’t, this marriage license would become a clue to their family history! Thanks to written documents like this and family Bibles, family trees, census, and other forms of documentation we can track people and even trace family histories. Genealogy is the study of family pedigree, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and genealogists use these sorts of documents to conduct their research. Therefore, museums, libraries, archives, and other repositories for written documents become crucial to the study of someone’s family history.

The Smithsonian Museum coined the term “The Nation’s Attic” implying that museums were a place for people to store their items, but recently they changed their image and would like to be seen as “The Nation’s Treasure Chest.” A treasure chest implies that there is an adventure waiting and that at the end of the adventure you are going to get something wonderful. This applies to all museums. A museum can be an adventure and there are so many treasures to discover such as a marriage license which could lead you on another adventure of discovering your family history. To see this and other treasures stop by the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame!

Why I do What I do

2011-03-11T13:55:00.002-07:00

So I think we all lose perspective in our lives every now and then but then there are those moments that pull you right back in. The other day I was taking copies of something to the administrative office of the Museum and to do so I had to walk through the North Gallery where we have our Prehistoric Beasts traveling exhibit. In the gallery was a family. The dad and 2 young girls were near the etching station and the mom was with her son and daughter at one of the cases. As I was walking past the group by the case I heard the young man of probably about 8 years old excitedly explain to his mom and younger sister that "This is a giant armadillo skull!" That really was the coolest feeling. This boy was not just reading the label, rather, he had been to the exhibit on a field trip, brought his family back, and was now explaining what he had learned! Then today I was helping with the morning tour. The first graders walked in and formed 2 lines in front of me. All of a sudden a young man spoke up and said that he had been here before. Really? About four of them answered me with: "Yeah, we came here in kindergarten!" I asked them what they saw and they said water (some said fishes). They said they really enjoyed that exhibit. I asked them what they had learned and one said not to throw food in the water. Don't pollute our water! That's right! The kindergartners, now first graders, a. remembered coming here and b. actually remember things from the last exhibit! It's times like that when you realize maybe you are actually making a difference. It was so exciting! And even though we don't see or hear those kinds of things all the time, that's the reason I do what I do.

Museum Open During Spring Break!

2011-03-07T13:35:00.002-07:00

Normally the Museum would close during the New Mexico Junior College's Spring Break, but this year we have decided to remain open!! This is the perfect chance to check out our traveling exhibit: Prehistoric Beasts. Whether you haven't seen it yet or you've been here once or more to see it, you won't want to miss your chance to see what everyone is talking about. Museum hours are Tues-Sat 10am-5pm and Sun 1-5pm.

Women's Tea

2011-02-21T16:04:00.002-07:00

It's almost time for the Annual Women's Tea at the Museum!

The annual Women’s Tea will be held on March 10, 2011. There will be a speaker on the importance and significance of oral histories. This event is open to the public both male and female. Wear a hat and you may be the winner of a prize! Along with the speaker, guests will be served a High Tea with sandwiches and cakes.

Updates

2011-02-18T09:04:00.004-07:00

First of all, our newest traveling exhibit has had a great start. We did have a snag when the first full week it was open we had 4 snow days, but all of those classes have rescheduled and we have had a steady stream of kids in the Museum everyday. We've even had more people come in outside of school for this exhibit. Keep it up! If you haven't seen it, it's a fantastic exhibit!

Second, Sandy the Mammoth is catching on fast on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Stacy Allen, the Secretary of the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, contacted Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds and he agreed to do a sketch of Sandy the Mammoth which you can see above. That was so awesome of him to do that for us. We're trying to collect various sketches/drawings/paintings/etc of Sandy. What do you think Sandy the Columbian Mammoth would have looked like? If you have an idea, send it to us and we'll post it on Facebook in our Likeness album.

Third, we have an event coming up next week that you won't want to miss.

Riders on the Orphan Train

February 22, 2011 7pm

The free public program, Riders on the Orphan Train, funded by The New Mexico Humanities Council is coming to town. This historical presentation is designed to inform, entertain, and move audiences of all origins and ages. It combines storytelling, music, video with archival photographs and contemporary interviews of survivors, and informal discussion with a question and answer period to bring awareness about this little-known chapter of the largest child migration in history.

That's it for now!

Time Flies

2011-02-18T09:01:00.002-07:00

How do you know what time it is? I would bet that if I asked you what time it was right now that most of you would pull out your cell phones, some would look at your watches, and some would look for a clock on the wall, mantel, desk, or even computer. Before our cell phones, computers, and digital clocks there were analog clocks, or clocks using angles to tell the time. These clocks use a face with numbers or markers and usually have some kind of hands pointing to the specific time. Not only functional, clocks can also be beautiful. A good example of this is the clock from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection here at the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.

The clock in our collection has a plaque reading: “Thomas and Mary Linam C. 1860” and a label reading “Ansonia Clock Co. U.S.”. The Ansonia Clock Co. began in Connecticut in 1950 as a subsidiary of the Ansonia Brass Company. This made sense because, according to www.antiqueansoniaclocks.com, by 1838 inexpensive clock movements made of rolled brass had replaced wooden and cast brass movements. This was a way for founder of both companies Anson Green Phelps to expand his market for brass productions. The Ansonia Clock Co. developed clocks best known for their decorative imitation gold and ornate novelties such as cupids and angels, athletes, and babies (www.ansonia.com). The Ansonia Clock Co. flourished despite fires and even opened a new factor in New York in 1879 which also burned down in 1880 but was rebuilt in 1881. In 1929, a few months before the stock market crash, Ansonia Clock Co. went into receivership and sold its machinery and dies to Amtorg, an American trading organization acting as the principal importing and exporting agent for Soviet Russia according to www.antiqueansoiaclocks.com. The name Ansonia Clock Co. was brought back in 1969 in Washington but has no affiliation to the original plant.

This clock from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Webber Collection is beautiful and reminds me of a clock we had when I was little. The clock in my childhood, like the Museum’s clock, used a key to wind the gears and I used to love to have that task as a child. Clocks are so fantastic because they are not only utilitarian but they are aesthetic pieces as well. To see this wonderful piece of history come visit the South Gallery of the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Tatting

2011-01-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

Imagine: no TV, no video games, no mp3 players, no laptops, no cell phones, no electricity! What on earth are you going to do? And remember, if it’s a winter month like it is now it’s getting dark pretty early so all you have is the light from the lanterns discussed in the last article. Pioneers to this region didn’t have any of our electronic luxuries and so were used to working and creating things by hand. What they were able to create were some amazing items. For example, we have a tatted baby cap made by Nellie Taylor in 1922 for Bruce Alene Linam, according to the label from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection.

Tatting is a very delicate and beautiful art where you create a durable lace from a series of knots and loops. According to Victoriana Magazine (at victoriana.com) the art of tatting started with fishermen. Fishermen would use a shuttle, heavy cord, and a number of various knots to create their fishing nets. These knots were then handed down to weavers who used finer thread to make lace. To accommodate this finer thread a smaller shuttle was used. Tatting can also be done with a needle or it can be combined with crocheting for a different effect. Many different patterns for tatting exist, in fact, Harper’s Bazaar and a magazine called The Work Basket used to publish various tatting patterns. With so many styles of knots, however, and the right creativity you could create your own pattern and make something truly unique and beautiful.

Here in America we call tatting tatting, obviously, but in England it was called knotting, and in France it was called frivolet. No matter what name you give it, this art is truly amazing. I am not sure that I have the coordination or patience to do something like this! Come down to the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, take a look at the tatted baby cap from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection, and get inspired to make your own creation.

Prehistoric Beasts

2011-01-13T10:10:00.003-07:00

Get ready for our newest traveling exhibit opening on February 1, 2011!!!

Twitter

2011-01-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Now you can follow Sandy the Mammoth on Twitter!

Blog Changes

2011-01-12T09:45:00.003-07:00

Curator's Corner is expanding to Museum Matters because we wanted to give others of the Museum staff a chance to share with you what they are doing here. Stacy Allen will be joining me on this blog and will share with you her experiences, thoughts, and witty comments (the pressure is on now!). Stacy is the Administrative Assistant at the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame and has been a member of the staff since September 2010. I look forward to what this blog will become and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy writing! For more information on Stacy or myself (or the other Museum staff) please visit our website: http://www.museumshobbsnm.org/western-heritage-museum-complex-leadership.

Sandy the Mammoth

2011-01-11T16:37:00.002-07:00

Sandy the Mammoth who was discovered here in Lea County has their own Facebook page. Check it out and become a fan!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandy-the-Mammoth/101650983242616

Holiday Season

2010-12-17T15:03:00.003-07:00

Just wanted to let you know that the Museum will be closed from December 23 - January 5, 2011. Because we are a part of the junior college we close when they do. Normal hours will resume on January 6, 2011.

Everyone have a safe holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

A Light in the Dark

2010-12-17T15:01:00.001-07:00

December. What comes to mind when you think of December? Cold, maybe some snow, Christmas, winter break. What about dark? December is host to the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. Today, with our electricity it’s not such a big deal when it gets dark early. We may not like it but we make up for it by turning on lights. Even if the power goes out we still have flashlights. Imagine not having electricity. All you have for warmth and light is fire. Fire places, maybe a wood-burning oven, candles, and lanterns. Now imagine it getting dark at 6pm and all you have to work by is firelight. I love candles, I admit it, but it is awfully hard to do anything by candlelight. The pioneers to this area would do work and have their family time in the evenings by the fire’s glow. When you have candles it is very hard to adjust the amount of light being projected so this is where lanterns like the one from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection become a very useful tool.

The lantern on display in the South Gallery is an oil lantern, a Feuerhand No. 280 made in Germany. An oil lantern obviously uses oil to produce a steady, constant flame. This flame is then protected from the wind and elements by the glass enclosure. Our lantern has a metal frame on which the bottom is hollow to hold the oil. The wick reaches into the oil and is adjustable in the glass enclosure. The metal frame reaches completely around the glass enclosure to hold it in place and has vent holes at the top. Lanterns in general can be made of different materials. For example, many cultures use paper lanterns. Lanterns also can have different types of fuel: gas, candles, electric, etc. They also can have many different uses: decoration, guiding, signals, general illumination.

Lanterns, and specifically oil lanterns, have been around for thousands of years and are, in fact, still used today. The design of lanterns has allowed them to remain a good source of light, especially in the dark winter months. As I have said, though, lanterns can be very beautiful and used for decoration so it is more than a utilitarian object. Come on down to the Western Heritage Museum Complex and check out this very versatile object in our South Gallery.

It's gone global!

2010-11-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/15/complete-mammoth-skeleton-new-mexico/

That's pretty awesome.

Mammoths? In southeastern New Mexico?

2010-11-16T10:49:00.002-07:00

Have you heard about the mammoth discovery right here in southeastern New Mexico? Come learn more about it when the New Mexico Museum of Natural History visits Hobbs on Thursday, November 18, 2010 from 6-7:30pm.

Please drop by the Western Heritage Museum Complex & Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 18 at 6:00 pm to visit with representatives from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Calvin Smith will make the official announcement of the discovery of a mammoth in Lea County. This discovery could be significant for our community. If you want to learn more about it, plan to attend.

The reception is hosted by the NM Museum of Natural History Foundation, and their Board President, along with several Board Members, will be here to talk about the ways in which the NM Museum of Natural History is reaching out to communities across the state. The program will also feature Hollis Gillespie, the Executive Director of the NM Museum of Natural History and Dr. Spencer Lucas, Chief Curator of Paleontology.

Wall Phones and Party Lines

2010-11-12T09:00:00.001-07:00

Try to think of things that you constantly have on your person. I would bet that most people carry their cell phone with them at all times or at least have it near them. Stop and think about how far telecommunication technology has come in the last 100 years…even the last 10 years! Today cell towers are just about everywhere and even landlines reach across the world. These technologies allow most people to have their own personal communication line but pre-World War II it was common to see the party line where customers were connected to a local loop. In short, if one house was already on the party line the next house could pick up their end and eavesdrop or join in on the conversation of the first house and as many houses as were on the loop could do the exact same thing. The phone commonly used with a party line was a wall unit like the one from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection on display in the South Gallery.

This wall unit on display is actually a combination of pieces from different companies. The mouthpiece on the phone is from Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Co. According to encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org, Milo G. Kellogg moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1870 and began working for Gray & Barton which became Western Electric. In the 1880s Kellogg left Western Electric and opened his own business in 1897. Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Co had many name changes and was finally sold to Alcatel in the late 1980’s. Another part of the phone from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection, the ear piece, is from Leich Electric Co. Beginning as Eureka Electric Company based in Indiana and then Chicago, Illinois, they absorbed the Advance Electric Company in 1902 and moved to Genoa, Illinois. Sold to Cracraft-Leich Electric Co. in 1907, the company changed names to Leich Electric Co. in 1917. The company was then sold in the mid 1950’s but the name was still used throughout the early 1960s. As you can see, both companies whose pieces are on our phone were around for a number of years and saw many changes, not only in name but in technology.

Phone technology has come a long way from the crank-style wall phone on display in the South Gallery to the cell phone that most of us carry with us. Our cell phones are like our lifelines. What would we ever do without them? Just imagine living around 1917, around the time when our wall phone is from, and having to share a line with all of your neighbors. All I know is I am very thankful to live in the time that I do! To learn more about how people lived in the early 1900s in southeastern New Mexico come on down to the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Speaking of...

2010-11-12T08:53:00.002-07:00

I love when things like this happen. So I posted that last blurb about the Dead Sea Scrolls going online and this week I found out we are going to have a speaker come in next Tuesday to talk about the Scrolls. Coincidence? I think not! Okay, it's a really big coincidence. :) Here's the info:

Dr. Roy Blizzard, internationally recognized author and Biblical archaeologist, is returning to Hobbs to make another appearance as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 16^th in the Complex theater.

He has previously made presentations on, “Intelligent Design and the Biblical Text” and “Recent Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology and Their Significance to the Biblical Record”. He will present “The Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Significance” on his return visit.

Dr. Blizzard has excavated numerous sites in Israel since 1977 and continues to be a major resource for students at the University of Texas at Austin serving as an advisor and committee member for PhD candidates in Hebrew Studies. He is currently the Executive Director of the Biblical Research Foundation and Bible Scholars, Inc. He will have some of his new publications available for purchase.

The public is welcome to attend this free lecture.

Ah, Technology

2010-10-25T16:58:00.002-06:00

Check out this article:
http://www.thesouthern.com/news/world/middle-east/article_39f856aa-2220-5c4b-832f-9427a5cfb889.html

This is why technology is amazing. The Dead Sea Scrolls are going to be put online so everyone can have access! That is awesome!! The brittle, sensitive documents will now be available for anyone to see without damage to the artifact. Talk about disseminating knowledge! The wonder of technology.

Book Signing

2010-10-07T13:56:00.002-06:00

On Monday, October 11, 2010 from 7 - 8:30pm Bobby D. Weaver will be on hand to discuss and sign his newest book: Oilfield Trash: Life and Labor in the Oil Patch.

About Oilfield Trash:
This is the story (taken from more than 350 oral history interviews) of those oilfield hands in greasy overalls who made the boom towns boom. It begins with the recruitment of an essentially rural work force that entered the oil patch as “boll weevils” in search of good pay. It follows the changing character of those workers in trades like drilling, rig building, pipelining, tank building and others during the first six decades of the twentieth century. You will learn what they did, how they did it, and how they lived amid the general chaos of oil booms. During those years all of those trades changed and some of them even disappeared due to technological innovation. All oil booms were not created equal nor were the towns they spawned. Over time the nature of those towns also changed: sometimes due to geographical conditions and sometimes due to the changing technology and sometimes due to changing social and economic situations. But through it all the hard working, hard living, and innovative character of the workers earned them the dubious appellation of “oilfield trash” that was foisted off on them by outsiders who little understood them, but who usually profited from their labors.

About Bobby:

I grew up in Odessa, Texas, where I spent almost twenty years laboring in the oil patch before I finally figured out that I was not going to get rich wearing a pair of greasy overalls. So I decided to go to college. As it turned out attending school was so much easier than working for a living that I settled in for the long haul. Eventually the good folk down at Texas Tech University conferred a PhD on me which I strongly suspect was to get me out of their hair as much as anything else.

After that I put in another twenty-five years working in museums. I started at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas, where over a period of years I built several oil-related exhibits and published a variety of articles on the history of the Texas oil and gas industry. Then I put in a long stretch at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City where the western lifestyle became the focus of my work.

More recently I have been lecturing widely on life, labor, and folklore of the West through the “Tales of the West” performances. “Tales of the West” is a storytelling event that explores the lighter side of the lives of those who live in that magical land west of the hundredth meridian. It is built around the contents of my two books being published in 2010 (“Hotter’N Pecos and Other West Texas Lies,” Texas Tech University Press, due out in April and “Oilfield Trash: Life and Labor in the Oil Patch,” Texas A&M University Press, due out in September).

To learn more stop by his website: http://bobbydweaver.com/home.html.

Braided Rug

2010-10-07T13:51:00.004-06:00

So school has been in session for a couple of months and most likely you bought new clothes for the school year. What do you do with the old clothes that you/they have grown out of and/or don’t wear anymore? If it’s in good enough condition you can give it to the Salvation Army or something like that but what if the clothes are in bad shape? These clothes probably have some sort of memory attached to them which sometimes makes getting rid of them very hard. Something to consider is taking a hint from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection and turning those old clothes into something useful and beautiful: a braided rug.

Braided rugs are not only practical but can be very beautiful as well. Braided rugs can be made into different shapes and sizes depending on the time you want to put into it. These rugs, with some forethought, can really be pieces of art and can be something to display proudly in your house. Once again imagine that you traveled to this area in the late 1800’s and that you brought everything with you in a wagon or two. You probably didn’t have room to bring much artwork as most of what you brought was probably pretty utilitarian. One way to create color and life in your house would have been to make braided rugs using old clothing and linens. It’s amazing what a little color can do to a room. Besides adding color to an otherwise dull room, the rug, just like today, acted as an insulator and a cushion. Thelma Linam created braided rugs out of discarded family clothing, 4 of which were in her Ranch Museum and are now a part of our Museum Collection. According to braidedrugsreview.com there are 3 main types of braiding for a rug: cloth braiding creating a round tube shape, yarn braiding creating a twisted yarn-like shape, and flat braiding creating a flat or box-like shape. Again, when handmade, the shape and style of braiding is all up to you and how much time and skill you want to put into it.

There are many companies out there nowadays who are selling pre-made braided rugs but there is something to be said for using your own scraps, braiding them together, and making your own handmade rug; taking your old memories and making new ones. If you are interested in making your own rug check out craftown.com and for inspiration stop by the Museum and check out one of Thelma’s braided rugs in the South Gallery.

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Braided Rug

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