Cultural Resource Reconnaissance and Historical Overview of Canyon Road Hydroelectric Power Plant An archaeological survey and historical research were conducted as part of planned improvements to the old Santa Fe Hydroelectric Plant. This 51-page document reveals the history of water use and delivery systems to the area of downtown…
A history of New Mexico vs. Aamodt and the meaning and traditions of water in New Mexico. By Michael Miller The issue is water. In New Mexico and throughout the West, it is precious, often scarce, and rapidly becoming the key to economic and financial success for many communities. To…
by John D. Schelburg New Deal programs played a profound role in New Mexico from 1933 through 1942. Not only was New Mexico plagued with poverty but it also lacked state agencies capable of delivering social services. The Federal agencies created by the New Deal to stimulate the economy…
Carlsbad Irrigation District Carlsbad Vicinity, Eddy County National Register of Historic Places, SRCP #408 Statehood period of significance: c.1890-1912 Associated themes: Agriculture; Irrigation; Federal Government Images: 1) color image of Pecos River Flume, HPD files Developed before and after statehood, the Carlsbad Irrigation Project in the lower Pecos Valley…
By Estevan Arellano In terms of water, Ibn Bassal, writing in 1075, identified four sources of water: 1) water from rivers that is then channeled into a network of acequias, 2) water from norias, anora in Arabic, or wells, 3) spring water and 4) rainfall. And the “water way”…
By José A. Rivera, University of New Mexico and Thomas F. Glick, Boston University The American Southwest encompasses a vast territory rich in natural and mineral resources but short on water supply. When Spanish conquistadores first entered the region, known to them as Nueva España, they immediately realized that…
By Denise Holladay Damico The Albuquerque Land and Irrigation Company, incorporated on December 31, 1897, and dissolved in 1921, was only one of many irrigation corporations which sprang up in New Mexico Territory in the 1880s and 1890s. Like most of the others, this company’s leaders had grandiose schemes…
