New Mexico – The Land of Enchantment

New Mexico postcard

Greeting from New Mexico Postcard, available at Legends’ General Store.

 New Mexico Legends was the first “chapter” of Legends of America because of my love of the Moreno Valley area of New Mexico.

Spending every summer in the Moreno Valley with my grandparents, I fell in love with the majestic peaks, peaceful silences, and rich history.  I vividly remember huddling around the potbelly stove in my grandparents’ old miner’s cabin in Idlewild, watching papa prepare his tackle box on his way to Eagle Nest Lake and grandma cooking breakfast on the cast iron stove.

Grandma was always taking us to see the sites of the area, from Elizabethtown to drinking the cool waters from the log at Clear Creek, watching the construction crews when Angel Fire was being built, and exploring the old Klondike Mine in Idlewild, where my sister (shame on her) carved her name into the wall in 1967. This publication is truly a labor of love and a tribute to my deceased grandparents, Ben and Irene Foster of Stinett, Texas.

A nostalgia buff from birth, grandma perpetuated that interest. I’ve always known that I longed to learn more about the history of this beautiful valley and share my enthusiasm with all of you that are fortunate to live there and visit.

High Country Legends features stories on the Maxwell Land GrantClay AllisonEagle Nest Lake, Elizabethtown, Day Trips, and much more. The content focuses on New Mexico’s rich history and features many Vintage Photographs.

Enjoy the Land of Enchantment!

Kathy R. Weiser-Alexander
Owner/Editor

Thava Irene Foster

Thava Irene Foster, my grandma from Stinnett, Texas, sitting in front of our old Idlewild cabin. She was and is the inspiration for Legends of America. – Kathy

 

New Mexico Flag – The yellow field and red symbol colors are the colors of Spain. First brought to New Mexico by Spanish explorers in 1540. On New Mexico’s flag, we see a red sun with rays stretching out from it. There are four groups of rays with four rays in each group. This is an ancient sun symbol of a Native American people called the Zia. The Zia believed that the giver of all good gave them gifts in groups of four. These gifts are:

  • The four directions – north, east, south, and west.
  • The four seasons – spring, summer, fall, and winter.
  • The day – sunrise, noon, evening, and night.
  • Life itself – childhood, youth, middle years, and old age.

These are bound by a circle of life and love, without a beginning or end.

Golden Church

The 1830’s San Francisco Church in Golden is one of the most photographed sites along the Turquoise Trail. Photo by Kathy Alexander.

 

Taos Pueblo and River

Little has changed at the Taos Pueblo in the last century. Kathy Alexander.

 

Las Vegas, New Mexico today, Kathy Weiser

Las Vegas, New Mexico today, Kathy Alexander.

 

A couple of old trucks in Nara Visa, made a bit more colorful with a little enhancement

A couple of old trucks in Nara Visa made a bit more colorful with a little enhancement

Old Company House, Madrid, New Mexico by Kathy Alexander.

Old Company House, Madrid, New Mexico by Kathy Alexander.

Categories:

Ancient & Modern Pueblos

The Civil War in New Mexico

Forts of New Mexico

Haunted New Mexico

Historic Sites of New Mexico

New Mexico Ghost Towns

New Mexico Indian Battles

New Mexico People

New Mexico Photo Galleries

New Mexico Postcards

Quirky New Mexico

Route 66 Through New Mexico

Spanish Missions in New Mexico

Treasure Hunting In New Mexico

Articles:

Acoma Pueblo – Ancient Sky City

Across the Continental Divide on Route 66

Albuquerque – 300-Year-Old Duke City

Aztec Court – Gone Today

Ghosts of Albuquerque

Bandelier National Monument

Ancho – Returning to Nature

Beale’s Wagon Road From New Mexico to California

Bernalillo – On Old Route 66

The Birth of Angel Fire

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Chimayó – Land of Healing

Chloride – Center of the Apache Mining District

Cimarron – Wild & Baudy Boomtown

Cline’s Corners – Middle of Nowhere & the Road to Everywhere

Coal Mining Towns of the Vermejo Park Ranch

Blossburg

Brilliant

Gardiner

Koehler

Swastika

Comancheros of the Llano Estacado

Costilla

Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway

Raton

Sugarite

Folsom

Eagle Nest Lake – Angler’s Paradise

Idlewild and the Klondike Mine

Mystery of Eagle Nest Lodge

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail

Elizabethtown – Gone But Not Forgotten

El Rancho de los Golondrinas, La Cienga

Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway

Endee to San Jon – Another Ghostly Stretch of Route 66

The Fountain Murders: Sites Today

The Gadsden Purchase

Gallup – Indian Center of the Southwest

Ghosts Towns Beyond Tucumcari

The Ghosts of Dawson

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument

Glenrio – A Route 66 Casualty

Granada-Fort Union Military Road

Grants – Uranium City USA

Indian Country Ghost Towns

La Cueva Historic District

Lobo, King of the Corrumpa

Jicarilla – Still Gold in Them Thar Hills

Lake Valley – Silver Mining Heydays

Las Trampas – 18th Century Village

Las Vegas – More Wicked Than Dodge City

The Largest Land Grant in History

Lincoln – Wild Wild West Frozen in Time

Lincoln County War – A Conflict of Greed

McKinley County Ghost Towns

Mogollon – Surviving All Odds

Monticello Canyon Ghost Towns – Placita and Monticello

Moriarty to Tijeras on the Salt Missions Trail

Nara Visa – A Picturesque Ghost Town

New Mexico Fun Facts & Trivia

New Mexico History Begins Civilization in the West

Old Spanish Trail

Pecos National Historic Park

Pecos Valley – Santa Fe Trail & Route 66

Pueblo Revolt

Puye Cliff Dwellings – Ancestral Home of the Santa Clara Indians

Questa – A Mining Maven

Rayado – On the Santa Fe Trail

Route 66 Through New Mexico

New Mexico’s Mother Road

Pre-1937 Alignment of Route 66

Sandia Pueblo

Santa Fe – The City Different

The Flood At Santa Fe – A Miracle Legend

Haunted Santa Fe

Santa Fe Trail – Highway to the Southwest

Santa Fe Trail in New Mexico

The Treacherous Raton Pass on the Santa Fe Trail

Tales of the Santa Fe Trail

Santa Rosa – City of Natural Lakes

Shakespeare – Born Again and Again

Steins, New Mexico – A Railroad Ghost Town

St James Hotel, Cimarron

Phantom Poker at the St. James

Ghost Hunters at the St. James

Taos – Art, Architecture & History

Taos Pueblo – 1,000 Years of History

Taos Revolt

The Mountain Song of Taos – or, The Taos Hum

Ranchos de Taos & the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church

Tucumcari or Six-Shooter Siding

Turley’s Mill at Arroyo Hondo

Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway

Golden, New Mexico Has Seen Better Days

Los Cerrillos – Two Thousand Years of History

Madrid – A Ghost Town Reborn

Wagon Mound – On the Santa Fe Trail

White Massacre on the Santa Fe Trail

White Oaks – Liveliest Town in the Territory

Winston – Mining & Ranching in Sierra County

Writing Credits

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated February 2024.

Also See:

Destinations of America

Quirky and Off-Beat Roadside Attractions

Travel Tips & Articles

U.S. Places Photo Galleries