Newly Acquired Diary from Local Hero – Joseph Quesenberry
In honor of the Fourth of July, the Archives and Special Collections (ASC) is proud to announce the replica acquisition of the Joseph “Joe” Quesenberry diary. The diary was acquired from a Quesenberry descendant in the fall of 2019 and is a great resource for those wanting to learn about how a native New Mexican carried out his military life while deployed overseas during WWI. The diary belonged to Joe Quesenberry, a former student at New Mexico College…
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An Archivist’s COVID-19 Journal, Part IV: The New Normal
The first three posts in this thread have focused on how the pandemic has altered my work routine. If you will indulge me, I would like to provide some random thoughts on how this has dramatically affected my time away from the office. With coronavirus ravaging New Mexico and the state’s economy in freefall, it…
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An Archivist’s COVID-19 Journal, Part III: Groundhog Day?
Working from home never appealed to me. As an archivist, working temporarily from my apartment presents many complications. For many professions that is doubtlessly true. I do not wish to discount those fields but rather reflect on the only employment I have known for the past 20 years. I pursued a career in the archival…
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An Archivist’s COVID-19 Journal, Part II: No Longer Essential
The week of March 16th proved to be unlike any other in my working career. Normally changes in large bureaucratic organizations occur over weeks, months, even years, yet the rapidity with which new directives rolled-out proved stunning.  By that Friday, I was packing up needed files, paperwork, and other material to begin working from home…
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NMSU Student Radio in the 1970s
Time machines, you might say, are the stuff of science fiction. Physically traveling to the past or the future may be debated by scientists and philosophers, but any archivist will tell you that if you want to visit the past, “Well, step right this way.” We can take you as near or as far back…
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Notable New Mexico Women
By Teddie Moreno and Jennifer Olguin The New Mexico history that is most familiar to people is one of the shoot-outs, outlaws, and battles for land. What might have been missing from history books can be found within the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Archives and Special Collections.  Without many of the strong and resilient women, New Mexico would not be…
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Extraordinary Women: Advocacy, Activism, and Sisterhood
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Various events were in the making to honor such a monumental time in American history, but due to the current pandemic, many events have been put on hold or canceled due to limits on social gatherings. At the local…
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History of Blackdom
Have you heard of Blackdom, New Mexico? Chances are slim, I myself never heard of the all-black settlement that was founded in 1901 in territorial New Mexico. Blackdom was literally located in the backyard of Dexter, a small farming community in Chaves County where I was raised. It was about two years ago or so…
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Getting to know the ASC Staff during a time of Social Distancing
We sure miss you Aggie Nation! Please know we are still available to help you with your research needs even if Branson Library is currently not open to the public. Get to know our staff as they each briefly tell how they came to work at ASC and why they are so passionate about…
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Carl Schuchard’s 1854 Views of the Mesilla Valley
The Mexican-American War was a mere six years in the past, and the international boundary line between the United States and Mexico was still being debated, when in early 1854 Carl Schuchard passed through the Mesilla Valley as artist with the A.B. Gray survey for the Texas Western Railroad Company. Schuchard’s drawings of scenes in…
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