New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.
We’re still waiting on a part to arrive, but luckily we’ve been able to stay in the RV this weekend and were able to slip out of El Paso for a few days. Extremely high winds and rains have been lashing at us for the last few days, but all things considered, it’s been a decent week.
I grew up on a dairy farm in Michigan, so the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces had a natural appeal to me. However, Liam and his mom have always been “town folk,” so I was curious of their reaction.
Of most interest was discovering how the earliest agrarian settlers cultivated the land. New Mexico has its own set of challenges for farmers… as the 50mph wind gusts we had this weekend emphasized. Following a few centuries of farming in the state proved quite satisfying, with the displays on the late 1800s and early 1900s giving us a good “cowboy” fix.
The indoor exhibits are attractive. They look more accessible than they are – old dwellings and wagons are peppered with “help preserve our collection, don’t touch” signs. So the contemporary layout still houses a more traditional-style museum display. The outdoor area includes a working farm showcasing New Mexico’s livestock, as well as, a farm equipment graveyard.
I would have loved to have toured the cemetery of large metal machines with my dad. Together we could have deciphered what some of these beasts were. I’m assuming the harsh weather kept docents indoors, because the equipment was not labeled and I wasn’t sure what half of them would be used for… and I had the advantage of being a “farm boy.”
Liam walked away talking about the replica of a Mogollon (a mud pithouse), grinding corn, the mercantile wagon (that looked like the one they used to use at his grandfather’s store in Ishpeming) and the modern milking machine that they let you stick your finger in to find out what it feels like to be “milked.”
I must admit, I skimmed over the people of New Mexico exhibit because of information overload. However, the two featured people I read about had fascinating stories. On a second visit, I’d probably focus on that section and take it in separately.
The verdict… all three of us enjoyed more than we expected. It takes at least an hour to tour the indoor exhibits. For the outdoor exhibits, I imagine it would take another hour depending on what was going on… on the day we visited, the blacksmith was the only outside demo.
New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.
