On January 6, 1912 New Mexico became the 47th state in the union.
President William Howard Taft signed Proclamation 1175 to make it official.
Here’s a picture of the big man from that day:
After signing it, Taft reportedly said, “Well, it is all over. I am glad to give you life. I hope you will be healthy.” I wonder if the 6-2, 300-pound president then retired to his specially-made bathtub. Click here to read the proclamation from that day.
There’s an excellent page on the website of the New Mexico Office of the State Historian recounting the meandering story of how New Mexico was finally admitted into the Union. Interestingly, for years there was hardly any clamor from residents to become a state. In fact, during the Congressional session of 1889-90, lawmakers on Capitol Hill actually received a petition from New Mexicans opposed to statehood. Why? The petitioners argued that New Mexico was “at present totally unfitted for such responsibilities, and that federal control from Washington was preferable to ‘home rule’ by unscrupulous politicians.”
I guess some things haven’t changed much.
You can read the whole thing — excellently written by Marion Dargan – by clicking here. The website also includes a briefer history describing the obstacles to statehood (an editorial by the New York Times in 1871 described the territory as “the heart of our worst civilization”) written by Robert J. Torrez.
As long as we’re being nostalgic, here’s an old film about New Mexico that Gerges Scott alerted me to that he saw on YouTube.
It’s from Carl Dudley Productions, circa 1947, that calls New Mexico “a land of pleasant contrasts”:
In popular culture, New Mexico comes up in a wry bit of dialogue in the movie “True Grit” — the John Wayne version, not the remake with Jeff Bridges. In a quiet moment, Rooster Cogburn tells the film’s willful heroine, Mattie Ross, that he once robbed a federal paymaster:
Mattie: Never did get you for stealing that money?
Rooster: I didn’t consider it stealing.
Mattie: It didn’t belong to you.
Rooster: I needed a road stake. Like that high-interest bank in New Mexico. I needed a road stake, and there it was. I never robbed no citizen or took a man’s watch!
Mattie: It’s all stealing.
Rooster (with astonishment): That’s the position them New Mexicans took! I had to flee for my life!
You can watch the scene here.
And just for the hell of it, here’s Johnny Cash singing “New Mexico”:
Finally, here’s a quick rundown of official, legislatively-approved fun facts about New Mexico:
State songs: “O, Fair New Mexico,” “Así Es Nuevo Mexico,” “New Mexico – Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico”
State ballad: “The Land of Enchantment”
State aircraft: The hot air balloon
State tie: Bolo tie
State bird: Greater Roadrunner
State amphibian: New Mexico Spadefoot
State butterfly: Sandia Hairstreak
State cookie: Biscochitos
State fish: Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
State fossil: Coelophysism (an early Triassic dinosaur)
State flower: Soaptree Yucca
State gem: Turquoise
State grass: Blue Grama
State insect: Tarantula Hawk Wasp
State mammal: American Black Bear
State nickname: “The Land of Enchantment”
State poem: “A Nuevo Mexico”
State tree: Piñon Pine
State reptile: New Mexico Whiptail (the dunes sagebrush lizard can’t catch a break)
State slogan: “Everybody is somebody in New Mexico”
State train: Cumbres & Toltec Raildroad (the Rail Runner gets no respect)
State question: “Red or Green?”
State vegetables: Chile and frijoles
State necklace: The Squash Blossom
State plant: The Goathead (just kidding)
Update 1/6: To commemorate the centennial, Los Angeles Times travel correspondent Christopher Reynolds put together 100 beautiful photos of the Land of Enchantment.
Here’s one of my favorites:
It was taken in Cibola County.
Click here to see all 100 pictures.
Hat tip to Peter St. Cyr.
***
There was a celebration at the rotunda of the Roundhouse Friday, where we met Clofas Teresita Vigil of Española. She has spent all of her 84 years in New Mexico and is retired from working many years at La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe. Friday happened to mark the first time she had ever come to the State Capitol building. Mrs. Vigil talked to us about how much New Mexico has changed in her lifetime:
Right after our chat, Mrs. Vigil and I joined a couple hundred people who received some birthday cake. One of the servers? Gov. Susana Martinez:
I managed to snap a couple pictures before the cakes were cut:
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Nueva Mexico!
