The Traveler… Presidential election day 1912… the first in New Mexico…

November 5, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

First Presidential Election in New Mexico - 1912In today’s journey through the Albuquerque Morning Journal dated November 5, 1912, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, I found that it was the day of the Presidential elections with the three candidates, Democratic Woodrow Wilson, Republican William Taft and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning to the last minute. This issue contains different articles pertaining to the election.

Also within the issue is an article: “New Mexicans To Cast First Vote For President”… “With Closing of Polls Tonight Residents of State Will Have participate In All Duties of Citizenship”. This election would be the very first presidential election for the residents of New Mexico to participate in as they had entered as the forty-seventh state on January 6, 1912. Great to have this report within a newspaper from New Mexico.

Just a reminder that as a free nation, our presidential election is Tuesday, November 6th. Please exercise your valuable gift of freedom and cast your vote… 🙂

~The Traveler

The Traveler… “The Birdman”, Lincoln Beachey… the irony…

October 8, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

Today I traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, via the ALBUQURQUE MORNING JOURNAL, dated October 8, 1912, where I found that they were having their 32nd Annual State Fair with the top-billing being Lincoln Beachey, the world’s greatest “birdman”. Beachey would be racing between his Curtiss bi-plane and a man on a motorcycle as well as dare-devil flying stunts with his hands off levers and body swaying, dips and deadly spiral dive. “…’I will watch the motorcycle, though, and not Beachey,’ said this man, ‘for to watch Beachey gives me palpitation of the heart’…”

On the last page of the issue is the report that the train carrying the body of Charles Walsh to San Diego would be stopping at Albuquerque. Walsh was an aviation dare-devil who died just a few days earlier when his plane crumbled mid-air and crashed to the ground. Walsh had appeared at this fair the year prior performing aerial stunts … ironically Walsh was trained by Beachey.

~The Traveler

First newspapers in New Mexico…

February 7, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

The first printing press arrived in New Mexico at Santa Fe in 1834 and just one year later the first newspaper was published, a Spanish-language paper titled “El Crepusculo de la Libertad(Dawn of Liberty), beginning on Nov. 29, 1835 but lasting for only four numbers. It was presumed that New Mexican lawyer Lic Antonio Barriero published it to promote his candidacy for the Mexican Congress, and abandoned it after his election.

In 1844 another newspaper was published: “La Verdad” (The Truth) which lasted for over a year. A bi-lingual newspaper, “The Santa Fe Republican” began on Sept. 4, 1847 and two years later on Dec. 1, 1849 the first issue of the “New Mexican” appeared, which exists to this day.

Don’t tell the Chamber of Commerce…

April 4, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

santa-feA brief piece in the “Niles’ National Register” newspaper of Baltimore, January 14, 1843, obviously came from a disgruntled visitor to the West:

“Capt. Kendall, in describing Santa Fe, says it is a little mud-built city, that stands between civilization and the jumping off place.”

If you’ve visited Sante Fe, New Mexico recently, you can certainly attest to the significant improvements which have been made since 1843.