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McMath, Gorden and Biddie, May 22, 2008

 Item — Box: 1, CD: 22

Scope and Content

From the Collection: The collection consists of audio and transcripts of interviews, primarily with ranchers, farmers, and railroad employees from settlements along the Belen Cutoff of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (now BNSF) Railway between Belen and Clovis, NM. The interviews generated a large body of knowledge related to the railroad, settlement patterns, and community formation in the region, including Socorro, Torrance, and Valencia counties. Interview participants provided detailed information about how their families and others, both Hispanos and Anglos, settled central New Mexico in the highlands east of the Rio Grande Valley- a process accelerated by the construction of the Belen Cutoff from 1903-1907. This research also focused on economic trends and shifts in land use, including the transition from sheep herding and dry-land farming to cattle ranching and a wage-based economy.

Dates

  • May 22, 2008

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 1 box (.26 cu. ft.)

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451