VCHS Board Meetings

Presentations & Events

Upcoming Presentations & Events

Sun., May 19, at 2:00PM New Mexico's Medal of Honor Recipients by John Taylor at the Belen Harvey House Museum.

Past Recorded Presentations

Geologic History of Valencia County by Paul Parmentier Link to a video of the presentation from November 2nd : https://tinyurl.com/56hwsecd 

Los Lunas Mystery Stone by John Taylor  Link to a video of the presentation from November 12th: https://www.facebook.com/pg/vchsnm/events/?ref=page_internal 

Presentations & Events by Other Associations

Tue., May 14th at 7 PM in person event, the Los Alamos Historical Society presents Nancy Bartlit & John Hopkins, who will give a lecture on “Imperial Japan’s Conflicted Surrender & Japanese Nuclear Weapons Program During WWII”.  Free.  At the Fuller Lodge at 2132 Central Ave. in Los Alamos.  See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/56hcx4sw 

Tue., May 14th at 6:30 PM, in person event, Friends of Tijeras Pueblo  presents Christina Chavez, Sandia National Laboratories Archaeologist, who will give a lecture on “Archaeology Knows No Boundaries”.

At the Sandia Ranger Station, just off I-40 in Tijeras.

See this web page with more info: https://www.friendsoftijeraspueblo.org/ 

Thu., May 16th from 5 PM to 8:30 PM, in person event, the Albuquerque Museum at 2000 Mountain Road NW in ABQ holds its third Thursday presentation: “Nuclear Communities of the Southwest”. Presented by author Myrriah Gómez.  Description: :” Hear a presentation by Myrriah Gómez author of the book, Nuclear Nuevo México Colonialism and the Effects of the Nuclear Industrial Complex on Nuevomexicanos. Gómez tells a new story of New Mexico, one in which the nuclear history is not separate from the collective colonial history of Nuevo México.  Enjoy our first outdoor concert of the year, with Son Como Son”.

Free.   See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/4new2dy7 

Thu., May 16th at 7 PM, in person event, the Doña Ana Historical Society meets at Las Cruces Good Samaritan Village in the Stucky Auditorium downstairs in the main activities building at 3011 Buena Vida Circle in Las Cruces.  Description: “Join us on May 16 as we pay tribute to J. Paul Taylor.  Four individuals - Dennis Daily, Alexandra McKinney, Eric Ahner and George Helfrich - will speak on different aspects of Taylor's life and his many contributions to the Mesilla Valley. The presentation is free and open to the public. It will be at 7 p.m. in the Good Samaritan auditorium at 3011 Buena Vida Circle.”

See the society’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DACHS1963 

For more info send e-mail to 19dachs63@gmail.com 

Sat., May 18th from 10 AM to 4 PM, in person event, the Corrales Historical Society holds its Heritage Day.  Free.  At Casa San Ysidro at 966 Old Church Road in Corrales.  Description: “Each year in May, Casa San Ysidro joins the Corrales Historical Society (CHS) in celebrating local heritage with a free event that exhibits the living traditions of New Mexico. The historical heart of Corrales comes alive with opportunities for people to engage in local historical activities. Celebrate with Casa and CHS with a variety of activities that highlight local art and history.”

See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/2cksxbve 

Related Facebook post: https://tinyurl.com/4696nk95 

For more info contact Aaron Gardner at agardner@cabq.gov or call 505-898-3915.

Saturday, May 18th at 2 PM, in person event, at the Belen Harvey House Museum at 104 North First St. in Belen, the Valencia County Historical Society will present author and historian John Taylor, who will speak on 49 New Mexico individuals who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

Sat., May 18th at 1:30 PM, virtual event, the Albuquerque Genealogical Society, as part of its continuing program on the ABCs of DNA, presents Paul Woodbury, who will give a presentation on “Coverage Analysis for Genealogical Research”.  Description: “Different descendants of a research subject inherit different portions of that ancestor’s DNA. They share different amounts of DNA with key genetic cousins on different shared DNA segments and may have different pertinent genetic cousins altogether. By working with the test results of multiple descendants of a research subject, it is possible to maximize the active and accessible coverage of an ancestor’s DNA and better estimate how closely related an ancestor might have been to key genetic cousins and descendants of close potential relatives of a research subject. In this class, learn how to apply coverage estimates to segment comparisons between multiple kits and estimate how much DNA a research subject might have shared with pertinent genetic cousins and their ancestors”.

See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/axkbb4x7 

Register at this link for the presentation: https://tinyurl.com/mr3u4t2c 

Sat., May 18th at 2 PM, in person event, the Wheels Museum at 1100 2nd St., SW in ABQ presents Roland Pentilla, who will give a presentation on “The Day the Atomic Bomb was dropped in Albuquerque”.  Free

Description: “There have been many military accidents that have happened in Albuquerque and New Mexico not the least was an accidental dropping of a 42,000 pound Nuclear Bomb near Kirtland AFB.  Did you know that the Air Force calls mishaps involving nuclear weapons, Broken Arrow accidents?  Learn the details of this 1957 accident and other New Mexico military aviation accidents as amateur historian, Roland Penttila, provides the details with photos and newspaper clippings from the events.”

For more info or to RSVP call 505-243-6269 or email Leba4@aol.com  

Sun., May 19th at 2 PM, in person event,  the Friends of Coronado Historic Site, at the Martha Liebert Public Library at 124 Calle Malinche in Bernalillo, presents Peter Stark, who will give a presentation on “Coronado: The Conflicted Conquistador”.  Description: “Peter Stark's articles on human endurance have been published in Outside, Smithsonian, The New Yorker and The New York Times magazines. He is the author of 8 books including At the Mercy of the River, and The Last Empty Places. His book, Astoria, was a New York Times Bestseller and Young Washington was a finalist for the 2019 George Washington Book Prize. Now based in Montana, Stark specializes in researching and writing historical accounts of early American explorers in wilderness settings and their contact with Indigenous peoples. His talk will include a reading from his next book about Coronado.  Masks are discretionary, refreshments will be served and there is an elevator to the event meeting.”

See this web page: https://www.kuaua.org/ 

For more info send a message to friendsofchs@comcast.net or call 867-5351.

Sun., May 19th at 2 PM, in person event, the Corrales Historical Society presents Paulette Atencio, who will give a presentation on “Traditional Stories of Northern New Mexico”.  Free.  At Casa San Ysidro at 966 Old Church Road in Corrales.    Description: “Atencio delights audiences with cuentos (stories) learned growing up in Penasco, NM and a lifetime traveling northern and central New Mexico. Stories can be told in English or Spanish, to adults or children. The stories focus on traditions, what it means to be of Hispanic descent, and universal humor and lessons.”

See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/49yy2xzn 

For more info contact Dean Sherer at CHSSpeakerSeries@CorralesHistory.org 

NOTE: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – "ROAD CLOSURE” – PLEASE BE AWARE THAT OLD CHURCH ROAD, ADJACENT TO THE CEMETERY, WILL BE CLOSED  STARTING 05/13/24 FOR FIRE HYDRANT CONNECTION WORK. YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO APPROACH THE OLD CHURCH FROM CORRALES ROAD. THERE WILL BE NO ACCESS THROUGH MISSION VALLEY ROAD OR OLD CHURCH ROAD SOUTH OF MISSION VALLEY ROAD.

Sat., May 25th at 2 PM, in person event, the Santa Fe Public Library at 145 Washington Ave. in Santa Fe presents Nikki Nojima Louis, who will give a presentation on “Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of The World War II Japanese American Experience”.  Description: “Nikki Nojima Louis presents stories from both inside and outside of the barbed wire of the prison camps of America that imprisoned more than 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry during WWII. With knowledge gleaned from personal experience, memories of elders, and extensive research into oral histories and historical records, she has created a memorable experience through slides and stories that enables audiences to inhabit the history of a fraught era. “Courage and Compassion” is the story of Japanese immigrants who pursued the American dream and of their pride in their American-born children. It relates how, after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, immigrant families were herded into prison camps in desolate areas of the United States and how many of their sons and daughter served in the American military, even while their families remained in behind barbed wire. It is also the story of courageous and compassionate friends, neighbors, and strangers who held out helping hands to Japanese Americans at a time of war hysteria and intense racial hatred. Presenter Louis is a childhood survivor of the WWII American prison camps. Her father was held in Santa Fe and Lordsburg internment camps from 1942 to 1946. She and her readers theater group, JACL Players, have presented “Living History” plays throughout New Mexico since 2014.”

See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/edus3frm 

For more info call the library at 505-984-6780.

Sat., May 25th at 11 AM, in person event, the Special Collections Library at the corner of Edith and Central Ave. in ABQ will offer its monthly tour of the library. Description: “Take a tour of Albuquerque's oldest public library. The Special Collections Library houses research collections on Albuquerque history and New Mexico history and culture. The 1925 Pueblo/Spanish Revival-style building is a registered Albuquerque landmark in the historic Huning Highlands neighborhood. Our bimonthly tours are on the 4th Saturday of every other month at 11:00 a.m.. You are also welcome to call us at 505-848-1376 or to email us to schedule a tour if the regularly scheduled tour is not convenient.”

See this web page: https://libevents.abqlibrary.org/event/11137109 

For additional info call the library at 848-1376.

Sat., May 25th from 10 AM o noon, in person event, the Wheels Museum at 1100 2nd St., SW in ABQ presents Fred Friedman, who will give a presentation on “The Chinese American Railroad Workers in New Mexico”.  Description: “: Fred Friedman’s upcoming presentation focuses on the numerous, although little known, contributions of Chinese men and women to railroad development in New Mexico, from its late 1870s construction period, into the world war years, and beyond. While railroad work was perilous for all that did it, the Chinese overcame multiple added obstacles, including language difficulties, being assigned the more dangerous track assignments, and facing discriminating & demeaning treatment both on and off the job. How such difficulties were transformed into assets, that are slowly being recognized today, make up part of Mr. Friedman's illustrated presentation on New Mexico Railroads & the Asset of Chinese Laborers.”

Free, but limited to 50.  RSVP by calling 505-243-6269 or e-mail leba4@aol.com 

Tue., May 28th from 10:30 AM to 2 PM, in person event, Albuquerque Genealogical Society (AGS) Research Day: need help with your genealogy?  At the main ABQ library at 5th and Copper, in the genealogy center on the second floor.  No set schedule.  The number in the genealogy center is 768-5141.

See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/372kfnb5 

Tue., May 28th from 1:30 PM to 3 PM, virtual and in person event, the Albuquerque Genealogical Society’s Celtic Research Group meets on the second floor at the ABQ main library at 5th and Copper Sts. in ABQ and on-line.

See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/293627xj 

Link to register if you wish to participate on-line via Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/mr3ejmzr 

Sat., June 1st from noon to 3 PM, in person event, the Baldin Cabin Public Library at 7843 US route 60 in Datil holds its 25th anniversary.  See this Facebook post for more detailed info: https://tinyurl.com/mr4a79kp 

For more info call 575-772-5230.

Sat., June 1st at 2 PM, in person event, the Taos County Historical Society presents Richard Rubin, who will give a lecture on “Aldo Leopold in Tres Piedras”.  Free.  At the Kit Carson electric cooperative boardroom at 118 Cruz Alta Road in Taos.  See this web page: http://taoscountyhistoricalsociety.org/calendar.html 

For more information contact Ernestine Córdova at cordova@newmex.com or call 575-770-0681.

Tue., June 4th at 10:30 AM, virtual and in person event, the Albuquerque Genealogical Society’s Military Research Group meets on the second floor of the main ABQ library at 5th and Copper in ABQ.  At this meeting the topic will be the 80th anniversary of D-Day.  Description: “In this month’s program, it’s been 80 years since the Normandy Invasion of Europe by Allied Forces. We will remember the sacrifices these young men made for our freedom.”

See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/3d34ttdd 

If planning to attend the meeting via Zoom, register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/yr52a262 

For more info contact Stuart Murray at stubucks@gmail.com 

Wed., June 5th  at noon, virtual event, the Friends of History (Santa Fe) presents Dr. Lois Ellen Frank and Walter Whitewater, who will give a lecture on “Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky”. Partial description: “Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky is the story of eight plants that Native peoples gave to the world: corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla and cacao. Prior to 1492, these plants only existed in the Americas. Once these plants were introduced to cultures of the world outside of the Americas these cuisines were changed forever This is the story of the history of these plants in Native American cuisine.”

Free or donation up to $25 accepted.  See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/2mzjkz5n 

For more info  send e-mail to nmhmfriendsofhistory@gmail.com 

Wed., June 5th at 10 AM, in person event, the Albuquerque Museum at 2000 Mountain Road NW in ABQ presents the museum director Andrew Connors, who,  as part of a three part series on “Art and Music for a New Democracy”  will give a lecture on “As Good as Europe or Something Different?”.  Description: “With the rejection of European rule by the self-declared United States in 1776, the cultural project for the new country was to decide what we were to become, a nation with culture as good as that of Europe, or a country with new aesthetics reflective of a new attitude.  While most respected painters and composers in the late 18th and early 19th century were trained in Europe, some of them felt a calling to develop an original national culture for the United States.  This illustrated lecture will consider this original push and pull between an inferiority complex that we were not as skilled as Europe, and the thrill of making something new, all on our own.”

Free.   See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/mry82bhk 

For more info contact Elizabeth Becker at  ebecker@cabq.gov or call 505-764-6515.