Valencia County
Historical Society
The Valencia County Historical Society
The Valencia County Historical Society welcomes new members who are eager to learn about our past, share your knowledge and skills, and make real contributions to the success of the society and its goals. Your contributions and participation will be rewarded as we work to preserve our local history through meaningful research, education, and outreach.
Celebrating 25 Years of La Historia de Rio Abajo
What began as a “periodic column” in the Valencia County News-Bulletin has become a mainstay and reader favorite feature for a quarter of a century.
First making its appearance in the Oct. 24-25, 1998, edition of the paper, La Historia del Rio Abajo was the “bright idea” of local history professor and member of the Valencia County Historic Society Dr. Richard Melzer. During a society meeting, Melzer pitched the idea of a monthly history article for the newspaper and after some work shopping of the name by the members, it was off and running. Click here to read more.
Dr. Richard Melzer is just one of many writers of La Historia del Rio Abajo, a history column featured in the Valencia County News-Bulletin since 1998. The columns have been collected in series of books sold y the Valencia County Historical Society.
Julia Dedinger, | Valencia County News-Bulletin Photo