Valencia County Historical Society
Valencia County Historical Society
Events
Events
Presentations & Events
Upcoming Presentations & Events
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
SAVE THE DATE
2025 Joint New Mexico-Arizona History Conference
September 25 - 27, 2025
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Sep. 25th to 27th: New Mexico-Arizona History Conference in Las Cruces: registration is open. See this web page for more info:
https://historicalsocietyofnewmexico.wildapricot.org/event-6198811
Link to the detailed program for the conference, including info on individual sessions, https://tinyurl.com/4whn3b7k
Link to the registration page: https://tinyurl.com/yc3ee9ef
Link to the Courtyard by Marriott web page with info on the discount hotel rate for the conference: https://tinyurl.com/2xsc4una
Link to the donation page for anyone wishing to donate for the conference: https://tinyurl.com/5h89698b
Valencia County Historical Society: Link to current newsletter, with information on current and upcoming exhibits and events:
Tue., July 29th 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 ABQ, 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://abqgen.org/events/last-tuesday-research-day-2025/
Tue., July 29th 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://abqgen.org/events/celtic-sig-2025/
Link to register if you wish to participate on-line via Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/sxkezn6z
Fri., Aug. 1st at 5:30 PM, in person event, the New Mexico History Museum at 113 Lincoln Avenue in Santa Fe, presents Dr. A. Gabriel Meléndez, who will discuss his new book Citizens by Treaty and sign copies. Description: “Please Join Dr. A. Gabriel Meléndez, University of New Mexico retired Distinguished Professor, to discuss his new book "Citizens by Treaty," which gathers works from Spanish-speaking people who became US citizens under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In the book, “Citizens by Treaty: Texts by Hispanic New Mexicans, 1846–1925,” a selection of songs, poems, speeches, and journalism captures the persistence of their voices and vibrant culture in the face of upheaval and change. Dr. A. Gabriel Meléndez will talk about his new book and the works produced by Spanish-speaking people of Mexican descent who became US citizens by virtue of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) and whose ancestors had resided in New Mexico, Arizona, California, Texas, and Colorado for hundreds of years prior to the Mexican-American War. Meléndez will read selections from the book and discuss his research during the presentation.”
Free admission to the museum between 5 PM ad 7 PM.
See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/23mvvaea
Fri., Aug. 1st at 10:30 AM, virtual and in person event, the Albuquerque Genealogical Society’s DNA 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/3wc8cvr6
If planning to attend the meeting via Zoom, register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/w7z6duwz
Sat., Aug. 2nd at 2 PM, in person event, the Martha Liebert Library at 124 Calle Malinche in Bernalillo, presents Dr. Joseph Moreno, who will speak on “Los Matachines de San Lorenzo”. Free. Description: “Dr. Moreno is the world’s foremost expert on the Matachines dances of Bernalillo and was himself a Matachine danzante. This annual library presentation—a popular Bernalillo tradition—prepares us to better understand the Fiestas de San Lorenzo, now in its 332nd year. If you are interested in the history, meaning, and social significance of the Matachines dances, this is the presentation for you.”
Registration required.
See this web page for more info: https://bernalillolibrary.libcal.com/event/14983116
Sat., Aug. 2nd at 10 AM, in person event, the Wheels Museum at 1100 2nd St., SW in ABQ presents Roland Penttila, who will give a talk on “Railyard photos by Jim Kubié”. Description: “Roland is a retired civil engineer who came to New Mexico in 1998 to work on the NM44 highway project. He met Peggy in 1999 and they were married in 2003. Roland enjoys photography and has had photos displayed in photo shows, published in books and is currently a photographer for Nob Hill News. After retirement in 2012, he became interested in Albuquerque’s history and joined the Albuquerque Historical Society and Historic Albuquerque for which he’s the Treasurer. He volunteers with the Photo Archives of the Albuquerque Museum digitizing their extensive print collection. Peggy and he live in the Ridgecrest Neighborhood with their rescue dog, Bitty.”
Admission is free, but donations are always gratefully accepted. For more info call 505-243-6269 or send e-mail to info@WheelsMuseum.org
Sat., Aug. 2nd at 2 PM, in person event, the Taos County Historical Society presents Mickey Blake, who will give a lecture on “The Early History of Taos Ski Valley”. Partial description: “Mickey Blake grew up in the NM ski business. When he was 5 years old, he was with his father, Ernie Black, when he became manager of Santa Fe Ski Basin in 1949. The installation of the famous red chair lift there caught his attention more than the other facets of the early Santa Fe development. In 1954, against advice of others like Pete Totemoff, the Blake family moved to Twining and lived in a 16 foot travel trailer there to start a new ski area at Taos Ski Valley.”
See this web page: http://taoscountyhistoricalsociety.org/
For more information contact Ernestine Córdova at cordova@newmex.com or call 575-770-0681.
October 17th & 18th: New Mexico Genealogy Society annual conference at CNM Space Solutions at 5600 Eagle Rock Ave, NE in ABQ. The full schedule of events in now available. A link to register on-line or by mail is also available. See this web page on the society’s web site: https://www.nmgs.org/2025-conference
Tue., Aug. 5th 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 Westward Ho! 1865-1890.
See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/3y68e2a7
If planning to attend the meeting via Zoom, register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/murd8ej3
For more info send e-mail to MilResSIG@abqgen.org
Wed., Aug. 6th at noon, virtual event, the Friends of History (Santa Fe) presents Dr. Alysia L. Abbott, Principal Investigator, Abbotteck Inc. who will give a lecture titled “Death at the End of the Trail: Graves and Graveyards of Santa Fe Travelers”. Partial description: “The true end of the trail for many who found their way from the East to Santa Fe was burial on one Santa Fe’s Historic Cemeteries. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who are known and suspected to have arrived in Santa Fe, following part, or all, of the path from Missouri to the Ancient Capital, are buried here. Many arrived young and hopeful only to meet an untimely end. Some arrived already deceased, their mortal remains carried along to the end of the journey or from some far place of death to their final home. Some were prominent in life. Most are now anonymous. Their monuments, their graves and their cemeteries represent a fascinating history of life and death unique to Santa Fe.”
Free or donation up to $25 accepted.
See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/3hjdt5a8
For more info send e-mail to nmhmfriendsofhistory@gmail.com
Sat., Aug. 9th at 10:30 AM, in person event, the Special Collections Library at the corner of Central Ave. and Edith in ABQ, as part of its series Ever Changing, Ever Growing, presents Kathleen Dull, who will give a talk on: “Detourist’s Delight: Roughing it DeLuxe ”. Free. Partial description: “Join us on "the world's most distinctive motor cruise service". We will discover the origins of a new kind of tourism, one that revolutionized the industry and altered the economic and cultural trajectory of the Southwest. This talk will delve into the beginning of the Fred Harvey Company's Indian Detours, including Erna Fergusson and her Koshare Tours. Meet the drivers and couriers, and enjoy the first public showing of recently discovered archival motion picture filmed during 1926, the Detours' inaugural year.”
See this web page: https://libevents.abqlibrary.org/event/12575060
Sat., Aug. 9th from 1 PM to 3 PM, in person event, the Albuquerque Museum at Casa San Ysidro at 973 Old Church Road in Corrales, as part of its second Saturday program, presents author Anne Hillerman, Free. Description: “In many of her award-winning novels, Anne Hillerman includes references to the history, landscape, and cultures of the Southwest. The interplay of non-fiction information with the “who done it and why” aspect of the mystery genre gives her Leaphorn/Chee/Manuelito novels a texture that is distinctively hers. Join Hillerman for a talk about how her research into the tragedy of the Navajo’s Long Walk, the mysteries of Chaco Canyon, and other elements of New Mexico’s history have enriched her books, as well as how her own family history inspires her work.”
See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/yv3dvsdy
For more info contact Aaron Gardner at 505-898-3915 or e-mail agardner@cabq.gov
Wed., Aug. 13th at 10:30 AM, in person event, the Albuquerque Genealogical Society (AGS) meets at Tingley Field at 550 10th Ave., SW in ABQ for Summer Stories with snacks. Description: “For many years, we have had an annual storytelling meeting where we share our accomplishments with like-minded family researchers. Since many of us are in families who are not enthusiastic about family history research, we need to take time to listen, encourage, help, rejoice, or sympathize with each other. We will divide into small groups that allow everyone to tell of their recent genealogical adventures. We also will collect ideas for next year’s programs”.
See this web page: https://abqgen.org/events/monthly-meeting-program-aug-2025/
Sat., Aug. 16th at 1:30 PM, virtual event, the Albuquerque Genealogical Society, as part of its continuing program on the ABCs of DNA, presents Blaine Bettinger, who will give a presentation on “Third Party Genetic Genealogy Tools”. Description: “In this session I will introduce students to some of the most important and useful third-party tools available to genealogists using DNA evidence.”
See this web page for more info: https://tinyurl.com/4xmyt6f4
Click on this link to register: https://tinyurl.com/vmcvt48f
Sat., Aug. 16th at 3 PM, in person event, the New Mexico History Museum at 113 Lincoln Avenue in Santa Fe, presents Martha. Sandweiss, who will discuss “The Girl in the Middle [of an 1868 photograph]”. Description: “In searching for the story of the figure at the center of an 1868 photograph, Martha A. Sandweiss traces the lives of the people present at Fort Laramie: the photographer, US generals, the Lakota people, and Sophie Mousseau, whose lives were all entangled in struggles over the future of the American west after the Civil War. Sandweiss will discuss this turbulent history in conversation with Hannah Abelbeck, NMHM curator of photographs and archival collections.”
Free admission.
See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/2fwvf4kx
Sun., Aug. 17th at 1 PM, in person event, the New Mexico History Museum at 113 Lincoln Avenue in Santa Fe, offers a talk on “Honoring Tradition and Innovation: A Presentation About the Annual Santa Fe Indian Market and Art Competition”. Partial description: “Join us for a presentation and discussion with Cathy Notarnicola, Curator at the New Mexico History Museum, and Elisa Phelps, Head of Curatorial Affairs at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, on the topic of Indian Market.”
Free admission.
See this web page: https://tinyurl.com/5fc9mwz4
Fri., Aug. 22nd thru Sun., Aug. 24th, in person event, Annual Meeting & Conference of the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America (GSHA). At the Sheraton Airport Hotel at 2910 Yale Blvd. SE in ABQ. See this web page with more info: https://www.gshaa.org/tickets
On Saturday, September 13th at 2 PM at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage & Arts at 251 Main St., SE, The Friends of the Los Lunas Library hosts Karl Laumbach, who will give a talk on “Massai: New Mexico’s Apache Kid”. See this Facebook post for details: https://tinyurl.com/53xbbm3r
October 3rd thru 5th: in person event, New Mexico Historic Preservation Conference. At NM Highlands University in Las Vegas. Registration now open. See this web page with more info: https://www.preservenewmexico.com/registration
For more info send e-mail to preservenm@cstones.org or call 505-982-9521.
October 17th & 18th: New Mexico Genealogy Society annual conference at CNM Space Solutions at 5600 Eagle Rock Ave, NE in ABQ. The full schedule of events in now available. A link to register on-line or by mail is also available. See this web page on the society’s web site: https://www.nmgs.org/2025-conference