Celebrating the 25th Anniversary
La Historia del Rio Abajo
La Historia del Rio Abajo is a regular column in the Valencia County News-Bulletin about Valencia County history written by members of the Valencia County Historical Society since 1998.
2024
Shoes, Eggs, and a duel in Belen, 1898 by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Valencia News-Bulletin | Apr 4, 2024. Article on a duel in Belen over someone putting eggs in a gentleman’s shoes.
“Navajo Frank” Saiz and the Glory Days of Professional Wrestling by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Valencia News-Bulletin | Mar 21, 2024.
Jewish Merchants in Valencia County (Part I) by John Taylor, guest columnist | Valencia County News-Bulletin | Jan 17, 2024.
Jewish Merchants in Valencia County (Part II) by John Taylor, guest columnist | Valencia County News-Bulletin | Jan 25, 2024.
What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have thought of Blackdom, New Mexico? by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Valencia County News-Bulletin | Jan 11, 2024.
2023
Lynching of 14-year-old Black boy in 1966 had an affect on MLK by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Jan 12, 2023
Eleanor Roosevelt: The first First Lady to visit Valencia County by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Jan 19, 2023
A girl with great gumption: Pat Gomez's childhood in Los Lunas & Albuquerque (Part I) by Richard Melzer guest columnist | Mar 16, 2023
A girl with great gumption: Pat Gomez's childhood in Los Lunas & Albuquerque (Part II) by Richard Melzer guest columnist | Mar 16, 2023
"Si" Porter's life in the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | May 18, 2023
Mountain Monograms, Part I by John Taylor, Guest Columnist | Sep 28, 2023
Mountain Monograms, Part II by John Taylor, Guest Columnist | Oct 5, 2023
Celebrating 25 years of La Historia del Rio Abajo by Julia Dendinger, News-Bulletin Assistant Editor| Oct 19, 2023
Mystery Solved: The Belen Bunker (Part 1) by John Taylor, guest columnist | Nov 16, 2023
Mystery Solved: The Belen Bunker (Part II) by John Taylor, guest columnist | Nov 30, 2023.
2022
The Huning House: A Los Lunas Treasure by John Taylor guest columnist | Mar 10, 2022
The Huning House: A Los Lunas Treasure (Part II) by John Taylor guest columnist | Mar 17, 2022
Proposing Marriage: A Lost Tradition in New Mexico by Richard Melzer guest columnist | May 19, 2022
La Marcha de los Novios: A Time-Honored Hispanic Wedding Tradition by Richard Melzer and Matt Baca | Jun 16, 2022
Almost as Valuable as Gold - Lake Estancia and the Saline Pueblos by John Taylor guest columnist | Jun 30, 2022
Recognizing Evil: How a Citizen of Belen Helped Capture a Gangster from Illinois. by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Oct 20,2022
The Los Lunas Anti-Aircraft Gun by John Taylor | Nov 10, 2022
2021
The Memory of their Magic: Dance Halls of the Rio Abajo by Richard Melzer and Matt Baca, guest columnists | Feb 18, 2021
When Dirt was Cheaper in the Country!: A New Biography of Casey Luna by RichardMelzer, guest Columnist | Mar 18, 2021
The Free State of Socorro, 1953: Amusing Publicity Stunt or Serious Attempt at Secession? by guest columnist Richard Melzer | Apr 15, 2021
The Free State of Socorro, 1953: Amusing Publicity Stunt or Serious Attempt at Secession? (Part II) by guest columnist Richard Melzer | Apr 22, 2021
The Tale of Two Eloisas: Los Lunas to Santa Fe & Beyond by Patty Guggino, guest columnist | Apr 29, 2021
Cattle and Horse and Dogs, Oh My! Veterinary Care in Valencia County by John Taylor, guest columnist | Jun 17, 2021
Cattle and Horse and Dogs, Oh My! Veterinary Care in Valencia County (Part II) by John Taylor, guest columnist | Jun 24, 2021
Long hours, strange stories and fond memories by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Oct 28, 2021
Long hours, strange stories and fond memories (part II) by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Oct 28, 2021
La Llorona: The Weeping Woman by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Oct 28, 2021
Phil Coudert: The Veteran's Veteran by John Taylor, guest columnist | Nov 11, 2021
Phil Coudert: The Veteran's Veteran (Part II) by John Taylor, guest columnist | Nov 18, 2021
The Livers Brothers from Jarales by John Taylor, guest columnist | Dec 2, 2021
2020
When a barefoot village boy from Abó Viejo attended a Catholic Seminary in Santa Fe: Francisco Sisneros' years at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, 1962-1966 by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Jan 16, 2020
The Dallas Cowboys and racism in America by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Jan 16, 2020
The Spanish Flue Epidemic of 1918 in Valencia County by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Mar 26, 2020
Fiorello's: How an Italian boy from war-torn Europe created an authentic Italian restaurant in Belen by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Apr 16, 2020
Fiorello's: How an Italian boy from war-torn Europe created an authentic Italian restaurant in Belen (Part II) by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Apr 16, 2020
A History of the Census in New Mexico by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Apr 23, 2020
Worse Than Cabin Fever: Pest Houses in New Mexico History by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Jun 4, 2020
Raising goatheads as a cash crop by John Taylor, guest columnist | Aug 13, 2020
Learning Great Leadership: John Chavez at the New Mexico Military Institute, 1981-1986 by Valencia County News-Bulletin | Aug 20, 2020
Wearing Masks: Lessons from the Spanish Flue Epidemic of 1918 by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Sep 24, 2020
Wearing Masks: Lessons from the Spanish Flue Epidemic of 1918 (Part II) by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Oct 29, 2020
The Kuhn Hotel: An Endangered Historic Property by Richard Melzer and Jim Sloan, guest columnists | Dec 10, 2020
2019
What do Willie Mays, a foul ball and a kid with family ties to Belen have in Common? by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Jun 20, 2019
They call him Coach "Bull" Padilla by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Aug 15, 2019
Many fought for their dreams by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Oct 17, 2019
How to be a Coach's Spouse: Sue Henington's Manual for Beginners by Richard Melzer, guest columnist | Oct 24, 2019
2002
Presidents never acknowledge them by Roy Lemons, guest columnist | Mar 9, 2002
Golden Boy by Valencia County News-Bulletin | Mar 16, 2002
When robbers hit a Belen jewelry store, their escape turned deadly by Valencia County News-Bulletin | Apr 20, 2002
Saga of the Sea by Valencia County News-Bulletin | Jul 20, 2002
Death of a railroad man by Valencia County News-Bulletin | Aug 17, 2002