Iconic Objects Represent Many People and Their Stories
By Heather McClenahanLos Alamos Historical SocietyA wrought iron gate, a smudged letter, and an old drum might rarely have intrinsic value. Rather, at least in the case of a museum, their value is in the stories behind them—what they represent—that gives them meaning. Such is the case at the Los Alamos History Museum. One of […]
A Brief History of Romero Cabin
One of the charming sites in the Los Alamos Historic District is the Romero Cabin, a log structure originally built in 1913. The building has not always been in that location, though. When it was first constructed, it was two mesas to the south on land that is now occupied by Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Technical […]
Secret Letters
By HEATHER MCCLENAHANLos Alamos Historical Society Do you remember the last time you received an important letter—a real letter written in ink on real paper? In today’s world of texts, instant messages, and e-mails, it’s rare to get a genuine letter anymore. Yet historians are privileged to make discoveries with historic letters anddocuments on a regular basis, […]
Pond Family Leaves Mark on Aviation History
By SHARON SNYDERLos Alamos Historical Society The first airplane to land on the Pajarito Plateau set down in a open field in 1928. It was flown by Ashley Pond Jr., founder of the Los Alamos Ranch School. Pond had planned to volunteer for pilot training in World War I. He tried to enlist in the army, but […]
Unexpected Encounter Leads to Special Oral History Interview
By SHARON SNYDERLos Alamos Historical Society Sometimes a chance encounter can result in something unexpected. That was the case last August when I visited Mesa Verde National Park. I was wearing my Los Alamos Ranch School shirt with the embroidered logo when I met a volunteer ranger in the park. We were enjoying a nice conversation when she noticed the logo […]
A Brief History of Fuller Lodge
By HEATHER MCCLENAHANLos Alamos Historical SocietyFew buildings induce the wonder and awe that Fuller Lodge evokes in first-time visitors.The majestic, three-story building of upright logs is the heart and soul of the community of Los Alamos. From its construction during the days of the Los Alamos Ranch School through today, it always has been. The building was designed […]
Mysteries at the Museum: Real Life Experiences in Los Alamos
By DON CAVNESSLos Alamos Historical Society Curator All museums have a characteristic and somewhat capricious weakness when it comes to managing their collections. We all have orphan artifacts that have absolutely no paper trail. In many cases, institutional memories that at one time would have provided important clues to ownership and use have long since vanished. […]
Manhatten Project Unsung Hero: Stan Ulam
By HEATHER MCCLENAHANLos Alamos Historical Society Stan Ulam may be one of the least known of the leading Manhattan Project scientists. A Polish-born mathematician, he was working as an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, when he received a letter from physicist Hans Bethe, inviting him to join a wartime project near Santa Fe, NM. […]
Housing Shortage an Issue in 1960s, As Well
Los Alamos is known worldwide as the birthplace of the atomic bomb. Our history and the people who made it have an international reach. For the Los Alamos Historical Society, whether the stories are about geopolitical machinations during the Cold War or about the development of a neighborhood, all of our history is “local.” We […]
Old History, New Stories
By HEATHER MCCLENAHANLos Alamos Historical Society Many years ago, someone at Los Alamos High School penciled on the fore edge of a history book on the teacher’s desk, “In case of flood, grab this. It’s dry.” Perhaps many of us had the kind of high school history classes in which textbooks spewed forth dates and […]
