Albuquerque History Guides
If you want to know about Albuquerque history, the Albuquerque Historical Society’s website provides a wonderful teacher guide consisting of 19 chapters. Also available are 4th grade and 7th grade lesson plans to go with each chapter.
In honor of our state’s 100th anniversary, the Historical Society will soon provide on its website the New Mexico Statehood Centennial Teachers Guide. It will consist of five sections about our state’s history, along with lesson plans.
By Janet Saiers
Railroad Comes to Albuquerque
The line of the AT&SF Railroad from Lamy, NM to Albuquerque, opened for business in April 1880. The railroad company decided on the Albuquerque cite, after deciding that the land for the original cite in Bernalillo was far too expensive. So the New Mexico Town Company, a subsidiary of the AT&SF, bought land one mile to east of the existing town of Albuquerque. They proceeded to lay out a town, platted the land, and sold plots to eager buyers who wanted to be close to the railroad. Thus, “new” Albuquerque was born. Also, on their property, they proceeded to build the necessary facilities for a railroad center: a depot, rooms for crews, machine shops and, in time, a roundhouse to service locomotives. In a short time the rail yards became a major service facility. It was here that locomotives were replaced by those that had been serviced. As a result of all this activity, “new” Albuquerque grew and prospered.
Albuquerque’s First …. Telephones
Miguel Otero Sr. started a telephone service in Albuquerque in 1882 and, by the next year, he had a total of thirty-four subscribers. It wasn’t until 1905 that our city got long distance service. To find out more about telephones in our city and the Telephone Museum of New Mexico, click here.