Enchanting Stories of New Mexico - The Hidden Las Cruces

The Fresh Chile Company Podcast

I am told that an Iceberg is 10 percent visible and 90 percent below the water line. Las Cruces hasn’t seen an Iceberg in forever, except in Hollywood movies. What is the commonality of Icebergs and Las Cruces and most towns in New Mexico? What you see, the roads, buildings and houses are only a part of the entire story of building Las Cruces. When I was a little boy, my grandfather’s ranch south of Carrizozo, NM was what would be considered primitive because it had kerosene lanterns for light and a wood stove for cooking and heat. Water was pumped by a windmill on a hill and put in a tank to gravity flow into the house. There wasn’t electricity other than batteries for the radio and no propane, yet. It was 30 bumpy miles on dirt roads to the nearest paved road in Tularosa. When we hit the pavement, everyone would say, ah! I was very lucky to experience cleaning the lantern chimneys every Saturday and reading by kerosene light while listening to a radio powered by batteries. That was 1954 and the Rural Electrification Act finally came to the ranch, and they had electricity for the house and the water wells.

Love this Podcast? Check out our website at The Fresh Chile Company. Also, check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube! Follow this link to get 15% off of your next order: Podcast15