LAS CRUCES – A new exhibit at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum will celebrate the centennial of the Elephant Butte Dam in Sierra County.
“Elephant Butte Dam: Building a Future for Agriculture” opens in the Museum’s North Corridor with a reception from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 13. Admission to the reception is free and refreshments will be provided.
Also, on Oct 13, Ben Craske, a recent graduate from New Mexico State University’s history master’s program, will give a talk about the dam’s creation and how it fit into the country’s Progressive Era. The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Museum’s theater and admission is free.
The creation of Elephant Butte Dam 100 years ago, and the storing of water on the Rio Grande to be used for irrigation, brought important change to southern New Mexico. The dam, which began as an agricultural project envisioned by farmers in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico, eventually became important to hydroelectricity and recreation as well.
The exhibit tells the story of what brought about the dam, how it was built, and what it provided to southern New Mexico. Dozens of historical photographs are part of the exhibit, as well as maps and information panels.
The Museum also has moved three early components of the dam to be displayed in front of the main building. The valve cylinder, top cap and bonnet were used to raise and lower the sluice gate at the dam. The sluice gate was used to flush rocks, gravel and debris from the dam. In the 1980s, these pieces of equipment were removed from the dam to make way for a more modern hydraulic operation. They were loaned to the Museum by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1996.
Craske, the speaker for the Oct. 13 opening, did months of archival research for his postgraduate studies on the subject of the dam. He said the key to the creation of the dam is understanding the nation’s Progressive Era in the late 1890s and up to 1920.
“Conservation and preservation of natural resources became hot topics,” said Craske. “Many perceived strong ties between the well-being of the nation and the health of its citizens. Nature seemed inefficient and wasteful without scientific management and abundant resource productivity. People and politicians alike demanded the U.S. government play a more active role in the betterment of society, and the protection of its social, economic, and environmental interests. An outcome of Progressive Era changes was the construction of Elephant Butte Dam.”
The exhibit is part of a celebration of the dam’s centennial. Several events and activities are planned fromOct. 8-23 in the area around the dam. For more information, visit http://buttedamcentennial.wixsite.com/buttedamcentennial
The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 24, 2017. The Museum is located at 4100 Dripping Springs Road in Las Cruces and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, $3 for children 4 to 17, and $2 for veterans. For more information, call (575) 522-4100 or visit www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org