March is National Women’s History month. The Las Cruces Railroad Museum will celebrate some of the important contributions women have made to the development of the railroad. Throughout the month, the museum will be hosting a series of mini exhibits featuring different women; from fashion to photos, there is something for everyone!
The first mini exhibit, “Harvey Girls Clothing,” runs March 1 through April 1. The Harvey Girls civilized the railroad experience for train passengers, settling the frontier towns as they moved west. Learn about who these women were and what they wore in the 1880s.
The second mini exhibit, “Railway Women Today,” features written interviews with contemporary Amtrak employees and runs March 18 through April 1. Meet some of the women who keep the trains running smoothly today.
“WWII Pioneers,” the final mini exhibit, will run March 25 through April 8. With men fighting overseas during WWII, women stepped up to fill empty jobs on the railroads. Learn about the trails these women blazed and the kind of work they did.
The highlight of the “Women on the Rails” March exhibits will be the Brown Bag Lecture at noon, March 14. Local railroad pioneer Christine Aldeis will be giving a talk on her experience as the first female engineer, not only for the Santa Fe Railroad, but in the entire United States. This is one lecture you will not want to miss!
Admission to the Railroad Museum is free. The museum is located at 351 N. Mesilla St. and is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit the website at: museums.las-cruces.org or call at 575/647-4480.
If you need an accommodation for a disability to enable you to fully participate in this event, contact the museum 48 hours prior to the event.