Curator's Corner

1. Cattle Drive
   

   
   

   Picture by Calvin Smith

   
   

   

   
   We are well into our 3rd day of the Cattle Drive of the Century.  After getting a late start on Wednesday, things seemed to come to order.  Three "dudes" fell off their horses but after being checked and released by our on-site paramedic they were allowed to continue the ride.  The day was overcast and cool which was perfect for the drive.  Many of our riders didn't think about sun screen, so they looked a little red.  I personally rode out on the City Slickers bus so I got out there after everyone had reached the campsite.  The chuck wagon guy moved about a mile down from the campsite so we started with him and got a delicious brisket dinner with cobbler and ice cream for dessert.  We then hopped back on the bus and rode back to the campsite.  There were three campfires with three different performers.  Michael Martin Murphey was at one, a really fun quartet (2 women singing and on guitars, one man singing, and one man on harmonica) at another, and another guitar player at the last.  There was also a couple of men on guitar and banjo who took turns with the others.  The night was perfect.  A little cool, but not cold and moisture in the air, but no rain. We all had a good time.
   
   Day 2 was filled with rain.  It rained almost all day.  From what I hear, the rain was not a problem.  They had one cow attempt to escape (or I think try to take an alternate route), but they got it back in line.  Apparently there were two stampedes.  I don't know the details of that one but everything turned out okay.  Again, I took the City Slickers bus out at night.  We were given a country fried steak dinner which I thought was even better than the brisket.  It was so good!  Dessert was again cobbler and ice cream but I will never complain about that.  Besides I had apple the first night and peach last night.  This time there was some music during dinner but the majority of it started after dinner where all the musicians took turns playing for the audience.  They all did a great job.  The amazing part was that, like I said, it rained pretty much all day.  It rained while we were going out there on the bus, but when we got there and dinner started, the rain stopped.  It remained cool (or cold to others), but not wet.  It wasn't really all that muddy either which was a blessing!  Once we got back onto the bus it started to rain again.  I couldn't believe that.
   
   So, we have one more day/night of the cattle drive.  Tonight they camp about 8 miles from Carlsbad.  They will enter the Sheriff's Posse Arena about 11am or 12pm tomorrow.  Carlsbad has an End of the Trail party kind of planned with games and vendors at the Arena.  The cattle will also be auctioned off.  If you haven't been able to make the drive itself, don't miss the End of the Trail especially since it's FREE!!!  You can check out the Museum facebook page for a few pictures from the drive.
   
   Happy Birthday, New Mexico!

   
2. Cattle Drive of the Century
   Wow, my 100th post.  Fitting since it's about a New Mexico Centennial activity!
   
   
   

   

   

   
   
   

   Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be on a cattle drive back in the pioneer days?  Well now’s your chance to find out!  In honor of the New Mexico Centennial, Lea and Eddy counties have teamed up to bring you the Cattle Drive of the Century.  This is a real cattle drive experience.  Thanks to Bert Madera,  100 head of long horn cattle with a special Centennial brand will be driven from Hobbs to Carlsbad May 9 – 12, 2012.  There are 3 ways to participate in this event.  1)  People with their own wagons are a part of the Wagon Train and Trail Riders Experience (the deadline for this has passed).  2)  People who would like to be a part of the drive but don’t have their own horse can join the Dude Ranch Experience.  Please go to www.pitchforkcattle.com for more information.  And finally, 3)  If you want the campfire/chuckwagon experience without having to be out in the sun all day you can be a City Slicker.  As a City Slicker you will be bused from either Hobbs or Carlsbad to the campsite for the evening where you will enjoy chuckwagon fare, sit by the fireside, and enjoy Western music from various artists including special guest, Michael Martin Murphey.  At the end of the evening you will be returned, by bus, to your departure point.  Tickets can be purchased for $75 at www.selectaseatlubbock.com.  There is plenty of room available on the bus!  Also don’t miss the End of the Trail on May 12.  Carlsbad is planning a big celebration for when the cattle arrive.  Some plans include a children’s rodeo, branding & leather working, wool spinning, buggy rides, pony rides, cow-chip throwing contests, and a chuckwagon cook-off.  There will also be an evening concert with Michael Martin Murphey.  Please call the Walter Gerrels Performing Arts Center, (575)234-9856, for more information on the End of Trail concert.

   
   

   If you have any questions about the Cattle Drive of the Century please call (575)392-6730 or visit us at www.westernheritagemuseumcomplex.com.

   
3. Mariachi Mystery Tour
   

   

   
   
   What happens when mariachi meets the Beatles?  The Mariachi Mystery Tour!!  Don't miss this chance to see the Beatles' songs performed by a great mariachi band.  Friday, May 4 at 7:30pm in Watson Hall on the New Mexico Junior College Campus.  Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Museum or at the Lea County Center for the Arts.  NMJC students are free!

   
4. Empty
   Our traveling exhibits hall is now empty.  Granted, it will only remain this way for about a week, but it's poetic in a way.  We work so hard to find an exhibit, go through all the paper work, and set up a delivery time.  Once it arrives we have to figure out how to set it up (sometimes they send people, but a lot of the time they do not).  We publicize to the point of redundancy but we need to get the word out.  Our educators work hard trying to get school groups here.  When it is our spring exhibit we then have 3 months of school children usually twice a day almost every day.  So much is put into these exhibits and then it comes down in one or two days.  It's always sad.  You get used to seeing it in this space.  You think:  "did the kids like it?" "did I learn anything from this?" "what can we do different next time?".  But this is why we are here, so we keep doing it and try to find something new and exciting for our patrons.

   
5. Miller Moths
   

   

   
   It's funny, I'm okay talking about different subjects including (and not limited to) spittoons, medical issues, and chamber pots (coming soon), but when it comes to bugs I become a big sissy.  Yes, that's right, bugs are my kryptonite and I am pretty much living my nightmare right now.  Miller moths have infested this entire area.  I've heard reports of them being in Lubbock, Roswell, here, and all the way up to Colorado.  Apparently they have woken up early because of the mild winter.  No one has yet to explain why they are so bad this year, however.  In any case, they have woken up from their transformation from army cutworm to moth.  Thus they have begun their journey to more mountainous areas where they will feast upon the nectar of flowers.  They are apparently pretty harmless creatures.  While on their journey they do not lay eggs.  They travel at night with the help of moonlight (or so it is said) and sleep during the day in dark places like cracks in your home.  They are more of a nuisance than anything to worry about.  Okay, so while they are not going to damage artifacts by eating them or using them as nesting, they are still getting their waste on things and they are dying.  They are attracted to the lights and therefore don't continue on their migration.  Their carcasses lay on the floor and can attract other bugs who want to eat them.  Really?  More bugs.  Great.  And more than that, they have scales that easily fall off and it has been speculated that these scales are causing many of the allergy problems around here.  Wow, we just can't win!  On top of all that, I have a major problem with any bugs, let alone ones who want to fly around me all day.  What happened to sleeping during the day?!  Apparently there is nothing we can do for a couple of weeks until they move on their merry way.  Fantastic.  Can I take a couple weeks of sick leave?  Blech, they are so gross.  Thankfully, as long as we keep them swept up, they shouldn't cause too much trouble (other than giving me panic attacks).  If anyone would like to save me, that would greatly be appreciated!!

   
6. Spittoon
   

   
   

   This may seem like an unseemly topic to discuss, but the object in question is a part of our history and, interestingly enough, can still be found today.  The spittoon (spitoon or cuspidor), pretty much like it sounds, is a vessel to spit into.  Yeah, kind of gross to us now-a-days, but back during the pioneer times of our state spittoons were a common sight and were used by both rich and poor.  Thelma Linam Webber had multiple examples of spittoons in her collection, showing just how important these vessels were despite being extremely commonplace.  Thankfully she had the foresight to keep something so common which can now be found in the Museum in the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection.

   
   

   Spittoons were widely popular when chewing tobacco was in its height in the United States, mainly from the late 1800s to about 1920.  People used spittoons for two kinds of spit:  spit from chewing tobacco and the spit from people with tuberculosis.  Eventually, tuberculosis patients were encouraged to carry personal pocket spittoons that had a lid rather than use the public spittoons.  Spittoons, in either case, were encouraged because spitting in spittoons was considered better manners and more hygienic than spitting on the ground or floor which used to be the custom.  Spittoons could be found almost everywhere:  public spaces such as banks, saloons, and general stores and even in private spaces like homes.  Spittoons could be as plain or as decorated as you can imagine and would be made out of everything from brass (most common) to iron to cut glass and porcelain.  The use of spittoons declined around World War I partly because of the flu epidemic of 1918 and partly because cigarettes were seen as more hygienic.

   
   

   Surprisingly enough, spittoons are still around today at wine tastings.  Rather than drinking all of the wine and becoming intoxicated, many tasters will sip their sample and spit it into the spittoon.  USA Today also tells us that the Supreme Court Justices each have a spittoon by their side; though today they are used more for trash than anything else.  Our own spittoons from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection are not on display but you can learn more about the Old West when you visit the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.  As an aside, check out “Brass Spittoons,” a poem by Langston Hughes at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177395.

   
7. Build a Mammoth
   We've already sold 2 bones!!  There are still many more available.  If you'd like to help us with our Build a Mammoth project please click here!
   
   

   

   

   
8. Quilt Show
   

   

   Would you like to enter a quilt into this year's Festival of Quilts?  Guidelines and entry forms are online now.  Check out our website for more information.