Southern New Mexico Travel and Tourism Information: Activities, Attractions, History, and Culture - Articles - Chaves County

Victoria Louise Massey

no@spam.com (Phyllis Eileen Banks) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:23:24 PDT

Her name was Victoria Louise Massey.She was born in Midland, Texas in 1902.

But her musical career began in 1918 in Roswell. She dropped the name "Victoria" andformed a band with her father, Henry Massey, her husband, Milt Mabie and her two brothers, Allen and Curt Massey.At that time it was called the Massey Family Band but later it became Louise Massey and the Westerners.Their home at 209 W. Alameda Street was modest and attractive.It was here that the Redpath Chautauqua auditioned the group.

The Chautauqua Caravans signed up the nation's artists, actors, actresses, musicians, and speakers and then took them on tours to small towns and sparsely populated areas all across the United States.President Theodore Roosevelt called the annual Chautauqua "The most American thing about America."It was our radio, TV, theater rolled into one in those days.

The group was taken to Kansas City and coached for a few weeks.Their style was a lilting kind of western music and Louise would never call it "hillbilly."She composed My Adobe Hacienda with Lee Penny and it was a "crossover" hit, listed on both "hillbilly" and pop charts simultaneously, and was on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade for 11 weeks.Other of their well-known songs were:South of the Border, When the White Azaleas Start Blooming,In a Little Spanish Town, Ramona, and It Happened in Monterey.Louise's repertoire included many songs in Spanish that were very popular.

Roswell Symphony Orchestra

no@spam.com (Phyllis Eileen Banks) — Thu, 23 Jan 2003 03:07:07 PST

Now in its 38th year, the Roswell Symphony Orchestra's 60 members come from all the major cities within a 200-mile radius of Roswell: Lubbock, Amarillo, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Cruces, El Paso, Portales, Alamogordo, the states of Texas and Colorado, and, of course, Roswell.

Roswell, New Mexico - the city with a magnetic personality

no@spam.com (S. Joan Popek) — Thu, 23 Jan 2003 03:03:07 PST

I grew up (more or less) in Roswell. More or less? Well, my family moved often until I hit my teens. We always managed to bounce back to Roswell for a while before we set out again searching for that elusive rainbow my father chased all his life.

Roswell's Downtown Historical District

no@spam.com (Peg Stokes) — Thu, 23 Jan 2003 02:39:53 PST

Roswell is becoming known for its interesting Downtown Historic District. The District was created by the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico with the aid of a grant from the State Historic Preservation Division in 1983-84. It was named tothe State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1985, along with the campus of New Mexico Military Institute, several outlying ranches, and Chihuahuita, probably the oldest settlement in the Roswell area. Chihuahuita was named only to the State Register.

A Changing Roswell - what was "The Incident's" purpose?

no@spam.com (S. Joan Popek) — Thu, 23 Jan 2003 02:32:53 PST

Nestled in a valley that is the only oasis for 75 to 100 miles in the desert prairie of New Mexico, Roswell is a bustling community of about 50,000 people. During the famed UFO Festival it grows to about 60,000 to 70,000. Its main street, appropriately named "Main Street," becomes U.S. Highway 285 heading north and south. Its second main street (named what else? "Second Street") becomes U.S. Highway 70, leading east and west. The two highways intersect smack-dab in the middle of town so you can truly "get there from here." According to the UFO experts, you can touch down at Roswell, even if you are from a little further out, say Alpha Centauri for instance.

Historical Center for Southeast New Mexico - a living history

no@spam.com (Phyllis Eileen Banks) — Fri, 10 Jan 2003 03:10:35 PST

The Historical Center for Southeast New Mexico, 200 North Lea Street, Roswell, New Mexico was constructed in 1910 and listed in the National Register of Historical Places. This stately home, once the residence of James Phelps White, houses the Museum. The yellow-brick home, with its gently sweeping rooflines and large porches, is an excellent example of the prairie-style house developed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is a reminder of turn-of-the-century life in Southeastern New Mexico.

Why retire in Roswell?

no@spam.com (Phyllis Eileen Banks) — Wed, 08 Jan 2003 03:13:39 PST

Why retire in Roswell? Let me count the reasons. Lots of sunshine all through the year with little humidity. Lots of sunshine all through the year with little humidity. Light snowfalls once or twice during the winter, except when Mother Nature throws us a curve as in December of 1997, probably referred to in the future as the Winter of 97. Affordable housing from starter houses to top-of-the-line. Many people have retired here from California. After selling their homes there and buying here they have money left on which to live.

Cheese and Dairies in New Mexico

no@spam.com (Phyllis Eileen Banks) — Wed, 08 Jan 2003 01:03:03 PST

Cheese is a beloved food around the world. As New Mexico is often associated with cacti and desert, many people do not realize the Land of Enchantment is the fastest growing dairy state in the nation. In Roswell, Leprino Foods has the world"s largest mozzarella cheese factory.

Bottomless Lakes State Park

no@spam.com (Phyllis Eileen Banks) — Mon, 06 Jan 2003 02:25:15 PST

The lakes are bottomless in name only. None is more than ninety feet deep, but the illusion of great depth and the greenish blue color is created by algae and other aquatic plants covering the lake bottoms. In actuality, they are sink holes rather than lakes and range in depth from 17 to 90 feet. They were formed when circulating underground water dissolved salt and gypsum deposits to form subterranean caverns. Ultimately, the roofs of the caverns collapsed from their own weight to form the sink holes that soon filled with water. They are all quite small and only Lea Lake is large enough to support swimming and other water recreational activities. It is on the south end of the group, where the day use and camping areas are located.

Bitter Lake Wildlife Refuge

no@spam.com (Phyllis Eileen Banks) — Sun, 05 Jan 2003 01:20:27 PST

In 1937, some very farsighted conservationists realized the need to protect the nation's remaining wetlands. The Bitter Lake Wildlife Refuge was one of those acquired during that period under the Department of the Interior and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Strategically located on the Great Plains of the Southwest, it is near the Pecos River east of Roswell. The water of the shallow lake is very brackish, too bitter to drink, and was so named by early cattlemen. It is fed year round by small springs but often goes dry during the hot summer months.