Courtesy/LAC
Before the Manhattan Project and even before the Los Alamos Ranch School, hearty pioneers braved the extreme weather conditions of the Pajarito Plateau and homesteaded the land.
More than 30 homesteads were established between the 1880s and 1942, when the federal government took over the plateau for the Manhattan Project.
Today, the stories of some of these families are told in a new historic Homestead Tour, funded by Los Alamos County and developed by volunteers of Los Alamos County’s Fuller Lodge/Historic Districts Advisory Board and the Los Alamos Historical Society. Historic markers have been installed for public viewing at seven sites throughout Los Alamos, each placed near the original homestead it represents.
WHEN: Friday, May 18
TIME: Dedication 2-2:30 p.m. with Reception 2:30-3 p.m.
WHERE: Dedication: Fuller Lodge East Lawn, at the Romero Cabin homestead marker site / Reception: East Patio at Fuller lodge (adjacent to the Romero Cabin and east lawn)
Rain Plan: The ceremony will move inside Fuller Lodge if there is inclement weather May 18. Please park at the lots near Fuller Lodge or use the 20th/Trinity parking lot (one block away.)
VISUALS: Pre-event: 1:30-2 p.m. – Historic re-enactors will be visiting with guests on the grounds at Fuller Lodge, representing the time era of the 1880s to 1940s. Poster exhibits inside Fuller Lodge tell the history/story of the various historic markers. Post-event – Photo op of ribbon-cutting at the dedication of the Romero Cabin homestead marker; descendants of historic homesteaders are invited and at least a dozen descendants have indicated they will attend the event.
TOUR: Descendants and special guests – guided tour using County buses to drive by the seven marker sites (no stops). Buses load at Fuller Lodge at approximately 2:45 p.m. – Media may attend the tour on a space available basis the day of the tour, due to limited seating capacity on buss.
CONTACTS: EVENT INFO: Public Information Officer Julie Habiger at julie.habiger@lacnm.us or (505) 662-8083 / HOMESTEAD TOUR BACKGROUND INFO: Los Alamos Historical Museum Director Heather McClenahan at (505) 662-6272.
MORE INFO: Visit http://www.losalamoshistory.org/homesteadmarkers.html for more info on each of the markers and sites. Visit www.losalamosnm.us for more information about Los Alamos County.
