New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
Encyclopedia
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
, that chronicles the state’s 3,000-year history of farming and ranching. The museum is part of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs
The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs is an executive branch agency of the New Mexico state government. Created in 1978 by the New Mexico Legislature, the department oversees the state museum, monument, arts, library, heritage preservation, and archaeology programs. Some 550 employees,...
.
Facility
The museum is located at 4100 Dripping Springs Road on the southeastern edge of Las Cruces, New MexicoLas Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. The Bruce King Building features six different galleries and corridors that display permanent and changing exhibits, including fine art, tools and implements, as well as recreated structures such as a mercantile and pithouse. The main building includes the Eagle Ranch Museum Mercantile and Snack Bar, as well as a theater and catering operation.
The museum also features the Historic Green Bridge, as well as the Skaggs Dairy Barn, Blacksmith Shop, Beef Barn, the Sheep and Goat Barn, the Greenhouse, gardens, orchards, a pond and livestock.
Programs
The museum’s education department offers a variety of classes and workshops for all ages and oversees the outreach activities, including the chuck wagon program. There also are monthly lectures and special presentations in the theater. Among the annual events are Cowboy Days each March, Ice Cream Sunday in July and Ghosts of the Past in October.History
The idea for the museum was conceived in the 1970s and the grassroots effort to create the facility was led by William P. Stephens, the former New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture, and Gerald Thomas, the former president of New Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
. The passage of the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum Act in 1991 by the state Legislature established the museum and its policy-making board. Ground was broken in 1995 and the museum opened to the public in 1998.