El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center

I wrote this review fall 2011 for one of my public history courses. I revisited the museum in January 2013, during which time I took the pictures included. At this time, a multimedia exhibit called "The Memory Project" had taken the place of the introduction video. I observed no other changes to the museum.

The El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center

As I approached the El Paso Holocaust Museum, one question found its way into the forefront of my thoughts: what on earth is a museum about events that happened a world away doing in El Paso, Texas? The answer became clearer as I began my tour. Prior to entering the galleries, visitors watch a short introductory film, which covers the Jewish experience prior to the Holocaust and the story of the museum's founding. Henry Kellen, a survivor of the Holocaust, founded the museum in 1984 as a single room in the Jewish Community Center, using his personal story and collection of artifacts. A plaque in the memorial section of the museum reveals that his wife, also a survivor, died one year prior to the museum's founding. It's possible that her death inspired Mr. Kellen to honor both the dead and the survivors by teaching a new generation about the atrocities that swallowed Europe in the twentieth century. In 1994, he moved the museum to its own building, which tragically burned in 2001. The present museum opened in 2007.

A couple of cabinets with a bunch of Nazi artifacts, many of which don't
have any labels.

This very personal museum tells a story about the millennia of oppression and persecution faced by Jews, which culminated in the twentieth century with the Holocaust. As the museum lost many of its original artifacts  in the 2001 fire, it relies on video, timelines, and dynamic environments convey its narrative. I followed the chronological path of Germany's Jews as Hitler's rise to power shattered the illusion of peace after ages of struggle. From there, my path continued past the devastation of Kristalnacht, through deportations and ghettos, to the concentration camps. My tour concluded with the liberation of the camps and memorials honoring those who died, those who lived, and those who helped others escape death. The introductory video continued throughout the galleries, explaining the pertinent events with segments like "The Rise of Nazism," "Deportation from the Ghettos," and "The Final Solution." Besides the timelines, I saw little text to augment these videos, which used still photographs and narration a la Ken Burns. My impression was that this museum wanted visitors to experience history, rather than read it.

The jarring transition into Nazi Germany.

The construction of the actual galleries contributed greatly to the active experience. My tour began conventionally, staring at an example of an twentieth century Jewish dining room behind a glass case. Very little distinguished it as "Jewish," suggesting that the Jews had finally found acceptance in European society after millennia of persecution. A helpful timeline on the opposite wall detailed this lengthy struggle. This portrayal of normalcy enhanced the shock I felt upon entering the next gallery, where the walls featured large images of Adolf Hitler and crowds of uniformed Nazis tinted a vibrant and jarring red.The center cases enclosed Nazi headgear, lit from below, adding to the sinister feeling in the room. My tour through Nazi Germany continued with a wall of reproduction anti-Semitic propaganda posters, cartoons, and advertisements. Now in a German street, I saw a shop front destroyed during the violence of Kristalnacht.

Kristalnacht.

Unfortunately, a cartoony quality to this environment evoked thoughts of Disneyworld rather than disaster. Past Kristalnacht, I saw a train car protruding from the wall of the next gallery. If I hadn't recognized it already, at this point I found it impossible to deny the influence of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which opened in Washington D.C. in 1993. Upon my last visit to Washington, I had walked through just such a train car. On the other side of this train car, a staircase led me down to the entrance to a concentration camp. A guard tower with an obviously fake machine gun protected a small gate bearing the words "ARBEIT MACHT FREI." Like the Kristalnacht gallery, the small scale of these otherwise imposing structures made them almost comical. This gallery also included the facade of a barracks, an example of a gas chamber, and a reproduction of a crematorium oven. The story focused on the dehumanization and murder of prisoners in concentration camps. Any amusement I felt at the tiny gate and tower dissipated quickly. The rest of the museum serves as a memorial. The next gallery talked some about resistance, but an entire wall commemorated those who saved others from death, declared "The Righteous of the Nations" by Yad Vashem, the holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority. A few moments were spent on the liberation of the camps, where the museum found the opportunity to make a local connection. The images and stories of liberators from El Paso adorned the last wall in the gallery. The final room contained a memorial to both the dead and the survivors. One last local connection recognized all the survivors who settled in El Paso after escaping Europe.

A replica train car, similar to that at the United States Holocuast Memorial
Museum in Washington DC.

Quite plainly, this museum does not tell the entire story of the Holocaust, but the Jewish experience of the Holocaust. The videos occasionally mentioned Hitler's other victims as statistics or in passing, but every time the narrator referred to prisoners or victims as a group he used the word "Jews." This presents a rather narrow view of the Holocaust, possibly encouraged by the very personal nature of the museum. It does not represent an organization or government, but one man's desire that people remember what happened to his people. The narrative also makes no effort to place the Holocaust in the greater context of genocides throughout history. The final video segment went so far as to call it a unique event. Both that segment and the introductory film ask the question "why?" intending that the visitor ruminate on how people could have allowed or committed such monstrous acts. However, I felt that the museum answered their own question in regards to the Holocaust: Germany's vulnerability after the First World War created a power vacuum in which Adolf Hitler found it easy to convince people to follow him.

The display case of camp artifacts and the model guard tower.

I think any real explanation is much more complicated, but the museum did itself a disservice by not expanding its narrative to at least mention other genocides. One holocaust can be easily explained as an aberration, but a long history of mass murder forces visitors to ponder the "whys" and "hows." I found it surprising that the museum did not use this tactic to affect my emotions after making such obvious attempts to evoke emotional responses throughout the exhibits. Poetry, sculpture, and artwork all found places in galleries, where they were clearly meant to impact visitors emotionally (e.g. a statue of a suffering child next to the boxcar). I heard other attempts at sensationalism as my visit coincided with a field trip from a local high school. For the most part, I made my way through the museum alone, but after the boxcar I caught up with their group long enough to listen to the docent for a few minutes. I grimaced as I heard him describe how the Nazis made lampshades, book covers, soap, and other goods out of human skin and fat. As there is no historical evidence to support these claims, I felt a bit miffed that he passed this information along as fact to the unsuspecting group of students. The museum's narrow focus on Jewish suffering takes the visitor through an emotional journey, which loses some impact without further historical context.

After hearing about the devastation wrought by fire in 2001, it did not surprise me to find the museum lacking in material culture. What does remain came from the personal collections of Holocaust survivors in El Paso, who generously donated their memories or returned to the camps to collect new artifacts. However, the museum did not incorporate them well into the narrative shaped by video and environment. One or two artifacts found homes in other galleries, but the bulk of the collection resided in the sections on the rise of Nazism and the camps themselves. This first gallery includes several cases with a veritable hodge-podge of Nazi memorabilia. China, badges, uniforms, books, documents, trinkets, and weapons lay side by side with little explanation. Most objects have no explanatory text at all, much less any cohesive organization or narrative. I saw this jumble repeated in the camp gallery - a variety of relevant artifacts flung together in a case haphazardly. It seems to me that the museum divided their surviving collection into two categories and threw them in cases. This museum needs to work on incorporating artifacts into the narrative to support its flashy videos and galleries.

The final stop on my visit to any museum is the gift shop or bookstore. I think that the gift shop is just as much part of the museum as the galleries, because it is from there that visitors find tangible objects to help them remember or further explore what they learned. Therefore, an excellent gift shop should expand from the museum's focus to other relevant topics. The El Paso Holocaust Museum's shop boasted a small selection of souvenirs, books, and DVDs, which support its focused narrative. Almost all the books retold the experiences of Jewish groups or individuals during the Holocaust, including volumes appropriate for both children and adults. Of the other topics covered, I found one volume on other victims of the Holocaust, one book on Japanese internment camps, two books on Rwanda, one on genocide in general, and one on Holocaust denial. The collection of DVDs contained slightly more variation in genre and country of origin, but focused on the Jewish experience with one notable exception. Downfall, a 2004 German film, which witnesses Hitler's last days through the somewhat revisionist account of his secretary, Traudl Junge. Its presence among the several different versions of Anne Frank's tragic story continues to intrigue me.

Holocaust survivors who settled in El Paso.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center. Its narrative, though narrow or somewhat exclusionary in its focus, guided me through a clear and emotional history of Jewish suffering. I appreciated the modern influence of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in creating the museum's environment and structure, but I think this museum could benefit from revisiting old fashioned museum work. Artifacts need more text and should contribute to the narrative, facts and figures need support and documentation, and all the galleries could use more text for those of us who want more information. The museum does a good job at incorporating personal narratives at the beginning and end, but the bulk of the story features no such personal connection. Nevertheless, this museum offers a reasonable introduction to the events of the Holocaust, though I hope most visitors seek supplemental information. I completed my thorough tour in an hour and a half, making it an easy trip for even the most impatient museumgoers.

Falklands Playlist

I was working on my thesis this weekend and dusted off my Falklands playlist from last summer, so I thought I'd share it. For one reason or another, these songs remind me of the Falklands. Some of them I still hear on the radio fairly often and they always make me smile. I never hear the Wurzels played anywhere. A few of these were on heavy rotation pretty much everywhere last summer. Still - I'm amazed that I didn't hear Gangham Style until October.

Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Poison - Alice Cooper

Bruises - Chairlift

Titanium - David Guetta feat. Sia

Shake It Out - Florence + the Machine

 We Are Young - Fun. feat. Janelle Monae

Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

          Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra

And I Remember Every Kiss - Jens Lekman

Part of Me - Katy Perry

Torn - Natalie Imbruglia

Back In Control - Sabaton

Girls With Boyfriends - the Extraordinaires

Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - Steve Harley

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

Valerie - Amy Winehouse

Not Fair - Lily Allen

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf

She's So Lovely - Scouting for Girls

Or Something - Speechwriters LLC

Where Have You Been - Rihanna

Combine Harvester - The Wurzels

Spring Semester Round-up

Alright. We're now three weeks into the spring semester and I think it's time for a short post about what I'm up. This fall was rough - so rough I ended up taking two incompletes.

All the books I used during the Fall 2012 semester.

However, this semester I'm only taking  two classes. For my last traditional history course I'm spending one night a week in a basement learning about the Holocaust. I chose this class because the Holocaust remains a hot topic for public history across the country, interpreted by a wide variety of institutions, organizations, and individuals. The other course is already one of the best I have taken at NMSU -  Museum Conservation Techniques I. We have lecture on Tuesdays and then lab on Thursdays, where we get to practice what we've learned. The final product for the semester is an actual conservation report about the pot on which we have tested the interactions of a variety of resins, paints, and solvents.

My terracotta pot, currently with 3 different paints and 5 different resins.

I am also taking the first three credits for my thesis, which I plan to finish during the Fall 2013 semester, wherever I may be. Inspired by my work in the Falkland Islands, I am examining the effects of place on the formation of Kelper identity. Of course, this all depends on finding enough sources to produce something of sufficient length. Fortunately, I have a back-up thesis. I'm currently working on an article about Josephine Foster, but I think there is more than enough information for a longer work if necessary.

My time in the Falklands has now popped up around the NMSU website:

• The Center for Latin American & Border Studies mentioned me in the Summer 2012 edition of the Nason House News.

•  There's now a picture of me with the Super Puma helicopter on the main page for the History department's graduate program.

• And the Public History program's site also features a blurb about me. It's pretty neat that I get to represent the department this much.

As usual, I'm also engaged in a number of other projects. Next week I lecture to a class on Central America about piracy in the Caribbean. Can you believe I was actually assigned that topic? This will probably be my last lecture at NMSU, so I'm hoping it goes well. I'm also working on content about Las Cruces for Next Exit History, in anticipation of a workshop coming up later this month. I've also got some conferences coming up. We are hosting the local Phi Alpha Theta conference in March. I'm not sure I'm going to present this year, but I'm definitely planning to attend. April, however, is going to be insane. I'm giving a talk about the Falkland Islands that first Tuesday, and then there are two conference that third week. First, NMSU is hosting the 2013 Bridging Ages Conference, which deals with "Historic Environment Education and Living History." I'm participating on a panel concerned with costuming for living history, focusing on how people can assemble period-like clothing without spending a fortune. Second, the National Council on Public History is holding their conference in Ottawa that week. It's much too late for me to present anything, but I'd like to go just to see what the rest of my field is up to.

Oh, remember what I said about experiential history? Lauren over at American Duchess is currently doing some herself, experimenting with the effects of daily corset wear. She's made some fantastic observations during the first couple of weeks - well worth checking it out. 

Hands-On History

It's been impossible to ignore the gun control debate currently raging across this country - I see it on the news, on Facebook, and plastered across tumblr. However, one aspect of gun culture rarely addressed in this feeding frenzy is that of historical firearms. Eric and I both collect those weapons which have had such an impact on the world's most recent history. A couple of our examples predate 1900 and are therefore legally antiques, not firearms. The weapons used in the twentieth century's defining conflicts, though, are regulated like any other firearm despite obsolescence in modern conflict. It is far too easy to argue that these weapons should be demilitarized and kept only for display purposes in museums and such. (Eric would hate that I'm even voicing this idea. While I was interning at the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museums, the curator allowed him some time in the armory. The sight of a half dozen demilitarized Thompsons almost brought him to tears.)

Some historical firearms are purchased as "wall-hangers," but I think relegating all artifacts to this future deprives historians of their value. During one of the first sessions of my graduate "Craft of History" seminar, we conducted an exercise in identifying primary and secondary sources. When we came to a uniform jacket from the Mexican-American War, one student said, "but that's an artifact." Three or four of us in unison proclaimed "it's still a primary source!" Artifacts provide a great resource for historians, as demonstrated by scholars like Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Firearms are no different and offer the additional opportunity for what I term experiential history. This process allows the modern historian to glean a sense of the past through the use of an artifact or the application of practical research. My experiences have mostly involved weaponry* and sewing, but other opportunities abound. During our years at William & Mary, Colonial Williamsburg's relationship with the college offered many such to my friends and I. Living history is the most common forum for this kind of history as interpreters immerse themselves in the daily minutiae of the past. Emily spent a semester in the apothecary's shop; Abigail wrestled with colonial cookware for a few months in the kitchens of the Governor's Palace. As part of my seminar on the "Early Modern Book," I got to try working the press at the Printing Office. My page turned out fairly well, but pulling the operating handle lifted my full weight off the ground.

My British surplus FN FAL.

While I don't claim that firing a historical weapon gives you omniscient understanding of the person(s) who used it in the past, it can enrich your impression of those individuals with details that don't come across in written sources. Handling a weapon in an afternoon can hint at where shooters developed calluses, bruises, or soreness. Long-term projects can examine change over time, examining how extended use affects both the individual and the artifact. How accurate is the firearm in various circumstances? How reliable is the weapon in different environments? What kind of maintenance is necessary is necessary to keep the firearm fighting fit? The controlled environment of the shooting range does not offer the same experience as combat, but the observations made can help explain any technical or physical reasons why an individual acted in the past in a certain way. What an individual learns about their equipment affects their decision-making, contributing to the actions that become history.

Me again, firing Eric's M1903 Springfield.

I haven't spent an extended amount of time on this sort of project, but I have had a couple of experiences that hint at it's usefulness. A few years ago, Eric taught me how to shoot the musket from his Revolutionary War reenacting days. He had prepared the cartridges, but I was responsible for all other parts of the process: removing each round from the cartridge box, pouring powder in the flash pan, ramming the rest of the cartridge down the barrel, and firing the musket. The thing was almost as tall as I was and proved pretty unwieldy, though at 5'4" I'm probably not abnormally short for colonial soldier. I had trouble reaching to get the ramrod down the barrel and probably would have hit someone with it had I been standing in ranks. I also manged to dump the powder out of the flash pan onto the ground a couple of times. It would have required an extensive amount of drill to prepare me for combat in Washington's army. Simpler observations include the way the grip on a Luger irritates my hand, the difficulty of firing most historical weapons as a left-handed shooter, the kick of a 1903 Springfield compared to that of an M1 Garand, and the finickiness of a Mosin-Nagant bolt. Speaking of the Mosin, I wasn't present for its most absurd moment. Eric and our friend Tim were enjoying a lovely day at the range when the Mosin fell apart in Tim's hands for no apparent reason. There were no immediate risks to the rifle's failure in this environment, but the frustration could be translated to any of the battlefields where the Mosin-Nagant saw combat.

I briefly mentioned reenacting above, but those weapons used by reenactors of the American Revolution and Civil War are reproductions of antiques. Twentieth Century reenacting requires different tools entirely.

Me (age 6?) and Dad  at a museum in Quebec.

During the past decade, my Dad (yes, history is a family business for me) has expanded his repertoire from two Civil War impressions to include an Irish Volunteer from 1916-1923, an officer with the 1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles in WWII, and a member of French Resistance. For these impressions he has spent tireless hours finding appropriate firearms which proper dates and matching markings. He's also gone to a great deal of trouble to accessorize these examples.

Dad as a 1919-1923 Irish Volunteer, carrying the SMLE and wearing an
original South African Model 1905 five pouch bandoleer.

The Irish Volunteer carries a .303 SMLE No 1 Mk III, Lithgow 1914, to which he has added a sling, reproduction bayonet and scabbard, 1914 Enfield brass oil bottle and WWII Australian pull through for cleaning. For him, this collection of artifacts complements the rifle as an educational tool, allowing him to present a thorough and accurate impression. He and Eric fired the SMLE over Thanksgiving, providing more experience for my Dad to draw on in conveying the experience and  identity of an Irish Volunteer.

Eric checking the aim on the SMLE.

What does any of this have to do with gun control? Basically, there are valid reasons for the ownership and use of historical firearms, which many legislators and commentators have not acknowledged. While gun buybacks have proved enormously successful in getting unwanted, unused, and possibly illegal firearms off the streets, most don't distinguish between mass-produced modern pieces and historical treasures. A police officer in Hartford, Connecticut saved one such artifact from destruction. The original German STG-44 is a lucky survivor. How many other museum pieces with not be so lucky, forever depriving historians of invaluable artifacts? I don't have any answers, but I believe we should consider the historical value of firearms before haphazardly banning or destroying them. From what I can see, we need new thinking and new ideas about gun control, developed by those who understand the nuances of guns, gun culture, the constitution, and the realities of crime. I fear that simply rehashing old ideas won't have the needed effects, will further the great divide within this country, and destroy important parts of history from around the world.

Me, during the month I had blue hair, firing a reproduction  GSG STG 44,
produced by American Traditional Imports and chambered in .22 LR.

*and not just guns! In high school I studied Rapier and Short Sword at the Virginia Academy of Fencing.

On the Hunt

Since my semester is now over I can take the time to catch up on some of the exciting stuff I did this fall. One of my classes was the required Research Seminar, which this semester centered around the theme of biography.  I decided to continue my work on Josephine Foster, who I portrayed in our time travels to 1912 last spring.  I'd been through most of the sources available to me in Las Cruces - issues of the Rio Grande Republican, Republic, and the Las Cruces Citizen. I requested microfilm of the Raton Range through Interlibrary Loan, but received word that no one was willing to lend the necessary reels. Funny, since when I spoke to one of holding libraries on the phone, they'd been perfectly willing to loan one reel at a time.

Rather than continue wrestling with Interlibrary Loan, I decided the situation called for a road trip.  I made a couple of reservations, checked opening times, borrowed a couple of audiobooks and prepared to spend my weekend up north. The hardest part would be leaving my kitten behind. I adopted nine week old Manticora on October 13, just three weeks before my planned excursion, and I was a bit worried about leaving her for the long weekend. 

Manticora, shortly after I brought her home.

But, my roommate would be there to take care of her and the research needed to be done. 

I stated right after my Thursday afternoon seminar, getting out of Las Cruces around 5 pm.  Before too long I encountered the rather comical Border Patrol checkpoint, where all they did was ask if I was a citizen and waved me on through. That first night I made it to Albuquerque and stayed in a motel 5 minutes from the UNM campus. I ordered dinner in so that I could get some homework done and a good night sleep before the next day's adventures. I also prepared a list of files I wanted to see at the State Archives. I left the next morning before the motel's complimentary breakfast had begun, intent on visiting the UNM library.

Walking across the UNM campus in the pre-dawn darkness was pretty creepy. 

Creepy statues on the UNM campus.

I got to the Zimmerman library at about 6:45 am only to have a security guard bar my entrance. Apparently, since I could not produce a UNM student ID, I needed to wait fifteen minutes before he could let me in. At least I got to wait inside - it was cold that morning! I wouldn't have been able to start immediately anyway as the area I needed to access didn’t open until 7 am. Down in the basement I found two reels of the Raton Range in the microfilm collection, one of which covered the tail end of the period I'm interested in (1905-1910). Unfortunately, the UNM library appears to be several decades ahead of NMSU - rather than the microfilm readers I'm used to, they had these hi-tech USB readers attached to computers. A student working the reference desk was kind enough to log me in using his credentials and set me up. I guess the advantage of these readers is that you can create digital images from the microfilm, but I think the viewing quality is rather diminished. Since the image travels by cable to a computer monitor it degrades more than when the film is viewed directly via lenses and mirrors. In any case, my early hours at UNM gave me the chance to discover the end of the Fosters times at the Raton Range.

UNM's Zimmerman Library before dawn.

I think I made it out of the library by 10 am, at which point the bustling campus was unrecognizable as the deserted grounds I'd crossed in the dark that morning. My next stop was the state archives in Santa Fe, where I arrived just as the reading room opened at noon. They couldn't pull anything for me until 1 pm, but that hour allowed me to compile a specific list of boxes and get a feeling for the archives' holdings. I hadn't realized that the Historical Services division shared their microfilm room with the Southwest Room, otherwise I may have tried to come earlier. I could have started with those collections as early as 9 am!

NM state archives in Santa Fe

The problem with researching someone like Josephine Foster is that there aren’t any "Foster" collections which have preserved her or her husband's papers for future historians. Instead, I feel like I have to come at her sideways, looking through documents concerning journalism in New Mexico and the papers of New Mexicans with whom the Fosters crossed paths. My requests included the collections of former governors Herbert J. Hagerman and George Curry, records from Dona Ana and Colfax Counties, files from the Bowman Bank & Trust, and WPA  research on the history of newspapers in New Mexico. Quite an odd assortment, which unfortunately produced very little in terms of results. It was a little embarrassing when after the staff took about an hour procuring a library cart full of boxes, I finished going through the files in less than 30 minutes. The  microfilm collection was much more promising as it included all available reels of the Raton Range from 1905 to 1910. I kept at it until the library closed at 4:30 pm, but it was good to know I could find the Range closer than Raton.

Speaking of Raton, that was my next destination. Spending so much time at the archives meant more driving after dark than I generally do, but what scenery I saw before sundown was beautiful. I passed the current offices of the Raton Range on the way to my Bed & Breakfast. 

Heart's Desire B&B, Raton NM

The Heart's Desire Inn offered an excellent location from which to explore the old center of Raton and a delicious breakfast each morning. The Victorian Room was a bit overwhelmingly feminine, but the bed was very comfortable after long days spent staring at microfilm. 

The exceedingly pink and frilly Victorian Room

My lovely host - a local schoolteacher - directed me to a couple of local places that would still be open for dinner, Crystal Cafe and El Matador. I opted for Italian over Mexican, though both restaurants were almost empty. Apparently Raton is such a small town that everybody shows up when the high school has a football game.

After a hearty breakfast of waffles, peaches, and bacon, I set off in the morning for the Arthur Johnson Memorial Public Library due to open at 10 am. Only two blocks away from my B&B, I have to say this is one of the best small town public libraries I have ever seen. 

Arthur Johnson Memorial Public Library, constructed 1912

Their collection was both varied and extensive, while the large number of patrons I saw would indicate that the library is also well used. I asked for directions to their microfilm and was led upstairs to a back room with several computers and two microfilm readers. One was of the same model found at NMSU and the state archives, but I was informed that it was a recent donation and missing parts. The working microfilm reader dated to the 1970s, could not print, and did not even allow the user to zoom in on images. 

The library's ancient microfilm reader

I settled in with a drawer full of microfilm reels for the next few hours. When I broke for lunch, I got a lovely meal at Enchanted Grounds nearby and stopped in at the Raton Museum. I met the curator, but he had never heard of the Fosters. Funny, since the Range became the first occupant of the museum's building under their leadership in 1908.  

108 S. Second Street - once home to the Raton Daily Range, now occupied
by the Raton Museum

I returned to the library and continued staring at microfilm until it closed at 6 pm. As I grew tired of taking copious notes during my brief time with the reels I tried photographing the images on the reader's screen. This worked surprisingly well and significantly accelerated my progress through the Raton Range.

One of Mrs. Foster's poems, captured with my camera

Downtown Raton, New Mexico

The current offices of the Raton Range

Inside the Heart's Desire. Lately I seem to only stay at places inhabited by
Weeping Angels

Goat Hill and the old Seaburg Hotel, once home to both the Raton Range
and the Fosters

Since the microfilm collection in Santa Fe was just as complete as that in Raton, I decided to spend another full day at the archives. The drive back to Las Cruces would also be more manageable in one day. Archives are rarely obliging enough to open on Sundays, so I took the day to travel and go over my notes. I planned to spend Monday at the archives and then drive back to Las Cruces Tuesday morning. I booked a two night stay at the Sunrise Springs Inn & Spa and headed back south.

Sunrise Springs proved to be just as relaxing as I had hoped. While the spa was not open on Sunday, the Blue Heron restaurant had a delicious brunch and a greatly enjoyed walking the grounds. My pond view room was tiny, but didn't include the distraction of a television and allowed me to listen to the sounds of the fountain. The only improvement might have been a desk. The grounds were also home to at least 8 semi-feral cats who lined up outside the registration office for their dinner. I enjoyed their company, but was very glad that I'd soon be returning to my own cat. 

My tiny Pond Room

The delicious Blue Heron Restaurant 

A few of the cats line up to say goodbye

I spent Monday looking exclusively at the Raton Range, but even then I couldn't make it through the entire paper. Perhaps in an effort to increase the number of issues for me to read, the Fosters changed the paper from a semi-weekly to a daily in 1908. Those five extra issues each week really slow down the researcher's progress. However, the state archives did allow me to continue photographing the reader's screen rather than forcing me to pay for copies or write my own notes. As in Raton, this helped me get through a lot more film than I otherwise would have been able to.

Returning to Las Cruces on Tuesday meant spending five nights away from Manticora and missing one class, but it was definitely worth it. The Raton Range charted Josephine Foster's entrance into the newspaper business and established both context and precedent for her later career in Las Cruces. I've made a great deal of progress unearthing Mrs. Foster's legacy, but here are some records that continue to elude me:

In 1912, H. B. Holt sued the Fosters for libel, demanding $20,000 in recompense. I could find no record of the suit in Holt's collection at NMSU or in the Dona Ana County records in Santa Fe.

Mrs. Foster's personal relationships do raise some questions. Why did she and Charles Hague divorce? How did she meet Orrin Foster? Why did she and Orrin Foster divorce?

Equally mysterious is Orrin Foster's first marriage and divorce with Inez L. Foster.

I have an Ancestry.com tree for Josephine Foster and I would love it if I could track down a living descendant. I would also be very excited to find an image of Mrs. Foster or any of her family.

Manticora at four months old. She forgave me for my brief absence back
in November

The National WWII Museum

Last weekend I took a much needed break from Grad School to visit New Orleans with Eric and the rest of the Russian House Exiles. One of trip's highlights was definitely our time spent at the National WWII Museum. As I understand it, this museum was originally founded as the National D-Day Museum, the brainchild of Stephen Ambrose and the History Channel, but was rebranded and expanded as the National WWII museum after Hurricane Katrina threatened to shut it down permanently. The museum's complex currently occupies two city blocks and is still growing. We had some trouble finding the actual museum entrance and had to ask for help in one of the three museum stores. We felt slightly better about this when we helped out several other visitors who had the same problem.

Once inside, is it sad that I was a little underwhelmed by their presentation of a C-47? Besides that, they had one Sherman tank and a Spitfire in the pavilion that holds the vehicle collection. That's a pretty sad assortment if you ask me. Even the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museums has a T-34. Expansion suggestion #1: This place needs a tank park.

Admission to the museum was a little steep. Our group lucked out since most of us had student and/or military IDs, warranting a decent discount. We paid $12 to get into the museum rather than the steep $21 for adults. However, the museum does offer free admission for uniformed military personnel and WWII veterans. Tickets in hand, we skipped the introductory videos and marched straight up to the exhibit beginning. The first display set the tone for the rest of our visit, demonstrating an aspect of museum work that this place really excels at: the visual display of information. You turn the corner into the Home Front gallery, where the story begins, and BOOM you instantly see the disadvantage of American forces at the beginning of the war.

Lined up in front of the corresponding national flags, little army men represent the sizes of the various armies. Pretty neat stuff and very easy to grasp the meaning without reading every little piece of text.This first section of the museum depicts the mobilization of the home front to support the war effort, including the development of industry and enlargement of the US army. It was a little strange to encounter the home front before the war had even started exhibit-wise, but I guess it allowed the narrative to leave the United States behind to focus on the fighting.

From the Home Front, visitors walk upstairs to the European Theater. Since this was previously the D-Day Museum, anyone familiar with World War II will be surprised to find that the exhibits start late in the war with preparations for the invasion of Normandy. The museum's mission statement reads that "the National WWII Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world- why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today - so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn." Very clearly, the museum strives to tell the American story of World War II, therefore all that stuff that happened before the US entered the war isn't all that relevant. They do follow the European Theater through the end of the conflict and they've added a section on the Pacific Theater, but US operations in North Africa receive almost no mention. Naturally, the museum omits the Eastern Front and all that stuff that happened before the US got involved. However much I might want them to tell the whole story of WWII, not doing so is completely in keeping with their mission statement.

So...maybe they should revise their mission statement.

Regardless of huge gaps in the narrative, they really have done some fantastic museum work. Here are some of my favorite parts:

This recreation allowed Tim and Eric to reenact The Longest Day complete with sound effects. I really enjoy it when museums are able to create environments within their exhibits that really transport the visitor to a different time or place.

 This was probably one of the best displays in the entire museum. The lines on the map connect an individual soldier to his location during the invasion. The inclusion of his picture with his story helps the visitor connect with him as an individual, and then there's an artifact that connects to each soldier. This is just so good on so many levels. I might have squeed a bit.

 Eric and I agreed that someday we want to decorate a nursery like this. Do you remember what I said about the visual representation of information? Well, there's the force attacking at Normandy. The visitor doesn't need to read anything to see the size and variety of the force deployed against the Nazis.

 Once you've landed in Normandy, this environment sneaks up on you. The ancient hedgerows in this area of France allowed German forces to easily conceal shooters, which is exactly what the museum has done here. One of the guns is fairly obvious to alert you to their presence, but then it takes a few minutes to find all the barrels aimed at you.

 These booths are integrated throughout the museum. Each one offers four two-minute oral history clips that connect topically to the gallery around them. It's a great way to add a personal dimension to the narrative without trapping the visitor for 15+ minutes or obstructing traffic.

 During my visit, our group got split up as some of us moved faster through the galleries. As explanation, I present the following exchange:

Evin - How did you guys get so far ahead of us?

Tim - We didn't have to read anything, we had Eric.

My husband Eric, the walking encyclopedia of military history.

The museum also had a special exhibit on entitled "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race," sponsored in part by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It's so nice to see the various private museums working together.

We had lunch after our visit at the museum's restaurant The American Sector, which had a very tasty menu offering a mix of local dishes and items reminiscent of wartime rationing. They also had a pretty nice drink list. For a snack or a quick meal, the museum also houses a Soda Shop. The Stage Door Canteen offers live entertainment at Brunch and Dinner shows. Seriously, this place offers the complete 1940s experience.

On Sunday, while part of the group went to mass, Eric and I came back to the museum to see Beyond All Boundaries, "the 4-D Experience Featuring Tom Hanks." Eric just can't say no to Tom Hanks and I was curious. It was awesome and honestly worth the extra admission cost. Eric described it as "World War II: The Ride." According to the museum's website, they're currently hiring theatre and A/V technicians. Very tempting. Our return trip also meant that we got to check out the third museum shop. The three shops overlap in their stock, but they all carry a good variety of books, DVDs, swag, toys, and clothes. It was pretty cool that they actually had dresses from Stop Staring! on sale. Even cooler? GREMLINS!!! How had nobody ever shown me Gremlins before?!?!?! To prevent you from a similar catastrophe, I offer the following: [EDIT: "Gremlins from the Kremlin" is no longer available, but here's another Bugs Bunny cartoon with a Gremlin.]

One thing that was also clear from the museum was that they have a very strong volunteer program. Members of the Youth Victory Corps (middle and high school students) were stationed throughout the galleries with artifacts that you could touch and play with. Also, the museum is taking advantage of one very important asset that won't be around forever: World War II veterans. 

Right near the front entrance, this set up enables veterans to come in and volunteer to share their experience of the war. We didn't get the chance to talk to any of the volunteers while we were there, but the program offers a great opportunity for both visitors and veterans.

Overall, this museum has some great things going for it that make it well worth the visit, even though the narrative skips over some important aspects of the war. Like Africa. Or the Eastern Front. If you don't have an Eric with you, allow 2-3 hours for the exhibit galleries. If you have time, definitely check out the movie and grab a bite to eat!