Santa Fe

There are several areas of the United States which makes one realize the past times of North America, and Santa Fe ranks up there with all of them!  The history of Santa Fe spans from before the Ancient Ones (the ancient Pueblo Indians formerly called "Anasazi"), to the establishment of a permanent settlement in AD1610 to the Atomic Age and World War II and into the present day.  Santa Fe is the oldest state capital city in the United States.

There are so many parts of Santa Fe to see and explore.  In the past, we were just tempted by what we could see in the limited time we were here.  With this stop, we started exploring parts of Santa Fe with more time.

Have you read "109 East Palace Avenue"?  If not, it is a very interesting story about the "Manhattan Project" from a civilian's point of view, Dorothy McKibbin.  Dorothy was "personally recruited" in the La Fonda Hotel lobby by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer to serve as the "front" for Los Alamos at 109 E. Palace Avenue.  From 1943 until late 1945, this was how everyone came to Los Alamos, including Einstein, Fermi, and Bohr.

The building has been around since the 1600s immediately east of the Palace of the Governors.  In 1943, the opening to the interior plaza was a doorway which was 109 E. Palace.

The plaque is all that remains of this chapter of history.  Actually, the plaque is on the wall of an area owned by a tourist store, "The Rainbow Man".  The actual address 109 now identifies the doorway to the right of the plaza entrance . . . a chocolate shop.

It is amazing, but for all the huge scientific, national, historic, etc., significance of the Manhattan Project and 1943-45 Los Alamos, very little was preserved and most nothing remains - or remains open to the public.  Of course, the lobby of La Fonda remains, but for the front office of the Project, there is only the plaque.  As we knew, and would see again, the only part of the early Project at Los Alamos that remains are parts of the old boys' ranch school.  It is documented and can be viewed that most of the school buildings used as the Project labs have been replaced by more modern buildings.  So, the history remains, but the physical historical presence is gone.  But that is actually a different day trip.

A visit to the Square in Santa Fe would not be complete without a walk along the promenade of the Palace of the Governors - where licensed Pueblo artisans display their wares, mostly jewelry, for sale.