Special Events

On May 10th, a series of tours will be offered to points of interest in the Tularosa Basin.  All tours will originate at the Tularosa Community Center, where car pooling can be arranged with other participants. Click on the tour name for a description.

Fresnal Shelter (10:00 AM at Tularosa Community Center)
Mission Churches (After 12:00 at each church)
Three Rivers Petroglyph Site (10:00 AM ect CC)
Rio Tularosa Acequias (10:00 AM at TCC)
Red Brick Buildings (After 12:00 at Red Brick Building - 1st Street + Granado St)

Fresnal Shelter, a Chihuahuan Desert Archaic period rockshelter, located in the west escarpment of the Sacramento Mountains, was excavated from 1969 to 1972 by Mark Wimberly and Pete Eidenbach.  Residents were probably an extended family of hunters and gatherers, who were ancestral to the local agricultural populations of the Jornada Mogollon.  Some of the earliest dates for maize and beans in the Southwest (ca. 3600 years ago) were recovered from Fresnal Shelter, which also produced a wealth of preserved plant materials, providing considerable insights into prehistoric diet.  Other perishable items were recovered during the investigations, including baskets, sandals, matting, a net bag, digging sticks, atlatl foreshafts, and sleeping mats of grass. Join Pete Eidenbach on this most informative tour Fresnal Canyon, as he discusses the significance of investigation efforts that were begun 40 years ago.

Rio Tularosa Acequias field trip features a walking tour of one of the best preserved, long-abandoned acequias along the Rio Tularosa.  The tour will be led by David Greenwald, who has been recording historic irrigations ditches along the Rio Tularosa for the past 5 years.  Featured in his presentation, “When the Rio Tularosa Ran Red,” during the conference, Greenwald will escort the group along one ditch, pointing out salient aspects of the system and associated ruins.  The builders of these ditches were in direct competition with the residents of Tularosa for the prized water.  Conflict erupted on several occasions, with blood spilled over disputed water rights. The tour will examine the remnant ditches, historic buildings, and field areas.  Be prepared to get your feet wet, as we will cross the Rio Tularosa twice.  The tour will cover approximately 3 miles of moderately undulating landscape.  Bring a hat, water, sun protection, and camera.  You won’t want to miss a photo of Germany Falls.  Refreshments will be served after the tour at Four Corners’ office.

Learn it, live it; get engaged in your heritage resources

Agency Sponsors:

Lincoln National Forest, Alamogordo
Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces