History of a Santa Fe, an Amazing Place I Knew Nothing About

Palace of the governors; Influence of the railroads; La Fonda Inn and the Santa Fe style; World War 2 Secrets; Oldest church and oldest house - or is it?; Strangely shaped state capitol.

On this episode we explore Santa Fe, New Mexico. Using the View Master reel 281 as our guide - it has pictures originally taken in the late 40s and we’re going to try and find them today and see what we can learn on the way!

Santa Fe is one of the oldest and most historic cities in the United States - it boasts some of the oldest architecture in the country as well.

Our first stop is the Palace of the Governors - it was the seat of government during Spanish rule, Mexican Rule, and US Rule. The palace and the city of Santa Fe are at the end of both a major Spanish route - the “Camino Real de Ardentro” and a major American travel route - the “Santa Fe Trail.”

Then came the railroads! The Santa Fe line - named for Santa Fe and originally intended to reach Santa Fe, never went to Santa Fe! This was disastrous for the city - and it took decades to recover.

This recovery is also the reason for the “Santa Fe Style” - why everything in the city looks the same - a very conscious decision to style the city to attract tourists.

Next up is the La Fonda Inn - the real “end” of the Santa Fe trail - an inn with a history going back hundreds of years.

Also, the Inn has a secret past during World War 2 as it served as a den of spies and secret agents!

Preserving Santa Fe’s history hasn’t been easy - as we explore the city streets we learn about a dramatic scene - right out of a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - as local citizens prepare to lie down in front of bulldozers to protect a historic building.

Then it’s on to the Oldest Church in the United States - the San Miguel Mission - which occasionally also lays claim to the oldest bell in the United States - but does it make sense that a church would have a bell that’s hundreds of years older than the church itself?

Across the street from the Oldest Church is the Oldest House in the United States - but is that really true? Santa Fe claimed in the past that this house was built in the year 1200 - does that make any sense? How true are the facts we find in newspaper reports and things?

Our last stop is the State Capitol of New Mexico - but we find the wrong one! Turns out New Mexico has had a series of capitol buildings - so it was a bit of a challenge to find the right one!


Sound Effect Credits:

https://freesound.org/s/389716/
https://freesound.org/s/244310/
https://freesound.org/s/345851/
https://freesound.org/s/234628/
https://freesound.org/s/503615/
https://freesound.org/s/637272/
https://freesound.org/s/622683/
https://freesound.org/s/346772/
https://freesound.org/s/215194/
https://freesound.org/s/622106/
https://freesound.org/s/511680/

#santafenewmexico #santafestyle #viewmaster