Description
Las Cruces is the second largest city in New Mexico. It straddles the Rio Grande and is surrounded by volcanoes and mountains. There were farmers here over a thousand years ago and agriculture is still prominent but education and high-tech military testing have grown rapidly. The Spanish Royal Road goes through the town which was followed by Confederate troops during the Civil War. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid are woven into the city’s history. It’s also where Professor Fabian Garcia gave the world the edible chiles we find today on our enchiladas.
Jim Eckles worked for White Sands Missile Range for 30 years and has been a volunteer there since he retired in 2007. When he retired, Eckles became informally known as the “WSMR historian.” While at the range, he wrote and spoke extensively about the mission of the missile range and area history. He wrote a book about the first atomic bomb test, Trinity: The History of An Atomic Bomb Test Site.