Staying in range: Exhibit highlights importance of the Tularosa Basin

Jul. 2—From ranches to rockets, the Tularosa Basin has come full circle.

The exhibition, "Home on the Range: From Ranches to Rockets," traces the area from the late 1800s when Texas ranchers settled there after finding plentiful grass during a wet climactic period through the opening of the White Sands Missile Range and beyond. The exhibition is open at the New Mexico History Museum through Feb. 3, 2025.

The ranchers found grazing space in the mountainous parts of the basin, said Nathan Japel, curator at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, where the show originated.

"The exhibit highlights the important aspects of staying out there," he said. "We talk about water.

"We talk about sustainability, being self-sufficient and medically how to treat yourself," he added.

By 1940, the typical ranch consisted of small pieces of privately owned land supplemented by large parcels of federal and state land, which the ranchers leased for grazing purposes. Life on the range was filled with opportunities, challenges, hardship and rewards. In 1942, the lives of these hardy ranchers changed dramatically.

The exhibit showcases building styles from board and batten to stone. Visitors can see an example of a small ranch house used primarily for sleeping.

"Some of those buildings are still standing," Japel said. In one, a cistern is connected to a sink.

"Instead of a faucet, they had a cork," Japel added.

A sea of water flows beneath the Tularosa Basin. But because it is heavily laden with minerals, and usually measures out to be saltier than ocean water, the ranchers who lived in the flats of the basin could not pump water from the ground.

They also needed to be able to repair windmills, build fence, cut lumber, dig water wells and create water distribution systems. Blacksmithing and mechanical skills were necessary in order to keep the equipment in good order.

The ranchers were more likely to raise goats that ate less than cows and were more suited to the rough terrain. By the 1930s, much of the grasses had disappeared from the landscape and goats were better able to survive on prolific shrubs.

Many families planted orchards and grew their own fruit. They also had gardens and canned the produce that they raised.

In the 1940s, the government appealed to the patriotic spirit of the Tularosa Basin area ranchers with the idea of using the ranch land as a World War II bombing range.

"It was a missile range, but it was very small," Japel said. "But once Pearl Harbor happened, it ramped up."

After many promises to return the ranches to their owners, in the 1980s, the military finally informed the families that they would not be able to return to their land. The decision resulted in protests and lawsuits.

The Cox family lived close to the bombing area.

"They were one of the few ranches to survive because they were close to the military base," Japel said. "They said if a missile hit White Sands, it would probably hit them, too."

The Luceros were on their ranches during the period of co-use. Once, while José Lucero's wife, Betsy, was home alone, a V-2 rocket landed in a nearby pasture. The idea of co-use did not last long, and most of the ranchers left their homes permanently in the early 1950s.

The military used the basin to test rockets, missiles and bombs, including the atomic bomb in 1945. It was also used to launch America's space program and other scientific and civilian programs.

Today the land has largely returned to the wild, Japel said.

"It's largely an untouched space," Japel said. "There's lots of wildlife. They left the telephone poles so all the predator birds have a home."