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Socorro, New Mexico
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HistoryThe Founding of SocorroIn June 1598, Juan de Oņate led a group of Spanish settlers through the Jornada del Muerto, an inhospitable patch of desert that ends just south of the present day city of Socorro. As the Spaniards emerged from the desert, Piro Indians of the pueblo of Teypana gave the Spaniards food and water. Therefore, the Spaniards renamed this pueblo Socorro, which means "help" or "aid." Later, the name "Socorro" would be applied to the nearby Piro pueblo of Pilabó.
Nuestra Seņora de Socorro , the first Catholic mission in the area, was probably established c. 1626. Fray Augustin de Ventancurt would later write that around 600 people lived in the area during this period.
During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, Spanish refugees stopped in the pueblo of Socorro. A number of Piro Indians followed the Spaniards as they left the province to go south to safety. With no protection of Spanish troops, Socorro was destroyed and the remaining Piro were killed by the Apache and other tribes.
The Spanish did not initially resettle Socorro when they re-conquered New Mexico. Other than El Paso, there were no Spanish settlements south of Sabinal (which is approximately north of Socorro) until the 1800s. In 1800, governor Fernando Chacon gave the order to resettle Socorro and other villages in the area. However, Socorro was not resettled until about 1815. In 1817, 70 Belen residents petitioned the crown for land in Socorro. The 1833 Socorro census lists over 400 residents, with a total of 1,774 people living within the vicinity of the village.
The mission of San Miguel de Socorro was established soon after Socorro was resettled. The church was built on the ruins of the old Nuestra Seņora de Socorro.
The 1800sIn the late 1870s and into 1881, noted lawman and gunman Dallas Stoudenmire served as the town Marshal for Socorro.
Geography and GeologySocorro is located at (34.061759, -106.899424), south of Albuquerque, at an average elevation of . The town lies adjacent to the Rio Grande in a landscape dominated by the Rio Grande Rift and numerous extinct volcanos. The immediate region encompasses approximately of vertical relief between the Rio Grande and the Magdalena Mountains. Notable nearby locales include the Cibola National Forest, the BLM Quebradas Scenic Backcountry Byway, and the Bosque del Apache and Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuges. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37.4 kmē), of which, 14.4 square miles (37.3 kmē) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 kmē) of it (0.21%) is water.
DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 8,877 people, 3,415 households, and 2,151 families residing in the city. The population density was 615.8 people per square mile (237.9/kmē). There were 3,940 housing units at an average density of 273.3/sq mi (105.6/kmē). The racial makeup of the city was 66.16% White, 0.74% African American, 2.77% Native American, 2.24% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 23.24% from other races, and 4.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 54.50% of the population.
There were 3,415 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 106.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,530, and the median income for a family was $33,013. Males had a median income of $31,517 versus $23,071 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,250. About 24.1% of families and 32.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.4% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
The languages spoken at home were 62.41% English, 35.64% Spanish, 0.90% Chinese, 0.76% German, and 0.36% Navajo.
New Mexico TechSocorro is home to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech), a state undergraduate and graduate (Ph.D. granting) university specializing in science and engineering. New Mexico Tech hosts a number of major research centers, such as the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, the IRIS Consortium Program for Array Seismic Studies of the Continental Lithosphere (PASSCAL) Instrument Center, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory. Also located on the campus is the NRAO (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) Array Operations Center, the headquarters for the Very Large Array and Very Long Baseline Array radiotelescopes. The Very Large Array itself is located west of Socorro, between Magdalena and Datil. The University of Texas at El Paso annually holds their summer football training camp at Tech Field. Tech is also host to the New Mexico Science Olympiad and New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair state competitions.
Socorro High SchoolSocorro has one public city-named high school in Class 1A/3A with a student body of about 600. The mascot is an Indian Warrior and the school colors are blue, white, and silver. School sports include Golf (B/G), Soccer (B/G), Track (B/G), Football (B), Baseball/Softball (B/G), Cheerleading (B/G), Charisma Dance (B/G), Swimming (B/G), Volleyball (G), and Basketball (B/G).
Zamora UFO IncidentSocorro is famous as the site of a well-publicized UFO incident. On April 24, 1964 Lonnie Zamora, a local policeman, was chasing a speeder on Socorro's outskirts when he claimed he saw a bright flash and heard a loud roar coming from over a nearby hill. Believing that the noise may have come from the explosion of a dynamite shack, Zamora drove over the hill. He claimed he saw a metallic, oval-shaped object with a strange symbol on it. He also claimed to see two "small men" in what looked like "white coveralls" walking around outside the craft. When they saw Zamora, the "men" boarded the craft and it took off with a loud roar and flame that shook Zamora's patrol car.
(The UFO Book, ppgs.545-546)
Zamora called for help on his radio. Sergeant M.S. Chavez of the New Mexico State Police soon arrived on the scene. Chavez later said that Zamora looked "terrified", that some nearby bushes had been badly burned, and that strange scoop marks were in the ground. Project Blue Book, the US Air Force's official study of the UFO mystery, sent investigators to Socorro. They interviewed Zamora and Chavez, and also checked the supposed landing site. Project Blue Book's supervisor, Captain Hector Quintanilla, later wrote that "there is no doubt that Lonnie Zamora saw an object which left quite an impression on him. There is no question about Zamora's reliability." (UFO Book, p.554) However, two prominent UFO skeptics both offered various explanations for Zamora's sighting. Dr. Donald Menzel offered two explanations: that Zamora had been the victim of an elaborate prank by local teenagers, or that Zamora had actually seen a dust devil. Philip Klass, the editor of Aviation Week magazine, would claim that Zamora and Socorro's then-mayor had hoaxed the event to bring tourists to Socorro. UFO researchers have disputed each of these explanations. (UFO Book, p.555)
Media SightingsSocorro was mentioned in the 1974 movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, though in a somewhat derogatory sense, as Ellen Burstyn's character decided to leave the town for Tucson. The aftermath scene of Bustyn's character's husband's fatal accident at the beginning of the film, although implied as being in Socorro, was actually filmed in Tucson.
The 1971 Roger Corman movie Gas-s-s-s was filmed in and around Socorro, including a hilarious scene using the New Mexico Tech golf carts.
The actress Jodie Foster stayed in Socorro while filming the movie Contact at the Very Large Array fifty miles west of the city.
Elfego Baca Golf ShootThe Elfego Baca Golf Shoot is named after a former mayor of Socorro who survived a gun battle near what is now Reserve, New Mexico involving over 4,000 bullets that were fired over the course of 36 hours. Teeing off from Socorro Peak, also known as M Mountain, at an altitude of , golfers proceed down the side of the mountain some 2,550 vertical feet to the one hole almost three miles (5 km) away. Surviving rattlesnakes, gnats, cacti, treacherous terrain and the New Mexican sun and heat, golfers have a chance at winning the title to what is considered one of the two most difficult golf courses in the world.
Mike Stanley, an employee of the , has won or tied for the win a record 18 times in the history of the shoot which dates back to 1960.
Points of interest
Arts and MusicSocorro is home to many artists and musicians. Local artists include: , Karyn DeBont, , , and Jan Thomas. There are also frequent . Notable musicians include: , Johnny Dean, , , , Toby Jaramillo, Ronna Kalish, , Rob Long, Carlos Marerro, Marian Royal, , and many others. Live music is played weekly at local bars and restaurants in town, particularly at the Capital Bar, , , and the . In addition to local performers, many musicians visit Socorro as part of New Mexico Tech's .
Steppin' Out, a bi-monthly tabloid covering fine art and cultural events in New Mexico, is published in Socorro.
Zamora UFO Reference- The UFO Book: Encyclopedia of the Extraterrestrial, Jerome Clark, author. Visible Ink Press, 1998. ppgs. 545-558
External links
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