Historic Marker Notes First Automobile in New Mexico - Raton, NM
N 36° 53.113 W 104° 26.350
13S E 549976 N 4082285
A 3/26/2010 story in The Deming Headlight indicated that a New Mexico Historical Marker was to be placed in Raton, NM, site of the first automobile trip in the state, back in 1900.
Waymark Code: WMPQP8
Location: New Mexico, United States
Date Posted: 10/08/2015
Views: 2
Posted: 03/26/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT
For the Headlight
Santa Fe - If you've ever wondered when the first automobile cruised into New Mexico and where it might have entered the state, there will be an Official Scenic Historic Marker located in Raton to tell you about it.
Text for the marker commemorating Robert L. Dodson's achievement in December 1900 was approved recently by the Cultural Properties Review Committee, the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division announced. The marker, among nearly 650 installed along state roads since the program began in 1936, is planned for the visitor center rest stop at Raton on Interstate 25 and New Mexico Highways 87/64.
In November 1900, Robert L. Dodson purchased a Locomobile in Denver and set off with company representative B.L. Camwell; Albuquerque was the planned destination. On December 5, after driving the vehicle over narrow wagon roads - not one paved and many full of ruts - and through treacherous Raton Pass, they arrived in their "horseless carriage" at Raton, attracting the attention of all passersby as the vehicle traveled through town "gracefully and noiselessly," according to the Raton Reporter story published that day.
Although the story had been reported previously in the 1920s by journalist Erna Fergusson for the Albuquerque Herald and others, it was not until Dodson's great grandson, Doug Sylvester and his wife Vicki began researching the old family story more than a year ago that this bit of history resurfaced from the archives.
"This was the first time I started thinking about the historical marker, because every time we told the story people were drawn to it, " Mr. Sylvester said.
Sylvester contacted the Historic Preservation Division, which oversees research and wording of historic markers, after receiving the Fergusson article from Albuquerque Public Library and discovering a photograph of his great grandfather father in the Locomobile in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico Cobb Collection. He and his wife had made several trips to New Mexico from their home in La Jolla, California, to research the story and eventually drove Raton Pass, and part of the old road that to this day is unpaved. They appeared before the CPRC in Santa Fe when the marker text was approved.
The process of researching the marker and coming up with appropriate phrasing ended up correcting the common history of the journey, which the Fergusson article placed in 1897. Research by HPD and the CPRC and information provided by the Stanley Museum in Estes Park, Colorado, revealed the Locomobile was not manufactured until 1900, and HPD learned of the correct dates for Dodson's journey through articles published at that time and archived at UNM Library Center for Southwest Research.
The Locomobile was fueled by gasoline but powered by steam. At Ribera Station in San Miguel County, it ran out of gasoline, a scarce commodity in 1900. Dodson was able to purchase some at Lamy and sent it back to Camwell. Dodson appears to have taken the train from Lamy into Albuquerque and Camwell traveled through Cerrillos, arriving in the Duke City shortly after Dodson.
According to later press reports, Albuquerque greeted the vehicle's arrival with a mix of enthusiasm and consternation. The Locomobile scared horses and for a time local authorities - it was dubbed the "devil mobile" by some and at one point Dodson was threatened with hanging - considered banning it altogether from the city. For two years, Dodson owned the only car in town, but as history attests, he was correct in predicting that the automobile would become the preferred mode of transportation.
Type of publication: Newspaper
When was the article reported?: 03/20/2010
Publication: The Deming Headlight
Article Url: [Web Link]
Is Registration Required?: no
How widespread was the article reported?: local
News Category: Society/People
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