Old Images of Santa Fe, New Mexico

Glimpse history through fascinating old images of Santa Fe in New Mexico, USA.

Old Photos of Santa Fe

Old stereograph photo of a Bird’s-evey view, north from College, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Image: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library.

Old stereograph photo of San Miguel Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Image: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library.

Old stereograph photo of the Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Image: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library.

Old photo of Santa Fe, New Mexico, taken in 1873. Image: Timothy H. O’Sullivan, Library of Congress.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1873

Santa Fe 1950

When New Mexico pased the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act of 1973, it was the first state in the US to have a bilingual multicultural education law. The change of law reflected the long standing mix of ethnic communities in New Mexico.

In this video about Santa Fe made in 1950, we are told that at the time “Today it is the Spanish influence which is more dominant..Spanish is still their mother language, and it is spoken as of fore, with a seventeenth century Castillian inflection.”

We also see the Fiesta de Santa Fe, and some of the people who come to see it. Native Americans sell hand loomed rugs and hand crafted pottery near Santa Fe’s historic old plaza.

A range of Native American dances are performed for an engaged audience.

Quite a few streets and building appear, along with hundreds of people.

We also see the already 78 year old Penitentiary of New Mexico, three years before the prison riot in which Deputy Warden Ralph Tahash and twelve guards were held hostiage. The battle to regain control of the prison was to leave two inmantes dead and several wounded.

Trails End: Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1950 – travelfilmarchive on YouTube

Ski in Santa Fe 1982

This 1982 commercial was shot live 16 miles away at Santa Fe Basin for the skiing scenes. The nighlife scene was shot at the old bar at the Inn and Spa at Loretto.

Ski Santa Fe – 1980.wmv – High Desert Soul on YouTube

1980s Santa Fe Fiesta

The quality of this home movie of the Santa Fe Fiesta parade in the 1980s isn’t great. But a lot of people appear in it, and someone may recognise themselves from a time when few of us had video recorders.

Santa Fe Fiesta Parade 1980’s – metsrock on YouTube

William Henderson

Artist William Penhallow Henderson (1877-1943) first lived near Santa Fe in the 1880s, when his parents tried cattle ranching.

Thirty years later, after an art career which took in study, work and teaching in Europe and the United States, he returned to Santa Fe to make it his permanent home and work base.

Early Santa Fe Artist William Penhallow Henderson (1877-1943) Biography – Medicine Man Gallery on YouTube

Waldon Hill & Torquay Harbour, circa 1880

Waldon Hill & Torquay Harbour, Devon, circa 1880. Image: National Science & Media Museum/Flikr Torquay Harbour is the heart of the "English Riviera," a masterpiece of Victorian engineering that transformed a small fishing cove into one of the most prestigious ports in Europe. Here are 10 facts about Torquay Harbour, including its status in 1880: 1. The 1880 Modernization Peak By 1880, the harbor was in the middle of a massive transformation. The Haldon Pier (originally started in the 1860s) was being completed, turning the harbor into a safe "port of refuge." Before this, the harbor was largely open to the sea and dangerous during easterly gales. 2. A Private Playground In 1880, the harbor was not owned by the town, but by the Lord of the Manor, Sir Lawrence Palk . He invested heavily in the stone quays and the pier, specifically to attract the wealthy yachting crowd, rather than just commercial fishing boats. 3. The Arrival of the "Floating Palaces...

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