To Celebrate 50 years of Discover Taos here is a quick look in to the past.
1974 – 1983:
From the late ’60s well into the ’70s, Taos County was a magnet for hippies looking for Xanadu. These newcomers were not always welcome by more socially conservative denizens, but one could argue this community has always been attractive to free thinkers. Georgia O’Keeffe, D.H. Lawrence, Aldous Huxley, Tennessee Williams, and Leonard Bernstein all found their way here, though some stayed longer than others. We may be biased but we think John Nichols’ first book in his New Mexico Trilogy — “The Milagro Beanfield War,” published in 1974 — beautifully and hilariously captures competing cultures and values in Northern New Mexico.
1984 – 1993:
1987 – Northern New Mexico saw a lot of ups and downs in the 80’s: Ski Rio outside Costilla came and went.
1986 – The village of Angel Fire incorporated
1985 – Enchanted forest Cross Country Ski Area debuted
1989 – Taos Ski Valley’s beloved founder, Ernie Blake Die
1992 – Taos Country Club opened for play
Urban centers saw the popularity of big (BIG) hair, hair metal bands, and the rise of grunge. We love that music. We had MTV here too after all, but we also waltzed to “New Mexico Rain” and Polkaed to mariachi bands all over the circle.
1994 – 2003:
1994 – Marked an exciting time for Taos with the arrival of the internet.
1995 – The following year proved momentous with the passing of literary giant Frank Waters and the arrival of gambling at Taos Pueblo.
1996 – The Village of Taos Ski Valley Incorporated and the “old blinking light” became a full-fledged stop light around this time. Though many of us still tell people to “turn left at the blinking light.” Walmart wanted a super Walmart and Taoseños said “No.”
2003 – former newspaper magnate Tom Worrell built El Monte Sagrado for $70 million.
2004 – 2013:
Eagle Nest Dam, completed in 1918, was the brainchild of brothers Charles and Frank Springer, who wanted a steady source of water for their ranch.
2004 – The resulting lake became a state park.
2005 – Famed Navajo artist R.C. Gorman, once called “The Picasso of American art” by The New York Times, died.
RC Gorman poses beneath a portrait of his father, Carl Gorman, a Navajo Code Talker during World War II. The painting is by Taos artist Rory Wagner.
2007 – Two years later, Questa parishioners began the years-long struggle to save their beloved St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.
2013 – One of the biggest change in Taos County came about. When Billionaire Louis Bacon bought Taos Ski Valley from the Blake Family, who had owned it since it’s inception in 1954.
2014 – 2023:
2014 – The molybdenum mine near Questa once the largest employer in the county closed for good. Then began a huge environmental clean-up.
2016 – Taos Ski Valley saw the arrival of the luxurious Blake Hotel. Smith’s sought to build a larger super-sized store. Taoseños said “no.”
2018 – More than a few locals mourned the passing of musical great Al Hurricane.
2019 – The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree came from Red River.
2022 – Legal weed (cannabis) stores popped up
2023 – John Nichols died.
1940 – 2023