New Mexico History Conference 2023

MARCH 30 – APRIL 1, 2023

The New Mexico History Conference, signature event of the Historical Society of New Mexico, has taken place in locations all over New Mexico since the 1970s. For the very first time, the 2023 conference will be held in unique, friendly Silver City, the heart of an area rich in history and culture. Home to Western New Mexico University, Silver City boasts multiple historic neighborhoods, two museums, a thriving downtown, and a vibrant arts community.

A stellar line-up of presentations and activities will explore the events, cultures, stories, and perspectives that add to the mosaic of New Mexico history, from the earliest inhabitants to the recent past. Major sponsorship by the Town of Silver City and Western New Mexico University and private support allow us to offer “inflation-proof” registration rates for the 2023 conference.

Friday, March 31, Session 4A, 3:30 - 5:00 pm (recording link below within title)

“What Really Happened to Blackdom?” —Blackdom began in September of 1903 when 13 African American men, led by Isaac Jones and Frank Boyer, incorporated the townsite company. The early years were plagued with droughts in a dry-farming agricultural society. By 1918, for those slow to prove-up land, prospects for an oil boom in the region increased urgency. Women of Blackdom led by Ella Boyer, who completed her 160-acre patent on land adjacent to Blackdom’s 40-acre townsite, increased their land holdings. Timothy E. Nelson was born in South Central Los Angeles. He earned his PhD from the University of Texas at El Paso and was the Racial Justice Director at the YWCA El Paso del Norte Region.

Click the link below to register for the 2023 New Mexico History conference in Silver City, March 30-April 1. REGISTER for the CONFERENCE NOW!