About the East Mountain Historical Society

About Us

The East Mountain Historical Society (EMHS) is a group dedicated to preserving and documenting history in the Sandia, Manzano, and Manzanita Mountain towns and villages east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, including portions of Route 66 and the historic Turquoise Trail.

As reflected in our logo, we also are dedicated to preserving “la cultura de las montañas” – the culture of the mountains. 

This area of interest includes the villages of Tijeras, Carnuel, San Antonio, San Antonito, Cañoncito, Sedillo, Cedro, Juan Tomas, Yrisarri, Escobosa, and Chilili, as well as surrounding areas that have family or historic ties to these towns and villages. 

Established in 1992, the mission of the East Mountain Historical Society is to:

  1. Collect historical data pertaining to the East Mountains.
  2. Conserve, preserve, and protect historic buildings, archaeological sites, and historically significant landscapes.  
  3. Enhance public appreciation and understanding of East Mountain history and culture.

Mission Statement

The mission of the East Mountain Historical Society is to identify, preserve, and present to the public the history and culture of the East Mountain area. EMHS will assist in protecting historic buildings and landscapes, artifacts, records, or any item considered to be of historic significance. EMHS will also identify, collect, and archive historical material of significance to the area.

Our Goals

Our immediate primary goal is to work with our many dedicated volunteers and partners to rehabilitate and convert the historic Campo stone house on north New Mexico 14 into a space that would serve as a headquarters for EMHS and become a permanent repository for East Mountain history collections, photos, and historical documents. It would also serve as a visitor’s center and educational point along the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor. Having this dedicated space will better enable us to:

– Continue collecting photos/oral histories/historical documents.
– Share these collections with the public for the purpose of research.
– Research and preserve documents on land grants and homesteads.
– Exhibit photos, oral histories, and historical documents.
– Host special programs/speakers.

Our Members

EMHS is a volunteer organization made up of dues-paying members, plus honorary members who pay no dues and have lived in the area 50 years or more.
It is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization.

Our Collections

The society collects historical data through interviews with older residents, copying old photographs and documents, and researching information in state libraries and archives.

You can view our Photo Archive at this link: Photos
To utilize our archival materials contact historian@eastmountainhistory.org

Our Events

EMHS holds or participates in at least four free events a year to share historic information with the public. These events include public talks by old time residents and experts, as well as musical events that have included dance lessons and concerts by musicians playing traditional songs and instruments. 

A Timeline of our Accomplishments

In March 2023, a historic property was donated to EMHS by descendants of the Campo family who built the home in the San Antonio land grant settlement in the 19th century.  EMHS is restoring it to be its permanent home and a cultural center for the East Mountains.  (See Stone House)

In 2023, EMHS was selected by Bernalillo County as an Outstanding Community Organization and received a $5,600 grant from District 5 to upgrade its website and support EMHS operations and publications.

In 2021, EMHS was awarded a $15,000 grant by the New Mexico Humanities Council to establish its Archives, and the Village of Tijeras partnered with it to lease space in the Tijeras Senior Center, establishing a secure a climate-controlled archive for the first time.

In 2021, EMHS partnered with the Village of Tijeras to seek technical assistance from the New Mexico Economic Development Department for the preservation and restoration of the historic Tijeras Village Church; the project received the award under the Frontier and Native American Communities Initiative of the Main Street Program.

In 2019, EMHS published its monumental history book, Timelines of the East Mountains, more than 700 pages of maps, stories, and history of the people and places in an area covering 400 square miles. The all-volunteer project took three years; the book is now in its third printing.

In 2015, after two years of research that included input from the East Mountain community, EMHS created an original six-by-six-foot portable display – Mapping Our Vanishing Past – depicting landmarks, springs, villages, stage stops and other sites disappearing or which no longer exist.

The map, created with a $1,000 grant from the Historical Society of New Mexico, has been displayed at countless events in libraries, schools, and senior and community centers, and proved so popular, EMHS created a personal-sized version featuring historic advertisements on the reverse. EMHS is planning to reprint the map, all 1,000 original prints of which have been sold.

In 2014, EMHS published its first annual calendar featuring historic photos of the East Mountains. A calendar has been produced every year since.

In 2012, New Mexico’s Centennial year, EMHS finished a two-year oral history project, Great People, Great Stories, which was named Oral History Project of 2012 by Origins and Legacies Historical Services. It was during these interviews that EMHS’ volunteers became aware of villages and landmarks that no longer exist, which led to creation of the map.

In 1997, in cooperation with the Village of Tijeras, EMHS applied for and secured a $32,000 grant under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) to structurally stabilize historic Santo Niño Church in Tijeras. EMHS had used Santo Niño in the early 1990s for historical and cultural exhibits after EMHS volunteers cleaned and repaired it. Stabilization allowed the Village of Tijeras to restore the church for use by the public, after obtaining further funding. For decades, it has been used by EMHS to host public talks and events.

In 1996, EMHS secured a $4,000 grant from the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities to print photographs and create a 12-panel exhibit describing East Mountain history and culture. The exhibit was displayed countless times in the old Santo Niño Church in Tijeras, the Cañon de Carnue Land Grant Hall, local community centers, the Tijeras Library, and in schools and other community sites.

In 1995, with a $1,000 grant from the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities, EMHS copied about 200 old photographs loaned by members of 23 East Mountain families as part of a preservation campaign and for the future 12-panel historical exhibit.

In 1993, EMHS helped initiate a historic building survey of the East Mountain area by University of New Mexico professor Chris Wilson. The resulting Reconnaissance Survey of the East Mountains included several places considered eligible for the Historic Register or for Historic District Status.

EMHS and its members have been instrumental in the preservation and protection of archaeological ruins located on or near the Sandia Mountains, including those at Paa-Ko.

EMHS was part of a coalition, led by member Louise Waldron, that led to preservation of Open Space acreage at Tres Pistolas in Tijeras Canyon.

EMHS served as part of the coalition that convinced state and local representatives to purchase 420 acres of private land near Cedar Crest, which more than doubled Gutierrez Canyon (Milne) Open Space, an area of historic interest.

Awards and Honors

2022 Outstanding Community Organization – Bernalillo County

2022 Lansing B. Bloom Award for Outstanding Publication, Historical Society of New Mexico –EMHS Newsletter

2021 Lansing B. Bloom Award for Outstanding Publication, Historical Society of New Mexico –Timelines of the East Mountains

2021 Southwest Book Design & Production, Finalist in History Category – Timelines of the East Mountains

2020 Winner, New Mexico History, New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards – Timelines of the East Mountains

2022 and 2020 First place, newsletter editing for non-profit organization, New Mexico Press Women –EMHS Newsletter

2012 – Oral History Project of 2012, Origins and Legacies Historical Services

1996 – Outstanding Volunteer Organization, Albuquerque Conservation Association

EMHS Legal Information

BYLAWS

The name of the organization is East Mountain Historical Society, hereinafter referred to as EMHS.  The EMHS is a New Mexico non-profit corporation, tax exempt as provided in the U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c)(3).

more…

Code of Conduct

The activities, services, and events of the East Mountain Historical Society [EMHS] are intended to allow for inclusive collaboration between EMHS members and other partners. This policy applies to all such activities of the organization, whether in-person or on-line.

more…

Executive Board

President:
Robyn Hoffman

Vice President:
Rick Holben

Secretary:
Debbie Post

Treasurer:
Jeannie Place

more…

The East Mountain Historical Society (EMHS) provides this Web site as a service to its members, to those interested in the history of the area, and to the public, in furtherance of the mission of EMHS as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.

The contents of this Web site are copyrighted, which includes the contents of the EMHS newsletter. However, in light of the mission of EMHS mission as an educational organization, portions of the newsletter may be cited or quoted so long as the Society, or the author of the article where applicable, is given credit as the information source. 

The opinions expressed by contributors to the EMHS newsletter and Web site are solely those of the individual writers. EMHS is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within the site.