The Geronimo Springs Museum is a small regional museum located in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.[1] It is named after Geronimo Hot Springs, one of numerous hot springs in the Hot Springs Artesian Basin.[2] The springs were named after the Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo (1829–1909) from the Bedonkohe band of the Apache people.[3][4]
The museum exhibits feature collections of fossils, photographs, artifacts and pottery (mainly Mimbres and Tularosa from 200 AD to 1350 AD), that present a comprehensive historical view of Sierra County and its inhabitants over time. A historical miner's cabin is on the premises that was moved from the Black Range mountains nearby.[2] In addition to the collection of Mimbres pottery, other historical objects include Apache artifacts, Hispanic artifacts, military objects, and mining and ranching exhibits.[5] The museum also contains a display about Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio and television game show, Truth or Consequences, for which the town was renamed (formerly Hot Springs, New Mexico).[6] Edwards relocated to the town in 1950 to host the show locally. The museum was co-founded in 1972 by Ann Welborn who remembers meeting several movie stars who were on the show.[7]
In 2021, a representation of Geronimo was stolen from the museum facade.[8]
References edit
- ^ Niederman, Sharon (November 1999). "On the trail of Geronimo". Sunset Magazine. 203 (5): 46.
- ^ a b "Geronimo Springs Museum". Sierra County New Mexico. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Greene, Granville (3 October 2008). "Geronimo soaked here". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Gersh-Young, Marjorie (2011). Hot Springs and Hot Pools in the Southwest. Santa Cruz, California: Aqua Thermal. pp. 106–111. ISBN 978-1-890880-09-5.
- ^ "Geronimo Springs Museum". MuseoMeta. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "A reconstructed miner's cabin is among the features of the Geronimo Springs Museum". Albuquerque Journal. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "The Quirky Torque of T-or-C: Geronimo Spring Museum". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Keys, Allison (14 December 2021). "Truth or Consequences Police Dept. searches for stolen museum figure". KRQE. Retrieved 4 January 2022.