James F. KasermanSarah J. Kaserman
I Save A TreeElectronic Books
"Crescit eundo"
Santa Fe
C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc.
(It grows as it goes)
New MexicoThe United States of America
ISBN# 0-9714299-1-X
Table of Contents
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Location 5
History before statehood 7
History since statehood 9
State government 11
State flag 13
Current facts 15
Industry today 17
State landmarks 19
Weather and land 21
Animals in New Mexico 23
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State bird 25
State tree 27
State flower 29
Famous people from New Mexico 31
Things to do in New Mexico 33
Popular sports in New Mexico 35
Fast facts 37
Glossary 39
Web sites / books for information 41
Index 43
Credits 45
Location
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Santa Fe
New Mexico is a southwesternstate.To its north is Colorado.. On theeastern side are Texas and Oklahoma.To the south lie Texas and the countryof Mexico.. Arizona is to the west.
The capital is Santa Fe.. It is locatedin the north central part of the state.
HistoryBefore Statehood
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Navajo and Apache
Cliff Dwellings
The ancient tribe Anasazi, ancestorsof the Pueblo Indians, lived in the regionlong before the Europeans arrived.Some were cliff dwellers, living on steep
mesas and cliffs.Gold prospectorscame in the1500s, thentrappers, traders,
ranchers and therailroads.. SanteFe was foundedin 1610 andmade thecapital.. After theMexican War in 1848, the United Statesclaimed the region.. In the 1860s,the Apache and Navajo Indians wereforced onto reservations.
HistorySince Statehood
Atomic blast
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_______________________Uranium ore
New Mexico became the 47th stateon January 6, 1912. The region becamethe center for U.S. energy research. Thefirst atomic bombwas exploded onJuly 16, 1945, inthe White Sandstesting range.
The bombs thatended WorldWar II weremade at a secretlaboratory at LosAlamos.. After World War II, workcontinued on atomic and nuclearpower.. Rockets and missiles weredeveloped.. In 1950, uranium, a metalimportant in nuclear power, wasdiscovered.
Government
Governor Bill Richardson
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State Senate
The state government of NewMexico is divided into three branches.Governor Bill Richardson is head of
the executivebranch. This branchis in charge ofcarrying out thelaws. Thelegislature hastwo parts, the
Senate and Houseof Representatives.The third branchis the judicialbranch. This branch interprets thelaws. New Mexico has 33 counties.Each has a local government.
State Flag
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The stateflag was adopt-ed in 1925. Ared Indian sun symbol is centered on a yel-low field to form the flag's design. Thesecolors represent the Spanish flag andthat New Mexico was once a Spanish
territory. The ancient sun with fourrays once belonged to NativeAmericans called Zia, who believedall good things are in gifts of four.The circle oflife and love,without abeginning orend, bindsthese gifts.
Current Facts
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Busy street
Old church ruins
O ver 1,819,046people live in New Mexico.The state is
ranked the 36th largest state for thenumber of people living in it.. NewMexico actually has more sheep and
cattle than itdoes people.New Mexico covers 121,359 squaremiles.. It is ranked the 5th largest statein total area in the United States.
IndustryToday
Sheep
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Peppers
New Mexico is rich in minerals.However, lack of water is a major prob-lem.. Oil, natural gas, uranium and coalare valuable natural resources whose
industriescontribute to theeconomy. Themanufacture ofelectric equip-ment, foodprocessing,
printing andpublishing, andproducts made ofstone, clay andglass are alsoimportant.. Agriculture's contributionsinclude livestock, sheep in the plains, andcrops like hay and chilies. Tourism hasalso become a large business.
Landmarks
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Old church
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Carlsbad Caverns
Mexico hasseveral nationalmonumentsincluding manyremains of
ancient Indian civilizations.The Carlsbad Caverns attract manyvisitors.. El Camino Real is the oldestroad in the United States.
This road was first traveled in 1581.The road runs between Santa Fe, NewMexico, and Veracruz, Mexico.The oldestgovernmentbuilding is thePalace ofGovernors, built in1610 when SantaFe was founded.
Weather & Land
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Mountains
Plateau
New Mexicohas a dry, warmclimate. Theaverage rainfallis less than 20inches. Thesouthern part of
the state gets less than 10 inches.Average winter temperatures in NewMexico range from 55° to 35° Fahren-heit.. Summer average temperaturesare 95° .
The Great Plains in the east is a plateauwith rugged rock formations and deepcanyons. The Rocky Mountains arefound in the north. To the northwest isthe Coloradoplateau regionwith wide valleysand plains,canyons, cliffsand flat-toppedhills calledmesas.
AnimalsIn New Mexico
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Black bear
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Mule deer
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The large animals of New Mexicoinclude black bears, coyotes, mountainlions, cougars, white-tail and muledeer.. In 1950, a black bear, who later
became Smokeythe Bear, wasfound trapped ina tree by fire. Theblack bear wasnamed the stateanimal in 1963.
Smaller animalsroaming theregion includewoodrats,muskrats,bobcats, chipmunks, foxes, jack rabbits,squirrels, porcupines and beavers.Rattlesnakes and coral snakes also livein New Mexico.
State Bird
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Roadrunner
Roadrunner
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The roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) was named the state bird on March 16, 1949.
The roadrunner is a comical bird. A cartoon series isbased on its antics, showing how the roadrunner prefers running to flying.
The roadrunner is fast, running atspeeds up to 15 miles per hour. Theroadrunner uses its speed to catchinsects, lizards, centipedes,mice and snakes.A full-grownroadrunner is about 12 inches tall and 24 inches long.
State Tree
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Pinon pine cone
Pinon
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The pinon(Pinus edulis) wasnamed the statetree in 1949. Thepinyon is a small
tree that grows in the southwesternUnited States.. Pinons have shortneedles in bundles of two. Its smallpine cones contain seeds called pine
nuts that areextremelyimportant tomany mammalsand birds.. Pine nuts have also beenan important food to Indians. Thewood may be used for fence posts,railroad ties or fuel.
State Flower
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Yucca
Yucca flower
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The yuccaflower or soap-weed (Yuccaglauca) wasnamed the state
flower in 1927. The yucca plant is nativeto the deserts of the Southwest. Theplant is evergreen with pointed, stiff,narrow leaves.. Its greenish-white flowers
appear on a center stalk and look likebells. The Indians made soap, rope,baskets andsandals from theleaf fibers. Theplant was also afood source forthe Indians. Theyate the buds,flowers and fruits.
Famous People
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John Denver
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Robert Goddard
William Becknell opened the SantaFe Trail in 1821.. During the late 1800s,Lew Wallace was the territory governor.
His historical novelBen Hur became amovie.. ScientistRobert Goddardis credited withmaking New
Mexico aleader inaerospace.Famous New Mexicans today include actressDemi Moore, race-car drivers Al andBobby Unser, artist Peter Hurd andthe late singer John Denver.
Things to Do
In New Mexico
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Hot-air ballooning
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Rodeo
New Mexico iscalled "The Landof Enchantment"because of itsbeauty andhistory.. National
forests and state parks cover thousandsof acres of New Mexico.
New Mexico has cliff dwellings andcaverns to explore. Indian ceremoniesand local rodeosare fun events.In October,Albuquerquehosts the world'slargest hot-airballoon fiesta.
SportsIn New Mexico
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Rock climbing
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Hiking, fishing, climbing and campingare favorite pastimes for visitors and
residents alike.New Mexico hassports teams atboth the high-school and thecollege level.
The three sports-playing collegesinclude the NewMexico Lobos, theNew Mexico State Aggies and WesternNew Mexico Mustangs.
Fast Facts
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Governor: Bill RichardsonCapital: Santa FeSize: 121,359 square miles, 5th in the U.S.Population: 1,819,046 people, 36th in theU.S.Major cities: Albuquerque, Las Cruces,Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Roswell,Alamogordo, Carlsbad, ClovisNickname: "Land of Enchantment"State animal: black bearState bird: roadrunnerState flower: yuccaState tree: pinon pine
St ate song: "O Fair New Mexico"State motto: "Crescit eundo" (It grows asit goes)
Duck migration
Jack Rabbit
Glossary
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aerospace, relating to flight or thespace beyond.ancient, very old, times long past.atomic bomb, an explosive weapon ofgreat destruction that gets its powerfrom the release of nuclear energy.civilization, a high degree of culture andtechnological development.cliff dwellers, a group in the SouthwestUnited States who built rock or adobedwellings on ledges or the sides of cliffs.
comical, producing laughter; amusing,funny.developed, to cause to grow orexpand.enchantment, the act of enchanting,attracting and delighting.plateau, an elevated, level expanse ofland; a tableland.uranium, a natural radioactive elementused in nuclear fuels or weapons.
Links & BooksFor more information
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Link1Link2Link3
Visit our website @ www.isaveatree.com
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Title: The World Book EncyclopediaPublisher: World Book, Inc.Copyright: 2002
Title: The Kid's World Almanac of the UnitedStatesAuthor: Dr.Thomas G. AylesworthPublisher: World AlmanacCopyright: 1990
Title: Exploring the 50 StatesAuthor: Marcie AndersonPublisher: Willowisp Press, Inc.Copyright: 1983
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bear, black, 23
Carlsbad Caverns, 19
El Camino Real, 19
energy, 9
forest, national, 33
Goddard, Robert, 31
R ichardson, Bill, 11
Indian, 5, 8, 13, 19, 28, 30, 34
minerals, 17
pine, pinon, 27
power, 10
roadrunner, 25, 26
yucca, 29
Credits
_______________________46I Save A Tree Inc. reserves the right to remove or exchange any
photo/illustration at any time without notice.
Written by
James F. Kaserman
Sarah J. Kaserman
Produced by
Robert Rance
Technologies
Doug Meyers
Design
Dan Mader
Edited by
Linda Coyner
Photo creditsNew Mexico Department of NaturalResourceswww.arttoday.com