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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_______________________Camping

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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Index _______________________

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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