For Immediate Release
Contact: Randall Rasmussen, Glorieta Battlefield Coalition, 505-228-3941
Congress Funds Glorieta Battlefield Studies
Traffic Issues to be Addressed
Glorieta, N.M.- Historic preservation groups are applauding New Mexico's congressional delegation for securing funds that could lead to opening of the Civil War-era Glorieta Battlefield, located near Pecos, to public visitation and tourism.
Congress included $373,000 in the 2004 Omnibus spending bill that was approved last week by the Senate. President Bush is expected to sign the bill this week. The Glorieta appropriation will enable Pecos National Historical Park staff to study highway safety within the Pecos Valley, with the objective of restoring and making safe for public visitation the Pigeon's Ranch portion of Glorieta Battlefield.
"New Mexico's delegation acted in order to secure the future of Glorieta Battlefield because State Road 50 and its heavy traffic is unsafe for motorists and battlefield visitors alike," said Randall Rasmussen of the citizen-formed Glorieta Battlefield Coalition. "We thank Congressman Udall and Senator Bingaman in particular for championing this funding request in Congress."
Historians lament the fact that the historic Santa Fe Trail through Pigeon's Ranch-the site of fierce fighting on March 28, 1862, between Confederate and Union forces-was paved over to create what today is New Mexico Road 50. Earlier this year, the Civil War Preservation Trust, a national battlefield conservation organization based in Washington, DC, listed Glorieta Battlefield among their annual list of the ten most threatened Civil War battlefields in the nation because of the threat posed by New Mexico Road 50.
"Safety issues aside, the Park Service and State Department of Transportation need to determine local transportation needs before they can assess options for preserving the battlefield," said coalition member Jerry Rogers, president of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance. "We are committed to working with these agencies and local governments in order to maintain a safe and convenient road for commuters."
The Battle of Glorieta Pass often is referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West" by some historians and was fought in March 1862 between Confederate forces from Texas and Union forces from Colorado and New Mexico. Although the Confederates gained the upper hand in fierce fighting near Pigeon's Ranch, a daring flanking maneuver by a Union party that traveled over Glorieta Mesa resulted in the destruction of Confederate supply wagons at Johnson's Ranch, forcing the Texans to retreat to Santa Fe and eventually to Texas.
Congress added portions of Glorieta Battlefield to Pecos National Historical Park in 1990. The National Park Service, which manages the park, currently prohibits general public visitation to the battlefield because of hazards associated with New Mexico Road 50, which passes through the middle of the Pigeon's Ranch unit.
The Glorieta Battlefield Coalition sought support for a federal study that would investigate transportation needs in the greater Pecos area and the feasibility of rerouting a portion of Road 50 around the Pigeon's Ranch unit of Glorieta Battlefield. The New Mexico State Legislature approved a joint memorial last March in support of the transportation study and for restoring Glorieta Battlefield. Representative Nick Salazar, whose district includes Pecos and the Glorieta area, introduced the memorial. Last December, both the Village of Pecos and Governor Richardson urged the New Mexico congressional delegation to seek funding for the necessary studies.
"A tremendous opportunity exists to create the West's only Civil War battlefield park and it has widespread support from local governments, including the Village of Pecos and the Santa Fe County Commission," said Rasmussen. "The funding secured by Congress should be used by the Park Service to begin the necessary public dialogue and environmental studies that will move us toward this important goal."
Glorieta Battlefield Coalition
Created in 2001, the Glorieta Battlefield Coalition is dedicated to "Protecting the Santa Fe Trail and Civil War battlefield within Pecos National Historical Park through preservation and public education." Its members include: 1000 Friends of New Mexico, Friends of Pecos National Historical Park, Novelist P.G. Nagle, The Historical Society of New Mexico, New Mexico Civil War Commemorative Congress, New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance, Santa Fe Trail Association End of the Trail Chapter, Historian/Author John Taylor, Center of Southwest Culture, and the Civil War Preservation Trust. For more information, visit our website at: www.glorietapass.org
P.O. Box 37205 - Albuquerque, NM 87176-7205
505.899.6668 - randall505[@]earthlink.net - www.glorietapass.org