Answer: First atomic device exploded
The Manhattan Project was the World War II program to develop an atomic bomb. Much of the work was conducted at Los Alamos, New Mexico, though other important parts of the project were developed in Tennessee, Washington State and elsewhere. The site of the first detonation, known as Trinity Site, is located on the White Sands Test Range. It may be visited on only two days each year, one each in April and October.
From Quiz: All about New Mexico
Answer: blue
From Quiz: New Mexico for Experts
Answer: Deming
Rockhounds visit this park to gather agate, quartz crystals, opal, and other collectibles that were created during the formation of the volcanic mountains. It is one of the few state parks in the nation where you are allowed to take home what you find!
For more information on New Mexico's State Parks, visit www.emnrd.state.nm.us/nmparks.
From Quiz: New Mexico Geology
Answer: July 16 1945
The first nuclear bomb was tested at the Trinity site south east of Socorro, New Mexico, it was developed in the Los Alamos Laboratories and White Sands Missile Range as well as other key areas in the US. When they inquired about the blast, many people were told that it was a large ammunitions dump had exploded.
From Quiz: New Mexico is Important!
Answer: Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is the largest river in New Mexico. This river rises in Colorado and empties in the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande River is 1885 miles long.
From Quiz: New Mexico
Answer: Green Chile
Every year, Hatch has their annual Green Chile Festival.
From Quiz: The Real Land of Enchantment
Answer: Red or green?
Red and green are two stages of growth of chili. In restaurants that serve chili with, on or over nearly anything, you will be asked if you want red or green (chili). If you want both, the appropriate response is "Christmas". My favorite use of green chili is mixed in with scrambled eggs.
From Quiz: All about New Mexico
Answer: About 2 miles
There's an interesting story here. When Texas was being surveyed, its western border with New Mexico was to be the 103rd meridian. Well, Texan surveyors headed by John H. Clark started from the south and north, and didn't meet in the middle. They settled what they thought was the 103rd meridian and that became the border.
In 1911 this error was realized. It was found that they were off by about two miles west at Texas's northern border with Oklahoma, but the border was confirmed by the United States Congress anyway. Oklahoma's eastern border with New Mexico (the Cimarron meridian) conforms to a truer representation of the 103rd meridian (it's really about one tenth of a mile too far west), and therein lies the two mile difference.
Interestingly, when the different surveyors did their work, they left behind monuments at important points. The Macomb Monument is the tristate corner of New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma. It is about two miles west of the Preston Monument, the tristate corner of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.
From Quiz: New Mexico for Experts
Answer: tuff
The cliffsides made of tuff have so many small, natural caves that they resemble Swiss cheese. Many of these caves were later enlarged by the Anasazi to make their vertiginous cliffside dwellings.
From Quiz: The Jemez Mountains
Answer: Jemez
A caldera is essentially a volcanic crater that has collapsed. The Valles Caldera was formed by a large eruption - about 100 times as large as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The Valles Caldera is roughly circular and is over 15 miles across.
For more information on the Valles Caldera visit www.vallescaldera.gov.
From Quiz: New Mexico Geology
Answer: 1610
When it was established, Santa Fe was part of the growing Spanish colony of Mexico. Now Santa Fe is known for its art galleries and architecture as well as for its beautiful mountains and climate.
From Quiz: New Mexico is Important!
Answer: Red/Yellow
The red and yellow are the colors of Isabel of Castilla which the Spanish Conquistadors brought to the New World.
From Quiz: New Mexico
Answer: Aliens
You hardly can't look around without seeing one somewhere.
From Quiz: The Real Land of Enchantment
Answer: Colorado
The Rio Grande (big or great river) runs from southern Colorado southward through the middle of New Mexico, entering far western Texas near El Paso. It the forms the entire border between Texas and Mexico. It is redundant to refer to it as the Rio Grande River.
From Quiz: All about New Mexico
Answer: Rio Grande
In Mexico, this river is known as Río Bravo del Norte. Nineteen hundred miles long, flowing through a canyon that's 800 feet deep in places, it's truly a "grand" river, even if it runs a bit dry most of the year by east-coast standards.
The Rio Grande Rift Valley is a popular destination for fishers, whitewater rafters (during the spring and summer months when the snowmelt swells the river), and hikers. There's an incredible view from the mesas above the valley.
From Quiz: The Jemez Mountains
Answer: Bisti
From Quiz: New Mexico Geology
Answer: Guadalupe mountains
Visitors to Carlsbad Caverns in the earlier days of its discovery were lowered down into the big room by guano buckets...yum! The big room in Carlsbad Caverns is tall enough to house a 30 story building and ten football fields. The Guadalupe Mountains are part of a range that runs into Texas and hold Texas's highest point.
From Quiz: New Mexico is Important!
Answer: Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier is within close driving distance from the communities of Los Alamos, White Rock, Espanola, and Santa Fe.
From Quiz: New Mexico
Answer: A bear
Smokey the Bear to be exact. Yes, the original Smokey the Bear was born and raised here in New Mexico. He is buried under a rock in the Smokey Bear Historical State Park in Capitan.
From Quiz: The Real Land of Enchantment
Answer: Thomas Catron
Catron was a territorial politician and in 1894 was New Mexico's Congressional delegate. He was a crucial force for statehood and was elected by a wide margin to be the first senator. He took the oath of office on March 27, 1912.
Catron made a strategic alliance with Albert Fall, and got him elected as the second senator from New Mexico. Fall turned out to be extremely corrupt and resigned in the wake of the Teapot Dome scandal when he was Secretary of the Interior. Catron's fortunes, and those of the New Mexico Republican party, mirrored that of Fall. Catron was asked not to seek re-election by the Republican Party, who despised Fall and held Catron partially responsible for his election and conduct.
All of the other choices were indeed New Mexico senators. Catron County is named for Thomas Catron. Interestingly, the name is really pronounced CAT-ron with emphasis on the first syllable, although most people pronounce it cat-RONE.
From Quiz: New Mexico for Experts
Answer: 275
That's right, 275 square miles of white sand dunes. It was once part of a large lake, and it is the largest collection of gypsum sand in the world. Many of the creatures that live there are pure white as they have adapted to the color of the sand.
From Quiz: New Mexico is Important!
Answer: October
The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is always held the first week of October. Over 600 balloons from all over the world take place at this event. It is the number one photographed event in the world.
From Quiz: New Mexico
Answer: Pinon
Pinon soup is an Indian favorite, made from nuts from the state tree. (Although a there should be a tilde over the first "n" it is not possible to use one here, for technical reasons. - ed.)
From Quiz: New Mexico--Land of Enchantment
Answer: Horse races
Horse races start Memorial Day and end Labor Day. And if you just CAN'T get enough gambling, Billy the Kid Casino is right next to it and two locations of Casino Apache are just a short drive away! :)
From Quiz: The Real Land of Enchantment
Answer: The City Different
Santa Fe is geographically the highest state capital in the US (7200 feet above sea level), is known as a center of many forms of art and has a substantial Native American population, but it proudly advertises itself as the City Different. Due to its sometimes quirky politics and even quirkier population, others in the state have been heard to refer to it as "The City VERY Different".
From Quiz: All about New Mexico
Answer: Geococcyx californianus
The greater roadrunner is Geococcyx californianus.
Coelophysis bauri is New Mexico's state fossil, a small dinosaur.
Campephilus principalis is the Ivory Billed Woodpecker.
Sorex neomexicanus is a shrewd shrew that lives in New Mexico.
From Quiz: New Mexico for Experts
Answer: Capitan
Smokey Bear was found injured, clinging to the remains of a charred tree after a forest fire raged through the area. The Capitan Mountains lie along the Capitan Lineament, a major structural weakness in the Earth's crust that extends east-west through southern New Mexico.
For more information on Smokey Bear visit www.smokeybear.org.
From Quiz: New Mexico Geology
Answer: The Gila mountains
The Gila Wilderness was established in 1960. It was the first in the world to allow no roads or houses to penetrate its lush forests, which protected them and its many animal inhabitants for many year to come.
From Quiz: New Mexico is Important!
Answer: Folsom Paleo-Indians
Folsom people flourish throughout Southwest at the end of the last Ice Age between 9000-8000 B.C.
From Quiz: New Mexico
Answer: Black Bear
Black bears are omnivorous. They eat animals ranging in size from insects to large mammals, as well as on plant life, carrion, and garbage.
From Quiz: New Mexico--Land of Enchantment
Answer: Caverns
One of the world's largest cave systems.
From Quiz: The Real Land of Enchantment
Answer: Underground caves
Carlsbad Caverns is one of the most visited cave complexes in the world. First discovered in 1898 by a teenager, portions of its underground beauty have yet to be explored. Its nearest community is not Carlsbad but a smaller town called White City, a few miles southwest of Carlsbad.
From Quiz: All about New Mexico
Answer: W.C. Kruger
New Mexico's capitol building is the second newest - finished in 1966 - and was designed by W.C. Kruger. It's a mix of several different architectural styles including New Mexico territorial, Greek revival, and Pueblo Indian. It's shaped roughly like the Zia sun symbol on New Mexico's present flag.
From Quiz: New Mexico for Experts
Answer: Cerrillos
Cerrillos turquoise was traded heavily by the Anasazi people as early as the year 800, and probably earlier. It has been found as far away as the Toltec ruins of central Mexico. Cultures of New Mexico used turquoise as currency through the 16th century. Cerrillos lies on NM highway 14 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, which has been designated as a scenic and historic route and is known as the "Turquoise Trail."
For more information on this area visit www.turquoisetrail.org.
From Quiz: New Mexico Geology
Answer: Clovis
The Clovis point was first discovered near Clovis in 1932. It has been dated to as far back as 14,000 years and is the oldest and first point to appear in North America. The Folsom point was also discovered in New Mexico, making New Mexico one of the most important archaeological sites in North America.
From Quiz: New Mexico is Important!
Answer: Ben Hur
The year after Ben Hur was published in 1880, Wallace began a four-year term as U.S. ambassador to Turkey, The last years of his life Wallace spent as a public lecturer.
From Quiz: New Mexico
Answer: Turquoise
Turquoise is often found in Native American jewelry.
From Quiz: New Mexico--Land of Enchantment
Answer: 1912
It was admitted January 6, 1912 as the 47th state.
From Quiz: The Real Land of Enchantment
Answer: Crash landing of a UFO
Many theories abound about what happened in "The Roswell Incident". While no evidence exists that it was, in fact, an alien spaceship, the public relations and commercial value of the story are unquestionably great.
From Quiz: All about New Mexico
Answer: Jornada del Muerto Valley
Reportedly J. Robert Oppenheimer uttered this phrase from the Hindu scripture "The Bhagavad Gita" after watching detonation of the first atomic device near Alamogordo.
Fittingly enough, Jornada del Muerto translates from Spanish as Journey of the Deadman. The Trinity site, where the detonation took place, is in the northeastern part of the valley.
Who Knew: The nickname of the first nuclear device detonated was "the gadget"? (The second and third were "Fat Man" and "Little Boy".)
From Quiz: New Mexico for Experts
