While Western New Mexico University museum is dedicated to the archaeology of the region, it does house some historical records, such as the O.C. Hinman Collection of historic Silver City/Grant County photographs, the Campus Collections containing of university history, and the U.S. Senator (NM) Jeff Bingaman Memorabilia Collection, the John Fleming Collection (photos of Tyrone), the Hachita Mercantile Collection (receipts and merchandise orders), and the Bearup Collection (correspondences, payroll, etc. from Socorro mines, ca. 1908). These collections are open to researchers upon reservation.  The museum is located on the university’s Silver City campus, and this is the link to their webpage, WNMU Museum’s Collections

Western New Mexico University’s Office of Alumni Affairs has historical copies of the school’s yearbooks, dating back over 100 years.  The earliest yearbook is dated 1907. These copies are available for researchers upon request and must be read in their office. They also have a new Oral History Project that is now starting to archive recollections of past alumni of the university. Those stories should be available in the near future for historians to research.  For more information about the office, click here to access their webpage: Office of Alumni Affairs.

The office is located in Hunter Hall on the WNMU Campus, 1000 W. College Ave.

Researching a local historic building? Searching for your Grant County ancestors? Studying the region’s history? The Silver City Public Library may be able to help. Visitors may research physical and digital resources in their collection, and access their Ancestry “library edition” housed inside their building. For more information, including finding aids, please visit their page by clicking here: Local History and Geneology at the Silver City Library. Skilled volunteer local history researchers and library staff members are available if you need further assistance. Contact us at 575-538-3672 or ref@silvercitypubliclibrary.org to get started on more complex research questions.

The Silver City Public Library is located at 515 W. 11th St., in Silver City, New Mexico.

The Fort Bayard Historical Preservation Society (FBHPS) welcomes researchers on the American West, particularly those seeking information on the history of the fort as an active military post 1866-1899, and its mission as a US Army Hospital for Tuberculosis 1899-1920, and a Veterans Administration Hospital 1922-1965. The Society holds an extensive photograph collection, plus artifacts and documents relating to the history of the fort, particularly when the fort was an army hospital.  In addition, the archive includes a collection of papers, maps, photographs, books, and articles relating to the history and culture of Native peoples of southwest New Mexico, especially the Apache.  There are some Fort Sill, Oklahoma records regarding the Apache.  The research library holds hundreds of titles relating to the military and cultural history of the Southwest. It also has a good collection of National Archives material related to the fort itself and the Apache wars. As an all-volunteer organization with no steady funding stream, the Society is making slow but steady progress in preservation and cataloguing of the collections.  Researchers can examine the collections on site, at the Fort Bayard Visitors Center (located in the Santa Clara Armory Building along U.S. Highway 180, near Santa Clara) or at the Museum at the Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark, by scheduling an appointment.  Telephone 575-388-4862 or 575-388-4477, or contact the organization through email, at historyguy51b@gmail.com. Interested parties may also visit the organization’s website at historicfortbayard.org. Mail inquiries may be made by contacting the FBHPS, PO Box 14, Silver City, NM 88062.

Located at 208 E. 3^rd Street in Lordsburg, New Mexico, the Lordsburg-Hidalgo Library has both primary and secondary sources for the study of Southwestern New Mexico.  They have what is called a “History Closet,” which is a rather large and diverse collection of materials (including memoirs and photos), though largely uncategorized. Their website is: https://www.lordsburghidalgolibrary.com/

The collection of historical objects and documents that the Silver City Museum holds in trust for the citizens of the region contains more than 50,000 items. The scope of the museum’s collection spans the entire period of human habitation in southwest New Mexico, from thousands of years ago to yesterday. The photo collection is largely digitized and easily available for researchers. Those photos document the history of ranching, business, people, mining, and other subjects.  Researchers may reserve a time to study their physical collection of artifacts and documents.  The museum is located at 312 W. Broadway in Silver City New Mexico and their website is: https://www.silvercitymuseum.org/213/The-Collections

The Grant County Clerk’s Office oversees historical records dating back to the 1880s.  Most of these sources are county government documents, including: mortgages, deeds, marriage licenses, plat maps, mining exemptions (as well as location records and mining deeds), treasurer tax reports, sheriff records, and articles of incorporation for local businesses. They have a rather large collection of the following newspapers (dating back to the late 19^th century): Silver City Daily Press, The Enterprise, Silver City Daily Star, and The Independent.   They are located at 1400 Highway 180 East, and their webpage is: https://grantcountynm.gov/elected-officials/clerk/. While their older materials are not digitized, this webpage will take you to some of the records that are available online, thought the researcher will need to know specific information like “document numbers” and “books/page numbers,” etc.  Click here: http://recorder.grantcountynm.com/recorder/web/ 

The municipality of Silver City houses various city-government records dating back to 1878 when the city was incorporated under its’ “territorial charter.”  Perhaps, most significant of these documents are the town’s historic City Council minutes. To reserve a time to research their records, go to this webpage https://www.townofsilvercity.org/159/Public-Records, fill-out a Public Records Request indicating exactly what documents you’d like to see, and mail, fax, or email the form to the City Clerk whose contact is listed on that webpage. The city offices are located on 101 W. Broadway St. in Silver City and their number is (575) 538-6346.

The Rio Grande Historical Collections (RGHC) was established at New Mexico State University in 1972 and holds personal papers, organizational and business records, and other unpublished materials that document the cultural heritage of southern New Mexico and the U.S./Mexico borderlands. Materials include: manuscripts, family papers, maps, microfilm, oral histories, photographs, and scrapbooks. Researchers interested in the history southwest New Mexico will find the following collections of interest: Armer-Reid Papers, the Keller, Miller and Co. Records, and parts of the Amador Collection.  There are also Town of Silver City Ledgers housed in the collections too.  Archivists are available to assist in finding information related to Grant, Luna, Hidalgo, and Sierra counties.  The RGHC is located at New Mexico State University’s Branson Hall Library, 4th floor, 1305 Frenger Mall, Room 207. Their number is: (575) 646-3839. To contact them, click here: Contact Archives

The Dean Archive is owned and administered by the Columbus Historical Society. It houses primary sources regarding the history of Columbus, New Mexico, Palamos, Mexico, and the nearby borderland region. Sources include newspaper clippings, government documents (including Village of Columbus’ Board of Trust records), photos, maps, railroad and business records, and miscellaneous papers. Most noteworthy of the collection are records related to Pancho Villa raid on Columbus in 1916. While the collections are uncategorized and public access is limited, researchers may contact Kathleen Martin to schedule an appointment.  Her email is: martinkathleen150@gmail.com

The archive is located near the Columbus Historical Society Museum, located at the corner of Highway 9 and Highway 11

This archive is overseen by the Luna County Historical Society and is located in the old Customs House, near the Luna County Museum. Their collection documents the history of Deming, New Mexico and the surrounding region. They have historical letters, publications and photos.  It is located a 304 S. Silver Ave., in Deming, New Mexico and their phone number is: (575) 567-3392.