Geronimo Springs Museum

Geronimo Springs Museum contains the history of Sierra County. From the mammoth and mastodon skulls and the world-class collection of prehistoric Mimbres pottery to the Apache, Hispanic, military, mining, ranching, and cultural exhibits, the Museum is a fascinating complex of historical artifacts. Each of several rooms represents a specific subject of history, with displays and artifacts interpreted so that the viewer can understand the items exhibited.

The fossil room highlights the mammoth and mastodon skulls that were found in Sierra County. Additional displays with them show the excavation processes for them. Other fossil and mineral displays are to be found in this room.

The Apache room centers around the life-size wax statue of Geronimo and facts about his life. Other Apaches featured include Victorio, Nana, Lozen and Asa Daklugie. Additional items on display include woven Apache baskets, a cradleboard, and a bronze sculpture of a Mountain Spirit Dancer.

Prominent feature in the Hispanic heritage room is the territorial gate, patterned after the wooden gates that were used in the entryway to the courtyard in early homes. Behind the gate are displays of various local Hispanic pioneer settlers, with the displays occasionally changed to feature different families. There are many artifacts from some of the early Hispanic families in Sierra County, in addition to a diorama of the Jornada del Muerto portion of the Camino Real that went through Sierra County.

Two ranch rooms are filled with many interesting and unusual artifacts from early ranch life. One room has the wood walls branded with local brands burned into them. There are also two large murals from photographs by Harvey Caplan. The other room has a chuck box that had been used on a local ranch for many years, complete with cast iron cookware.

An authentic miner’s log cabin from the Black Range Mountains is accessible through the Museum. It was dismantled log by log with each log being numbered, then completely reconstructed on site exactly as it was originally built. There are numerous displays of items from early mining history in Sierra County, including a pedal-powered grinding wheel for sharpening knives, and early gasoline and diesel jackhammers.

The pottery room is our pride and joy. We have one of the largest prehistoric southwestern pottery collections, with most of it on display. The pottery ranges from A.D. 200 to A.D. 1350, with most of it being the Mimbres and Tularosa black-on-white from southwestern New Mexico. The majority of it was found within the Sierra County area. There are also an impressive collection of arrowheads, displays of early tools and effigies, and stone and bone artifacts.

The Wilson room focuses on early Sierra County and Truth or Consequences history. There are numerous panels of photographs of the early development of Sierra County, the early communities, and important people. Among the artifacts on display are the first teller’s cage from the bank, early office machines, medical items, and souvenirs from the school. Among the school memorabilia are the senior pictures from every graduating class of Hot Springs High School from 1930 to 2002.

There are two military rooms. The older military room includes artifacts from the early forts of southwestern New Mexico, including Ft. Craig and Ft. Fillmore. There is a collection of uniforms from the different branches of the armed forces in U. S. history. The newer military room has display panels, each with the life of a different Sierra County resident, or former resident, who saw service in one of the armed conflicts during the 20th century, from the 1916 Pancho Villa expedition into Mexico to Desert Storm.

Geronimo Springs Museum
211 Main Street
Truth or Consequences, NM
www.geronimospringsmuseum.com