Taos is a town in New Mexico with a community that's rich in history and culture. The town was incorporated as a municipality on May 7, 1934. But this magical community started long before that, dating back to August 29, 1540, with the arrival of Capitan Hernando Alvarado. He was part of the expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who entered the Taos Valley for the first time. The name, Taos, was first used in writing in 1598, and by 1760 the town was named "Don Fernando de Taos" by the Spanish settlers.
While the road's condition is a little smoother on New Mexico State Road 240, in the early morning with the mist rising it is easy to imagine a different kind of road.
A time when horses, wagons, and stagecoaches ruled the dirt-lined roads of Taos, New Mexico.
This photo, taken around 1898, records an accident that is said to possibly have started the Taos Art Colony. American artist Ernest Leonard Blumenschein is a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists.
The man pictured is Bert Geer Phillips, also an American artist and founding member of the Taos Society of Artists.
The Ernest L. Blumenschein House, art gallery, and museum was Blumenschein's home from 1874-1960.
The artist lived here with his family.
Built in the Spanish-Pueblo style, this single-story, adobe structure houses 11 rooms.
Here is one of the bedrooms in the Blumenschein House.
The Mabel Dodge Luhan House is named for its owner, Mabel Gansen Evans Dodge Sterne Luhan, who was a writer and art patroness, among many other important roles.
Mabel first rented a place in Taos, and after falling in love with Antonio Luhan, a Taos Pueblo Indian, he reportedly encouraged her to purchase 12 acres of beautiful land in May of 1918.
A low wall with a central opening separates the courtyard from the street.
It is said that Mabel admired her views of the Taos Mountain from her third-story solarium.
The Kit Carson House and Museum is a self-guided living history interpretive tour, featuring a gift and book store, new exhibits, and an award-winning History Channel video.
It was love, it seems, that sent Carson from the Wild West frontier (where he was a trapper and guide) to Taos, where he married Josefa Jarmillo in 1843.
Taos's Bent Masonic Lodge #42 aquired the house in 1952, and the Kit Carson Memorial Foundation operates the museum.
This single-story east-facing adobe structure was built in 1825.
The oldest portion of the house is the front three rooms, and one room over to the north.
The rooms are furnished in the Spanish Colonial and Territorial styles of the Carson period.
And before you leave, at least look up once at this magnificent blue sky.
Who knows, you too might be so taken by dreams of your wildest imaginings.
Heading out to Taos? Find out why it was named a Top 10 Best Mountain Town in the U.S. And if you would like to learn more about Taos' history, explore another National Historic Landmark: San Geronimo Chapel.
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