Benjamin Radford - Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment

Mysterious New Mexico

MYSTERIOUS
NEW MEXICO

MIRACLES, MAGIC, AND MONSTERS
IN THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT

BENJAMIN RADFORD

2014 by Benjamin Radford

All rights reserved. Published 2014

Printed in the United States of America

19 18 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4 5 6

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE PRINTED EDITION AS FOLLOWS:

Radford, Benjamin, 1970

Mysterious New Mexico : miracles, magic, and monsters in the land of enchantment / Benjamin Radford. First [edition].

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8263-5450-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8263-5452-5 (electronic)

1. Haunted placesNew Mexico. 2. OccultismNew Mexico.

3. ParapsychologyNew Mexico. I. Title.

BF1472.U6R325 2014

001.9409789dc23

Designed by Lila Sanchez
Set in Sabon 10/13; Display type is Asphaltum and Copperplate Gothic
Cover Illustration: Swarm, courtesy of Joshua Hoffine 2014

For Armando Cordoba ,
and my greatest champion, Martha Cushing

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In addition to those mentioned in the text, I am grateful for the support and assistance of many people, including Larry Barker, Robert Bartholomew, Dorion Cable, Matt Crowley, Rachel Duecaster, Ken and Ruth Frazier, Susan Gerbic, Sharon Hill, Lorie Hebler, Laura Aten Olshak, Amy Squish Stoker, Rob and Laurie Tarr, Dave Thomas, and Clark Whitehorn.

INTRODUCTION

New Mexico has a well-earned reputation for the mysterious and the bizarre. It is a land of contradictions and stark contrasts, a place where the exceptional and the commonplace, the rational and the mystical, seem to mix freely.

Beyond the black-ribboned highways and the bustling cities lies the surreal New Mexico, where ancient riddles lurk amid the sunbaked desert. Sometimes the strangeness is well knowneven world famoussuch as the 1947 Roswell crash. Other stories of ghosts, monsters, miracles, and magic are told regionally in hushed whispers.

It is no accident that the forty-seventh state is dubbed the Land of Enchantment. Mystics, artists, outlaws, dreamers, explorers, and scientists have been drawn to New Mexico for centuries. Spanish conquistadores, the first Europeans to meet Native Americans, searched for seven mythical cities of gold; many died in that pursuit. Later, outlaws such as Billy the Kid and Jesse James were lured here by New Mexicos reputation for lawlessness. Artists such as Georgia OKeeffe sought out this part of the Southwest for its unique landscapes, natural beauty, and unusual light. Tens of thousands of New Agers and mystics have flocked to New Mexico, seeking the deserts wisdom and earth energies. And, of course, countless UFO and alien buffs visit the most famous UFO crash site in the world at Roswell.

Yet while New Mexico is steeped in the strange and supernatural, science has played a big role in the states history. The worlds top scientists came to New Mexico in the mid-1940s, developing (and then exploding) the worlds first atomic bomb here. The New Mexican desert is also home to a huge array of radio astronomy dishes, studying the heavens and searching the skies for signs of intelligent alien life. A spaceportthe first of its kindis being built in southern New Mexico, which will one day be used to take travelers into space. In many ways, New Mexico is truly a portal to other worlds.

Mysterious New Mexico is the first book to blend these two parallel traditions, using science and scientific methods to explore the mysterious and the bizarre. As a boy growing up in New Mexico not far from the Rio Grande, I was always fascinated by the worlds mysteries, especially those in my home state: local ghost stories, monster sightings, and UFO crashes; stories of miracles and mysteries, strange and wondrous events that seem to defy explanation.

My interest is in exploring these mysteries and, when possible, solving them. Everyone loves a good mysterywho doesnt like to be intrigued and tantalized by the lure of the unknown? I certainly do.

But as Mark Twain said, Supposing is good, but finding out is better. A story or legend may be fun and interesting, but is it also true? With this book I try to find out, to separate truth from myth where possible. Most authors who write about the mysterious and unexplained are content to merely repeat and rehash stories; I have taken a different approach. I have tried to bring an unprecedented level of research and scholarshipaugmented with personal investigative experienceto these mysteries. I take them seriously and investigate them thoroughly because I believe that they deserve such attention. We cant plausibly deem these strange events unexplained until we have tried our best to explain them.

Ive investigated mysterious phenomena in sixteen countries on four continents, traveling the world in search of answers. With Mysterious New Mexico , I return to my home state to tackle some of its weird phenomena, including haunted hotels, healing waters, witchcraft, alien visitsand, of course, many legends of miracles and mayhem.

In nearly all the cases, I have done original research and firsthand field investigation. Other writers may give their readers an overview or analysis, but few can tell readers what its like to actually investigate these mysteries, to be there personally, because they research their books by going to the library (or, these days, by surfing the Internet).

I do that tootheres nothing wrong with scholarly and academic researchbut to me thats just the first step in investigating these mysteries, not the last step. Doing real investigation is not easy; it is time consuming, difficult, laborious, and often tedious. Its much easier to read some articles and books, visit a few websites, and write it up than it is to dig a little deeper for real answers. I have never been content to repeat other peoples stories, to credulously accept other peoples word for what happened. I want to investigate; I want to interview eyewitnesses, go to the locations, see for myself what happened, and try to piece the mystery together.

Unlike most other books on mysteries in the Southwest and New Mexico, I have actually solved many of the mysteries, and this book is the first to publish the explanations. I give background information on the topics, drawing on folklore, sociology, history, and even forensic science investigation, while guiding the reader through truths and myths about each topic. So join me as I reexamine some old mysteriesand unearth some new onesin the Land of Enchantment.

CHAPTER 1

PHANTOM PERFORMANCES AT THE HAUNTED KIMO THEATER

Haunted theaters are nothing new; ghosts have long been said to tread the boards right along with accomplished actors and struggling playwrights. Many of these stories are mere thespian superstition, of course. But one haunted theater in New Mexicos largest city is not only reputedly home to a ghost but the location of one of the greatest poltergeist cases in history.

The KiMo Theater in Albuquerque is a remarkable building. It was built in 1926 (the same year Harry Houdini died) and opened its doors on September 19, 1927. Located downtown at 421 Central Avenue, it has a unique architecture that combines art deco with Native American motifs, creating one of the citys best-known landmarks. The KiMos early years were successful as the venue hosted the big stars of the era, including Tom Mix, Ginger Rogers, and Vivian Vance (of I Love Lucy fame).

The KiMo is the best-known haunted theater in New Mexico, if not the entire American Southwest. The KiMos ghost has been the subject of dozens of newspaper and magazine articles, book chapters, and even a few investigations by local ghost hunter groups. Its a rare Halloween in Albuquerque that one or more news outlets dont carry some mention of the KiMo haunting. The KiMo ghost has also been featured on national television.