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HistoryInteresting Things People Don’t Know About RoswellBy Dennis G BalthaserDuring the past two years. I've been given an education about many things in Roswell that I assume others may also not know about. I had the opportunity to share my knowledge about the 1947Roswell Incident and about historic Roswell, including some things which are relatively unknown.Many visitors are surprised to find Roswell bigger than they expected, giving me the opportunity to explain the size of some of the ranches in the area, which are measured in sectionsrather than acresHardly anyone knows about the German Iron Cross located at the Spring River, dated 1943. They have no idea that 4.800 German prisoners were incarcerated south of town at Orchard Park during the same time. They are not aware that we have a piece of the Berlin Wall on display at the same location. It was given to the City of Roswell by the Deutsche Luftwaffe (German Air Force) as a sign of gratitude for Roswell's hospitality years ago, when they trained in Roswell.The Historical Society of Southeast New Mexico has a piece of steel I-beam from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the New York City World Trade Center on display in the archivesbuilding.Driving down Lea Avenue, the historical homes are always of interest to tourists as there are no two homes alike. The architecture is unique compared to the newer homes in town which are all similar to each other.We're fortunate to have two statues in town created by Robert Temple Summers III. One depicts JohnPhoto courtesy of the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico Archives. Ca. 1943. A 50-man detail of German prisoners of war from the “Afrik-acorps worked on a flood-control project in Roswell by laying rocks on the Spring River banks. On the north bank between Pennsylvania and Kentucky Avenues the POWs used different size rocks to make an iron cross on the bank.Some Roswell citizens were incensed by this and poured five yards of concrete over the POWs handiwork. The concrete washed away over the years, and the iron cross is now clearly visible. The iron cross was placed on the National Register of Historic Places Jan. 17, 2002.Chisum, and is situated m the Pioneer Plaza across the Chaves County courthouse. The other, a statue of Pat Garrett, is located behind the courthouse. Both statues contain several Bible verses that the sculptor hid on his works.Visitors are usually surprised that we have so many museums in addition to the International UFO Museum, such as the Roswell Museum and Art Center, the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico and the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art.Many of the buildings related to the 1947 Roswell Incident have been replaced by newer buildings, or are simply vacantlots today. The HSSNM has a large collection of photos of buildings as they looked back in1947,Unfortunately, there are a few individuals m Roswell who have little or no respect for some of the historical markers mentioned above, as I occasionally discover graffiti, vandalism or destruction of those landmarks. Upon discovering damage to these legacies. I contact the Roswell licensing department, and they immediately take action to correct the situation.Dennis G. Balthaser is a state certified and city licensed Roswell UFO tour guide. He has also been published in articles and featured in radio andTV. Balthaser moved to Roswell in 1996 to pursue his interest in ufology. after retiring from the Texas Highway Department in El Paso, Texas, with 33 years in civil engineering. Prior to that he served three years in the U.S Army, Engineering Battalion.For more information, visit truthseeker-atroswell.com or visit r oswellnmhist ory. org.IVDennis G Balthaser Photo The Iron Cross that German prisoners of war built at Spring River
Newspaper Details
Roswell Daily Record
Roswell, New Mexico, US
Thu, Nov 17, 2016
Page 31
Full Page
Clipped by
Dale E.
USA 14 Mar 2019
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