A Brief History of Bosque Farms


Bosque Farms has a long history of people inhabiting the area, from early Native American tribes, to Spanish explorers and settlers, to the modern-day residents. The Village web site has a nice history at the following URL: http://bosquefarmsnm.gov/village_history.html

Bosque Farms was incorporated as a Village in 1974. The residents of the Village have always had a strong desire to maintain a rural lifestyle. The Village logo proclaims: 'Preserving Rural America'.

One of the main reasons the residents of Bosque Farms sought incorporation was to establish a police department. The residents were unhappy with the performance of the sheriff's department relative to the Village's needs. Bob Chamberlain became the first police chief, volunteering much of his time in the early days of incorporation.

The Village was established with a Mayor-Council form of government. Since incorporation there have only been five mayors that have governed the Village. Their names are:

Bob Fisher (1974 - 1980)

Sharon Eastman (1980 - 1984)

Carl Allen (1984 - 2000)

Roger Baldwin (2000 - 2004)

Wayne Ake (2004 - 2012) (2016 - 2020)

Bob Knowlton (2012 - 2016)

Russ Walkup (2016 - 2023)

In the early 1980's, a group of citizens organized an effort to dis-incorporate the Village. The reason for their actions was the State requirement that waste management services (i.e., garbage pickup) was to be mandated on every Village resident. The dis-incorporation effort failed, but it was an interesting period of political strife.

The Village has had a volunteer fire department since 1959. These men and women have given countless hours of their time over the decades to keep the Village safe. They have always maintained a very high rating, due to their dedication to superior service. For a history of the fire department, check out the Bosque Farms web site at the following URL: http://bosquefarmsnm.gov/fire_history.html

Bosque Farms has had an elementary school since 1936. The residents of Bosque Farms are very proud of this school and maintain a significant level of parental involvement. The school has been a fixture in the community, having also served as the site for the annual Bosque Farms Fair for a number of years. If you want some information on the school, visit their web site at the following URL: http://loslunas.nm.schoolwebpages.com/education/school/school.php?sectionid=2035&

The Bosque Farms Fair is one of the oldest, if not THE oldest, continually run town fairs in the state, and possibly the nation. The Fair started in 1939. The Bosque Farms Community Fair non-profit 501-3C corporation that manages the Fair was established in 1955. The 2019 Bosque Farms Fair was the 80th annual fair.

 


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