Article by Mary Alice Murphy and Photos by Lynn Janes

Chamber luncheon speaker Raul Turrieta and Chamber Board President Bruce Ashburn

At the Feb. 1, 2024 Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon, Board Chair Bruce Ashburn first talked about the recent visit that Prospectors, the lobbying group of Grant County residents, politicians and business people, make to Santa Fe for the legislative session each year. The members speak to state officials, including the governor and cabinet secretaries, as well as legislators, to promote the county's priorities. Grant County Day this year included about 120 Grant Countians, Ashburn said. The all-day event ends with an always well-attended reception for cabinet secretaries and legislators.

"We made our presence known," Ashburn said. "We had a large booth with video that we will continue to use all over the state."

Ashburn then introduced the featured speaker for the luncheon. Raul Turrieta joined the Grant County Assessor's Office in 1981 and has been there ever since. "He also serves on lots of committees, including for the Silver City Museum. He will talk about how the county got the Santa Fe Ring (of corruption) to approve a territorial charter for Silver City in 1878. The charter outlines the town council and the mayor, as well as the legal foundation of the town of Silver City."

Turrieta walked up to the podium jangling his Senior Olympics medals that he has received over the past few years for everything from huacha to softball and running. "I took a team with participants from Arizona and New Mexico to Phoenix and to Santa Fe when the National Senior Olympics were held there. We got beat, but we got the silver medal in Phoenix in softball and basketball. We were the 'Territorial Trotters.'"

He said he supports "my community more than anything. When Lucy Whitmarsh was with Silver City MainStreet Project, she suggested we have a Territorial Charter celebration. She researched for days the archives we had at the county and the courthouse. We did the celebration and the enactments were wonderful. I like to do radio and entertainment. I spoke to KOAT and on an Albuquerque panel about the commemoration. I explained the charter, and that same night, I played Tina Turner."

Turrieta talks about the history of Silver City's Territorial CharterHis explanation of the charter gave the history. In 1872, the New Mexico Legislature gerrymandered the state to reduce the number of representatives. The charter was presented in Santa Fe in 1876, but was denied to Silver City. The town and area started the process to secede from New Mexico and join Arizona, which was in favor of the proposal. A bill was introduced into the U.S. Congress to accept the secession. It died in committee. When the Santa Fe Ring heard of this they were afraid they would lose the wealthy mining area of Grant County, so they decided to let Silver City have its territorial charter, so it could create a school and raise taxes. The charter was signed on Feb. 15, 1878.

Turrieta said he is happy to be part of the Silver City Museum, which is promoting and participating in this year's Territorial Charter Day celebrations on from 1-3 p.m., Feb. 10, 2024 at the Silco Theater. After the songs by Alyssia Carrillo, came Act 1 of the skit written by Kris Isom and directed by Phyllis McQuaide. It featured Gramps played by Doug Dinwiddie and Grandson Joe, portrayed by Ronan Euler, where Gramps tells Joe how the charter came about. Mariachi Luna Llena de Las Cruces would also perform at the Silco on Feb. 10.

Act 2 would feature The Santa Fe Ring, with Mel Gelb as Rancher, Jim Charleston as Mr. Catron, Ted Presser as Elkins, Mayor Ken Ladner as Mayor Black, Turrieta as Juan Patron, George Carr as Santiago Baca and Ward Rudick as Gov. Axtell, who signed the original Silver City territorial charter.

The afternoon would conclude with music from Angelica Padilla and Frankie Bandin.

Before he talked about Burlesque Baseball, Turrieta said the Tamal Fiesta featured a chancla (slipper or flipflop) tournament this past year. In 2020, they came up with Burlesque Baseball, with all the equipment needed being a ball and bat.

Baseball started up in Fort Bayard in the 1880s and expanded throughout the Mining District and to Silver City. Then they started Burlesque Baseball with people in costume playing ball to music. He also talked about the history of baseball in the county. In 1912, the Copper League was formed.

The Burlesque Baseball game this year will take place on May 18 , at Western New Mexico University, "when it's warmer." Whenever a player scores, he or she will have to do a dance. "We'll have prizes for the best costume, the best nickname and the best cat call. It's all about having a good time."

"I want to thank the museum and recognize Director Bart Roselli," Turrieta said. "They do so much for the community."

He thanked others from "my community, my village that I couldn't do all this without."

The meeting turned into a performance, with people standing up and giving other history.

Ashburn said the wonderful thing about having "Raul involved in any event is that you just don't know where it's going to go, who he's going to blame, but it's always entertaining."

He talked a bit more about the Prospectors visit to Santa Fe. "We got to sit in front of the governor to tell her what we want, and not just listen to what Santa Fe wants to give us. It all depends on how much money gets south of Socorro for our organizations. I can't say how proud I am of our community, with that many people (120) to set aside politics and join together on the three or four projects we want to support and try to get money to fund them. We were really proud when our Lt. Gov. (Howie Morales from Grant County) called (Chamber Director) Romeo (Cruz) up and gave him the flag that flew over the capitol that day, as well as a plaque of recognition. It was quite wonderful. "

"I've been with the chamber for 12 years," Ashburn said. "It's great to see the respect that Romeo gets when he walks into a room. I'm sorry he's not here to hear this (Cruz was out sick). It's really impressive where we've come from and where are now.We have more funding as a chamber than we ever have before to put toward projects to benefit the community."

He asked the board members to stand and be recognized.

"Those guys have spent a lot of hours deciding where to put the funding," Ashburn concluded.

Turrieta, as deputy assessor, said New Mexico is a self-rendering state, when one is required to render their manufactured home, their cattle, their personal property from Jan. 1 through the end of February. Veterans are eligible for an exemption on their property tax, 100 percent if disabled. "If you come in for three years in a row to report your eligibility, it will become part of your record after that and you won't have to come in again. For seniors with income of $4000 or less, your value freezes. You have to come in every year. After three years, it remains frozen until sold or something. "

Karen Beckenbach, Grant County Community Concert Association president, announced the performance of Jâca, guitar and clarinet, on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.

Bernadette Smyth of the Grant County Foundation announced that meetings are starting to organize for and register for the May 4 Give Grandly where non-profits can raise funding for their programs.

A representative of the Silver City Art Association announced the First Friday gallery openings that took place Feb. 2.

Sheriff Raul Villanueva said his department has five openings but things are getting better. "I thank the Commission for hearing us out on our concerns and helping us with career fairs for staffing. I have an open door policy to hear feedback."

Ashburn asked for the community to give the chamber feedback.

The next luncheon will take place the first Thursday of the next month. March 7, 2024. "We'll see you back here," Ashburn concluded.