Were here at Pancho Villa State Park.

My name is Armando Martinez Junior.

I am park manager here at Pancho Villa State Park, located in Columbus, New Mexico.

I am second generation New Mexico State Park employee.

The raid of March 9th, 1916, which was when Francisco “Pancho” Villa raided Columbus.

Around 4:20 a.m.

about 450 to 500 of his Villistas came in from the southwestern part of the town.

Headed up this way and raided the town.

Of course, it was 4:20 a.m.

in the morning.

Everybody was caught off guard, everybody was sleeping.

Camp at Columbus was the military camp that was stationed here by President Woodrow Wilson at the time, there was about 350 to 500 troops.

at the time, here at Columbus.

This hill, is very significant because Cootes Hill was the lookout point that the U.S.

troops would use to look south and guard the camp.

It was here, prior to the raid, because the Mexican Revolution was happening at that time.

U.S.

troops that were stationed here, most of them had taken the train up to the nearest, U.S.

Army base, which was by the name and still in existence Fort Bliss.

And we could actually see the old rail bed.

The rails were lifted in 1963, I believe, but that was a means of transportation.

And now, that was overlaid with what we call now highway nine.

We're here in Columbus, New Mexico.

It's a small town, population 1800 residents.

Were three miles from the Mexico border town of Puerto Palomas, Chihuahua.

A lot of history here in town.

And we're proud of it, here at the park, on a day to day basis, we see people from all over the world, and interact with them and eager to learn the history, and that's one thing that we're here for.

That's our mission statement for New Mexico State Parks is to preserve and educate our visitors and protect our natural and cultural resources.

And that's why we're here.

Yeah upon coming into the exhibit hall, you'll be greeted by one of our hosts.

And also upon coming in, you will see this 1915 Dodge touring car, which was actually here at the time of the raid on March 9th, 1916.

It was owned by the Frost family.

They were here at the time of the raid.

The family, it is said that, they were fleeing the raid.

The Villistas has had attacked the town and their residence was being attacked.

So they got in the car.

Hopped in the car.

It was a husband and wife.

His name was Douglas, Douglas Frost, and Mary Frost.

And they had a baby.

The wife had the baby in her lap.

However, you may see the car peppered with bullet holes.

Unfortunately the husband did get hit, but he did survive.

He got, hit twice with bullet wounds, bullet holes, and, the wife at the time, Mary, she had to learn how to drive pretty much on the spot.

Women really weren't driving in that time period, but, she had to learn on the spot.

It was standard stick shift, and, the husband jumped to the back with a baby, and she had to take the wheel and learn how to drive.

Talk about a stressful, second there.

But it was a, survival I guess, survival mode kicked in.

Behind me, you see, the Jenny Curtiss biplane.

Was one of the replicas, of the Jenny biplane.

There was a total of eight that were shipped out to Columbus, to help in the punitive expedition.

The orders were given to General John “Blackjack” Pershing, to find Villa after he raided Columbus.

This was the first invasion on U.S.

soil, and this was the first place where U.S.

troops and forces got to use equipment, to help with U.S.

infantry per se.

They never did capture Villa.

The did run into some skirmishes with the Villistas.

But Villa was never found.

Villa was later assassinated in his hometown, there in Mexico.

We're standing here in the campground here at Pancho Villa State Park.

We're close to 60 Acres, campground itself.

Behind me, you'll see, construction equipment in operation, which we're happy to see.

What's going down right now is they're in the middle of a wastewater construction project, that's going to bring us back up to operation.

Since 2022, our comfort stations, shower houses have been closed, and we lost our dump station.

When we're back in operation, we get what we call our snowbirds coming down.

They come in camp with us.

They frequent, the border town of Mexico.

They pick up on the history, they come in and find a spot, and hook up.

They have, we have water, electricity available.

With this new wastewater project we'll have a new dump station.

We're open seven days a week in the exhibit hall except on holidays.

We're open from 9 to 3.

We do.

Closed for lunch from 12 to 1.

We hope to see you down here.

You come in as a stranger, and we hope you leave as a friend and take a little piece of history with you.