I'm a big fan of small town museums. I think it's great that they tell of such a colored past in a very small town; Everything
about it is so personal and inviting. I get an inviting feeling of being offered to sit down for a cup of coffee or maybe some dinner at the table.
As we pulled out from the
Capulin Volcano National Monument I instantly knew I wanted to go right, instead of left, to see the small
town of Folsom and
its museum.
Folsom was once a bustling down, like most towns along the
Santa Fe Trail, that seemed destined to
continue to grow once the railroad came along. It's hard to argue with why it would grow too, being that it's placed in such a beautiful area of New Mexico. Even today many signs point to it as it sits at a major crossroads in the northeast part of the state.
The museum now takes the place of what was once the town mercantile. It offers an excellent history of the area all the way back to the
Folsom Man. The bulk of the museum deals with the pioneer days though as America expanded west. Items on display include old town photos, sheep branding tools and 19th century clothing, among many other things like mounted deer heads.
In many ways though, the museum is simply a large room full of junk that could be compared to many rural garage sales. It didn't appear to contain any items of great historical significance nor did it offer a sensical description of the displays or the order they were in. It was quite cluttered and unkempt in most every corner of the large main room.
But, this is also what makes it a charming respite after a tiring visit to the Capulin Volcano. It's hard to resist the urge to stop in for a quick look through the museum and take a gander at some of the items on display. And, if that's not reason enough, they also offer sodas and candy bars for sale.
