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The Geronimo Springs Museum is dedicated to the history of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and the surrounding area. It’s full of interesting exhibits.
Visiting
The Geronimo Springs Museum is open daily. Adult admission is US$6 (as of April 2024). It averages around 3,000 visitors a month from across the US as well as other countries.
Exhibits
The Geronimo Springs Museum has a wide variety of exhibits covering all sorts of topics. First, there are authentic artifacts related to Apache and Hispanic heritage on display.
Other exhibits are dedicated to ranching and homesteading in the area, with items dating back to the 19th century. The ranching exhibit includes hats and brands used by local ranchers.
Archaeology exhibits include a mastodon skull and other prehistoric fossils as well as Native American pottery and tools.
Wilson Room
The Wilson Room contains photographs and memorabilia from the 20th century in Truth or Consequences and Sierra County. The most important item is a teller window from the First National Bank of Hot Springs, which was chartered on June 25, 1917, by A.H. Hilton. In 1918, the bank was sold to Robert Martin, and in 1927 to Frank Winston. The branch now operates as the Bank of the Southwest in Truth or Consequences. Just beyond the Wilson Room is a display about the railroad coming to Truth or Consequences.
Heritage Room
The Heritage Room is decorated with murals by local artist Delmas Howe (b. 1935). They portray Chiricahua Apache warrior Geronimo (1829-1909), Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate (1550-1626), American writer Eugene Manlove Rhodes (1869-1934), and Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa (1878-1923). Bronze sculptures of the same figures surround a fountain in the center of the room. They were made by New Mexico native Hivana Leyendecker.
The Heritage Room once served as the New Zealand Bar. A corner of the room is dedicated to the bar, with an original mural included. It pays homage to the Old West history of the town.
Ralph Edwards Room
Perhaps the most interesting room in the Geronimo Springs Museum is the Ralph Edwards Room. It tells the story of how the town got its name and displays colorful costumes, photographs, and memorabilia.
In March 1950, Ralph Edwards (1913-2005), the host of the popular NBC Radio show Truth or Consequences, announced that he would air his 10th anniversary show from the first town to name itself after the show. Many towns responded, but the town of Hot Springs, New Mexico, stood out from the rest.
The show’s producer, Ed Bailey, went to Hot Springs to discuss details with Mayor Glen Mims and State Senator Burton Roach. The city council unanimously decided to call a special election two weeks later. On March 31, 1950, citizens voted 1294 to 295 in favor of the name change, and Hot Springs officially became Truth or Consequences. The show was broadcast from there the next evening, and Edwards led a parade two miles long to celebrate the event. Around 10,000 people lined the route.
Edwards visited Truth or Consequences the first weekend of May every year for the next 50 years to host an annual event that became known as the Fiesta. It came to include a beauty pageant, parade, stage show, and other events. Memorabilia from Fiestas over the years are on display, as well as This Is Your Life events in town. The Fiesta is still held every May.
Outdoor Exhibits
Outside the museum are more exhibits, including farm equipment and an authentic windmill. There’s also the Hardcastle Cabin, which was built in the 1930s and stood in the nearby Black Range Mountains. It was disassembled and moved next to the museum in the 1990s. The cabin is decorated with authentic items that would have been used inside.
