Roswell’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Roswell. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The first settlers were a group of pioneers from Missouri, who attempted to start a settlement 15 miles (24 km) southwest of what is now Roswell in 1865, but were forced to abandon the site because of a lack of water. It was called Missouri Plaza. It also had many Hispanic people from Lincoln, New Mexico. John Chisum had his famous Jingle Bob Ranch about 5 miles (8 km) from the center of Roswell, at South Spring Acres. At the time, it was the largest ranch in the United States.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Roswell’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Roswell’s history is told.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewKaffir corn reaping - South Sprin…, 1904: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Roswell
See all 45 →
Roswell, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Kaffir corn reaping - South Spring Ranch, Roswell, N.M (1904) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (2) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.