When a place has rich history and deep oral traditions like Taos does, you know there are legendary tales. Stories passed through the generations and lurking in dark corners are just waiting to be stumbled upon as the spookier season approaches!
Hummm…
The Taos Hum’s reputation may precede it, but things aren’t always what they appear to be. The low buzz ranging from 30 to 80 Hz has been reportedly heard by a small percentage of Taos residents dating back to at least the 1990s. Many cite the Millicent Rogers’ Museum as a good place to start your search for the hum. Millicent was the granddaughter of a founder of the Standard Oil Company and a collector of Southwestern and Native arts. She came to Taos in 1947 with a longing of her own — to heal after her heart was broken by Clark Gable. Her eponymous museum was founded by her son to showcase her jewelry and art collection. It’s located in the vast sagebrush fields north of the Town of Taos. The more isolated location from other bustling reverberations make it easier to hear the hum.
Head up to Blueberry Hill on a still winter’s day and see what you detect. If you strain to hear the vibration, there’s always one for your tongue available at Cid’s Food Market. There you can find the aptly-named popular hot sauce, Taos Hum.
Spirited Inn
Taos Inn is a locally-rooted hotel steeped in rich history and culture. It has sat against the majestic backdrop of New Mexico’s mountains since 1934.
Long before the adobe building was constructed this area was a meeting place and market plaza for generations of Taoseños. In fact, you can still see the original well at the center of the plaza, now a fountain, as the focal point of the hotel’s lounge. Offering warm, Southwestern hospitality and adobe-style architecture, the Inn has welcomed guests looking for an authentic experience for generations. The Inn is set in the town’s charming historic district, just steps away from Taos Plaza. It captures the spirit and mystique of the wild lands that surround it. But the more you delve into its folklore, the more curious you may become about what spirit it has exactly captured. And we aren’t talking Jim Beam!
Behind the bar, we chat up longtime bartender, Clint, who recounts one of the inn’s best kept secrets, “Bernie was the night auditor at the time, had been in the position for years at the Taos Inn. A very matter-of-fact woman, went about her business. One night she was there, nobody was in the hotel, so she was sleeping in one of the rooms upstairs. Then she heard a noise from the main atrium, so she got out of bed and looked down over the balcony and then WHOOSH. The fireplace just lit! In the middle of the summer! Then she just turned around and went right back to bed.”
Whisky Business
Wild West? You bet! The Sagebrush Inn & Suites has been a home away from home to travelers and locals for over 90 years. It opened in 1931 as a 13-room hotel, catering to guests traveling along the trade route between New York and Arizona. Today you’ll find a mix of modern comforts and conveniences surrounded by Southwestern charm, from original art to the aura of times gone by. You can share the same stunning vistas of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and desert landscape that its builders in the 1930s had as their backdrop while mixing adobe from the dirt on site. As you can imagine, many memories have been made inside its original walls. The stories of those memories carry them forward in time in one way or another, depending on who’s doing the telling, of course!
What Lies Beneath
Would you imagine there are a series of catacombs under the main building? Long John Dunn ran an illegal gambling operation at the Sagebrush in the 1950s and hid the evidence! The main gambling accouterments were kept in the basement until the FBI got wind of what was going on. Local writer and man-about-town Max Evans told, “The governor ran on the platform that he was going to stop illegal gambling in northern New Mexico in the 1950s. During the first raid they busted one, who informed the rest. So the second raid busted all Long John Dunn’s illegal gambling halls at once.” Evans was at the Sagebrush when this occurred and can vouch first hand! All the machines were confiscated and burned. Long John Dunn was not pleased and blamed him for not stopping the state and federal police that raided the Sagebrush around 1955.
Secrets and Spies
When the Manhattan Project began in Los Alamos, many local institutions needed to be relocated. The Sagebrush became the temporary home of the Los Alamos Boys School. On the more nefarious end of the spectrum, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg frequented The Jug, which was the name of the bar located in the Sagebrush Inn at the time. A few stories say the couple were arrested for spying on behalf of the Soviet Union while having drinks there! They were eventually convicted and paid for it with their lives.
No Time Like the Present
Stroll through the Sagebrush Inn’s traditional Southwest grounds and spacious courtyards. Enjoy a dip in the outdoor pool and hot tub. Or relax by their many kiva-style fireplaces, all designed and constructed on the property by Carmen Velarde after the original 13 rooms. She is considered one of the last traditional enjarradoras of Taos. The Sagebrush’s palatial footprint and on-site dining makes it ideal for group travel, even weddings. Or, just pop into today’s Cantina for live music and try not to misbehave or spy on your companions.
No matter what trail you sniff out, you will be left with a story to come home with, some more unexpected than others. Happy hunting this Halloween season!