top of page

History
 

The Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association (TRNA) was established in 1980 to promote the preservation, protection and improvement of the quality of life in Taylor Ranch. It has acted as liaison to city, county and state governments on a variety of issues that affect our community. A history of the TRNA is recorded here as a tool to move forward in pursuit of its goals. If you have additional insights about TRNA history, please contact the TRNA historian, TRNA webmaster, or TRNA board member.
To add an entry to our history, feel free to submit it on our contact form.
Taylor-made: West Side Community Was Once a Large Ranch and Modest Homestead

By Elaine D. Briseño / Journal Staff Writer
Sunday, January 3rd, 2021 at 12:02am

Originally published in the Albuquerque Journal - Albuquerque, NM

Some of the best views the city has to offer are on Albuquerque’s West Side. The high vantage point of the mesa provides a great snapshot of the mountains, the valley and the bustling city life. Not that many generations ago, the mesa was mostly void of civilization. Tumbleweeds, coyotes, snakes, rabbits, roadrunners and sand were the main inhabitants. Drivers traveling from Central Avenue along Coors to Alameda Boulevard at night were met with darkness, which was occasionally punctuated by a glowing window inside one of the few homes. Much of the land they were staring at out their car windows belonged to Joel and Nina Mae Taylor, who moved to Albuquerque in 1939 from their homestead in Chama seeking better educational opportunities for their children. It is for them that the expansive Taylor Ranch community and Taylor Ranch Road are named. According to the Albuquerque Historical Society, the couple purchased 800 acres of land west of the Rio Grande in 1939 to escape the cold winters of northern New Mexico. The land went from the Rio Grande up to the mesa. The couple has said that when they moved to the area, there were few trees along the river and only five homesteads west of the Rio Grande. There were also no roads, only wagon tracks. Despite their massive land-holding, they lived modestly in a two-room adobe house in what is now the La Luz subdivision. A street there is named Winterhaven, symbolizing the couple’s winter haven away from the frigid temperatures of Chama. According to Donald A. Gill’s book “Stories Behind the Street Names of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, & Taos,” Joel Taylor was one of 11 children and he came to New Mexico in 1921 to help his father homestead near Chama. His first visit to Albuquerque was in 1921 when the family transported livestock to another home they occupied on Arno Street. Taylor took note of the fact that there was six inches of snow when they left Chama by train but arrived to hot temperatures in Albuquerque. He returned to Albuquerque in 1922 to finish the eighth grade even though he was already 18. His family obligations had kept him away from his education. He met his wife Nina Mae during a visit to San Angelo, Texas, in 1925, and they married the next year. A year after purchasing their West Side property, the Taylors fenced it down to the Rio Grande and moved 150 head of cattle from Chama to Albuquerque to graze. They donated a portion of the land to the University Church of Christ, of which they were members, in 1970, so the church could build a foster home for neglected and abused children. It became the Albuquerque Christian Children’s Home and it’s still operating today. A few years later, they sold 300 acres of their land to the Bellamah Corp. for $1,750 an acre. The subsequent development became the Taylor Ranch subdivision. The sale also made more urgent the need to balance development and preservation of the area’s natural beauty. An August 1983 Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association newsletter addressed this conflict. It featured an article by then association president Fred Van Berkel titled “Country Living the City.” ” ‘Oh, what a view’ … With that picture in mind, many of the present Taylor Ranch people bought a piece of the West … But things started changing.” He went on to discuss the pros and cons of building a bridge across the river at Montaño. We all know how that story ended, but back then it was up for much debate. The intersection at Coors and Montaño actually paints a pretty decent picture of how the community has tried to balance development with preservation. The four-lane bridge is lined with trees. Not far from the intersection is an unpaved parking lot and trail that leads to the bosque. Just feet away are two shopping centers that have restaurants, a gym, grocery stores and a brewery. In addition to its many homes, today Taylor Ranch has its own library, a community center, a dog park, schools, and the very large and beautiful Mariposa Park that is used by recreational sports teams, exercisers and those just want to enjoy a day outside. Joel died at the age of 99 in February 2002. Nina Mae died two years later in June at the age of 93. The Taylor Ranch subdivision and the road of the same name pays homage to a charitable, hard working couple and an area that at one time was part of an actual working ranch.

Crews construct the Montaño bridge in 1996 as cars drive along Coors Boulevard. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal)

A picture of the page featuring the Taylors and Taylor Ranch in the book “Stories Behind the Street Names of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, & Taos” by Donald A. Gill. (Elaine D. Briseno/Journal)

The Taylor Ranch housing development which saw homes built closer to the escarpment than the plan called for in Nov. 1988. (Dean Hanson/Journal)

An aerial view of Taylor Ranch in 1977.

Silver Anniversary

By Fred Van Berkel


The Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association was incorporated on February 28, 1980. That is why we celebrated the Silver Anniversary in 2005. However, before this Neighborhood Association was formed, a small group of residents organized the College Heights-Taylor Ranch Homeowners Association in 1976 and incorporated the Homeowners Association in 1978. The boundaries were: Coors on the East, Montaño on the north, Calle Nuestra on the West and Dellyne on the South. This Homeowners Association became inactive when TRNA was formed.

What were the issues at that time? The Coors Corridor Study, where will a bridge be built, air and noise pollution, traffic congestion, and school overcrowding. This list was compiled long before LBJ, the Paseo del Norte Bridge or the Montaño Bridge were built and before Dellyne was paved. I remember going door to door back then, with a petition to beg the city to give us a street lamp on the corner of Montaño and Coors so we could find Montaño at night !!!

The Coors Corridor Plan

by Fred van Berkel

When TRNA was born in 1980, it didn't have much time to grow up. One of the hot issues of the early 80’s was the Coors Corridor Plan. Although the corridor is only about 10 miles long, it would greatly affect the future of our neighborhood. Thanks to a number of members of TRNA, we had our say in the plan. In this column I would like to distill the plan to its fundamental parts.


“The Coors corridor will be a limited access parkway.” The corridor is divided into four segments:

1.  Central – I-40
2.  I-40 – Western Trail
3.  Western Trail – Calabacillas Arroyo
4.  Calabacillas Arroyo – N.M. 528

Each segment was then analyzed in terms of:


1. T raffic: “At present, the boulevard experiences congestion during peak traffic periods. (1980!) It is estimated that traffic will increase 250% by 2005

2.  Environmental concerns: “Preserve and enhance the natural landscape features of the corridor such as the Bosque, the Oxbow Marsh and the arroyos. “ (By the way, the Oxbow Marsh is located along

     the Rio Grande immediately below the bluff which borders Pius High School/Catholic Center on the east.) “This 37 acre wetland area provides the only marshland/aquatic habitat in the urban area—it

     must be protected”

3.  Land issues and integrity of development: “Encourage residential, commercial and cluster development. Approximately 80% of the land fronting Coors Boulevard is presently undeveloped.”

4.  Visual impression: protect and enhance view within the Coors Corridor. “Significant views beyond the corridor, including the volcanoes, the escarpments, the arroyos, the Bosque, the Rio Grande Valley and the Sandia Mountains as viewed from Coors Boulevard should be preserved and enhanced.”

This was 25 years ago. Take an easy drive along Coors (if that is possible, and see for yourself the execution of this plan. The plan is being revised.

Early Presidents

- by Fred Van Berkel

We are still visiting the early years of TRNA. In this column I would like to introduce you to two past presidents, each with her own story. I had the pleasure meeting Mrs. Herbert at her home of 30 years in Taylor Ranch. After two minutes of conversation, I was convinced that this lady is a fighter. She organized the predecessor of TRNA, the Taylor Ranch/College Heights Homeowners Association. She was the president and there were two other members. She didn't like the idea of a shopping center at all four corners around the intersection of Montaño and Coors. She also fought the plan to build a concrete plant along Montaño east of the river and the building of bridge over the river at Montaño to allow truck traffic to bring the concrete over to Taylor Ranch, which was just starting construction. The bridge was to be built primarily for heavy commercial traffic. Allwoods wanted to build a store where the vacant Eckerd store is now. She and her husband were searching for “peace and tranquility…only minutes from Downtown” (Quote from the Albuquerque Journal describing the future site of Taylor Ranch development.) Way to go, Mrs. Herbert! Thanks for not letting us be bulldozed over by those who were not even aware that Taylor Ranch was part of the city. By the way, Mrs. Herbert is for the current Montaño Bridge, a neighborhood street providing a safe, pleasant river crossing. This brings me to the first president and board of our association, the Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association: Kay Zaike (President), Ken Allen, Lee Black, Mike Creusere, Norma Eager, Roger Harris, Tom Johnson, Toni Olmi, Pat Phillips, Mark Raybold, Vernon Rollerson, Larry Smith, Flori Summers, Fred van Berkel, and Lynn Smaltz. Can you help us locate any of these people? We’d like to invite them to help celebrate our 25th anniversary next year. Another early president was named Ellen Adan. She was a professional urban planner who designed the little park on Hayes, south of Montaño. I had the pleasure of being a board member under Ellen’s guidance. What follows are excerpts from a letter written by Ellen to the Chief of Police (Whitey Hansen). "Dear Mr. Hansen: We perceive that we have a problem in lack of police protection. At around 3 am, August 21, 1982, a gentleman residing on Valle Vista (name and address included in the original letter) was awakened by loud noises, shouted threats and foul language. He checked around his own house and called the police. He put on the porch light and waited. No patrol car. At 5 am another resident called the police. At 5:30 am a patrol car was spotted in the area. The first caller talked to the officers and was told that they could do nothing since he was outside the city limits. The reason for the delay of 2 hours in response: they could not find his house. What had happened was massive vandalism to the equestrian center walls, under construction by residents of Saddle Ridge subdivision. At 7:00 am a contractor who was helping the residents build the walls came onsite and again called the police from a Saddle Ridge resident’s home (no cell phones back then). A patrol car was sent out and a report taken. We would like to see this incident checked out on your voice tapes and records and would like to know what will be done to forestall it from happening again”. Way to go Ellen!

A Brief History of Marie M. Hughes Elementary School

by Fred Van Berkel

 

Marie M. Hughes Elementary School (5701 Mojave) was named after Dr. Marie M. Hughes, professor emeritus at UNM. She retired in 1974 from UNM. She had joined the UNM faculty after earlier distinguished careers at the universities of Utah and Arizona. Marie M. Hughes Elementary School opened in August 1979 with 12 portable classrooms plus an administration building. The projected enrollment was 243 students. By August 28, 1979, the enrollment was 389 students. That same year, in November, construction started on Phase One: 2 kindergarten classrooms, counselor's office, resource room, library, teacher workroom lounge, and cafeteria. The enrollment in August of 1980 was 467 students. In September 1980 construction started on Phase Two: 17 classrooms, music room, landscaping and playground. By August 1981 the school enrolled 505 students and the principal was Harold J. Mercer. The building was dedicated on Sunday, October 18, 1981. (Thanks to Rita Rincon and Karyl Farris who provided this information.)

In 2004 the enrollment is 750 and the principal is Jami Jacobson.

A related tidbit from the TRNA files: “Jim McCutchen, Bellamah Corp, informed TRNA that the bridge to Marie Hughes Elementary school is scheduled to be completed by March 1981.”

The Origins of Montaño Road in Taylor Ranch

by Fred Van Berkel

This story is told by Gene Shelton, who, with Art Brown and Jose Yguado, might be called one of the founding grandfathers of our neighborhood. The story of these three entrepreneurs is fascinating, timely and thoroughly American. Here is an abridged version of Gene’s story about how Taylor Ranch, Montaño Road and the MontañoBridge got started. I would like to thank Gene Shelton and his charming wife for the time and materials they gave me. I used their information to put this article together. “I moved to Albuquerque in 1954, renting a house in the NE Heights. At that time vegetation and trees were sparse. Menaul was a two-way paved street with a pall of dust extending from the valley to Hofffmantown caused by morning and evening traffic which drove and passed on the shoulders. There was one café on Menaul and two or three on Central East of downtown. ​One day, after visiting Corrales, I noticed a paved road that connected to Corrales road west of the bridge. In exploring this route south, I found a small airport nearby. I wondered who the shrewd politician might be who influenced the road department into paving a road without cars, houses or people. On this first trip I drove all the way from the Corrales Bridge south to Central without meeting a car. ​In 1960 I met the Taylors, who owned 1000 acres west of the Rio Grande and North of St. Joseph College. They would were willing to sell the land west of Coors (about 350 acres) and would keep the land east of Coors for pasture. We drove over and took a look. There were no improvements. On the south and west boundaries was a meandering dirt road with a couple of windmills and some nondescript shacks. Later the east-west part of the dirt street was named Dellyne. In September, 1961, I asked the Taylors for an option to buy for the rest of the year to see what I could do about marketing the 350 acres with a mile of frontage on Coors. I gave them $75.00 for the three months remaining of 1961, with a price at $1125.00 an acre. I spent $3.00 on an ad with Albuquerque Publishing, offering to sell land. The next day a man by the name of Art Brown called and wanted to meet me for coffee. Art was interested in developing the West side. He introduced me to his friend Jose Yguado, who was trained in master planning and zoning. Each gave me $25.00 for 1/3 interest in my option. We knew it would take a year or longer to accomplish all that we anticipated: zoning approval, master plan, city annexation, and all the infrastructure necessary for a viable project. ​By the end of the year we met with the Taylors, explained our plans, and offered to pay $500.00 to extend our option for six months. After that, we kept extending the option for a series of six-month extensions for $1000 each. Yguado started to work immediately on the Master Plan for a development called College Heights, including a regional shopping center, theaters, schools, churches, apartments and houses. Art and I were wondering about financing. We formed College Heights Land Company and another company Western Heights, which would be in charge of lot sales. We were able to sell stock to Lyle Talbot, to raise money for our incipient enterprise.​ At one time Art, Joe and I were looking at the plans laid out on a wide table. Joe said we should divide our land into two equal parcels with a road right down the middle, from Coors west to D.W. Falls’ Volcano Cliffs, a development to the west of our property. He said, “It looks like Montaño Road on the east side of the river lines up pretty well with that projected middle road.” Art agreed. “Let’s call it Montaño Road, and why not build a bridge straight across the river?” ​In 1963 while I was checking out the survey of Montaño Road, I noticed a grader scraping out the road, going east from Volcano Cliffs. I followed him as he was pushing dirt down to Coors. No doubt there have been a million trips down that hill since that historic occasion when I initiated the first one. We had been stirring up activity with media attention, the beating of drums, and much fanfare. In November, 1963, Art and I had sold 140 acres west of our planned College Heights development to Albuquerque Gravel Products Company for $175,000.00. On November 4, 1964, the College of St. Joseph hosted a meeting to promote West Side infrastructure, especially the construction of a bridge at Montaño. In a memo on November 7, 1964, before implementation of our annexation by the city, Art detailed imminent problems relating to the difficulty of selling land, our precarious financial condition (only $1150 in the bank and all of it committed toward development costs), the scheduling of a TV special, the polling of the new city commissionon the need for the Montaño Bridge and the touting of our property for sale. By January 10, 1965, the Syndicate of Brown, Shelton, Talbot and Yguado held title to 12.85 acres with all city utilities, continued to hold an option on 333 acres of prime land and owned capital of $30, 000 in Western Estate stock and $30,000 in College Heights stock. In 1966 we exercised the option and bought the land. On paper, it looked good, but in truth the company was virtually broke. Although the Coronado Freeway (I-40) bridge opened in 1965, it was still hard to develop College Heights. In 1967 we tried to give away a lot on a corner with Dellyne, all utilities included, to any builder who would start construction within 30 days. There were no takers. I told my partners that times are bad when you can't give land away. Paradise Hills had blocks of houses unsold, boarded up, with tumbleweeds up to the windows. So, eventually we lost. We had dreams and we had plans. All that we laid out on paper and on the ground was eventually accomplished by others. This is our legacy. We shed no tears. We would go forward with other dreams. Our promotional land development is but a microcosm of American enterprise. We caused things to happen.”

History Corner #6: Country Living in the City

by Fred Van Berkel

History Corner #7, Part Two: The Apartments - Part Two:  The Fight Continued
by John Hemler
 
History Corner #7, Part Three: The Apartments - Conclusion:  A Surprise Ending
by John Hemler
 
History Corner #9: TRNA's 25th Anniversary Celebration
History Corner #7: The Apartments - Part One

 

Our Options Narrow...

by John Hemler


History Corner #8: West Side's Story Isn't All So New
TRNA Neighborhood At A Crossroads Video
July 2024

PLEASE NOTE:  TRNA is a 501(c)(4) Non-Profit Corporation categorized as an “Other-Social Welfare Organization” in the rules of IRS.  As such, donations made to TRNA are NOT deductible on personal income tax returns as a charitable donation.  From Publication 557, IRS website “A community association devoted to preserving the community’s traditions, architecture, and appearance by representing it before the local legislature and administrative agencies in zoning, traffic, and parking matters”.

bottom of page