A Quick Visit to Heritage Park, 4/15/2018

Heritage Park, a small city park in Carlsbad, NM, is a historical location where the first homestead built in Eddy County can be seen. Annually, an event is held at the pavilion that honors the pioneer families of Carlsbad and surrounding areas. 

The Eddy House was constructed in the mid-1880s and was originally located about 2 miles from here on Canal Street. It was used as a home for the ditch rider who allocated water for irrigation; then, it was a line camp for VVN Ranch (owned by Charles B. Eddy and Amos Bissell). Robert W. Tansill (who led the settlement of the town of Eddy, later named Carlsbad) and his family spent the winter of 1888 in the house. 

What enticed us to stop here is the large concrete flume that carries water from the Pecos River to the aqueduct for irrigation. It has been a key link to the extensive irrigation system that led to agricultural development.

The flume was originally built of wood in 1890 but was washed away in 1902. The replacement was this massive concrete structure that was completed in 1903. At the time, it was the largest concrete structure in the world! A major flood in 1904 destroyed every dam and bridge in the area, but the concrete flume survived and continues to be in use. A trail leads to the top where you can see the aqueduct and canal. 

We followed the path beside the canal until we reached a bridge. Our doggie, Sadie, enjoyed investigating everything along the way and I liked the colorful flowers. 

The canal and path continued but we made our way back to the flume on the opposite side. 

We descended to the street level and walked along the Pecos River (that feeds the irrigation system). The “river that crosses itself” was once featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

The Carlsbad Spring flows into this small concrete basin that was built for swimsuit bathing in the mineralized water (considered therapeutic). In the 1890s, the spring flowed at hundreds of gallons per minute. Today it is just a trickle due to the many wells that have been dug in the community

The dream of Robert Tansill was to create a world class health spa at the spring to attract visitors from far and wide. In 1899, the town of Eddy even changed its name to Carlsbad after the famous health spa in Karlsbad, Austria. Needless to say, Tansill’s dream never came to fruition.

We continued to walk along the Pecos River on the paths here. Picnic tables and benches are provided in this area.

We always enjoy learning more about the local history of the places we visit. This was a fun place to do so.