Tularosa, NM

Tularosa, NM is just 21 miles north of Alamogordo. It's population is 2864 with the median income of $27,500 and a median age of 39. Tularosa is a nice small town with Cottonwood shade trees and adobe style architecture. Tularosa was founded in 1860 by some settlers from the east but Apache raids made it a difficult life. In 1862 some mexican settlers moved from the Rio Grande area to Tularosa and made it home. They too had to deal with the Apache raids. This all changed after the Battle of Round Mountain. There are two different accounts about the Battle of Round Mountain. The Mescalero Apache Indian version is that it was a peace making mission that went sour. A medicine woman had a dream to go make peace but as the tribe entered the Tularosa basin they were fired upon by soldiers who then retreated to their fort (the soldiers) and the battle ended. The historic version is that on April 16,1868 five Calvalry troopers were out patroling a wagon road when they were attacked by Apaches. The troopers escaped to nearby Tularosa. On April 17, 1868 the five troopers and 26 Tularosans went back to that same place where they were originally attacked and were attacked again but this time retreated to nearby Round Mountain where they battled the Apache tribe for six hours. When the battle ended 10 Apaches had died. The Apaches fled the area and Tularosa was never attached again. The Tularosans celebrated the victory by building a Church, St Francis de Paulo church, in honor of the Battle of Round Mountain and Tularosa became a thriving town. It has had it's good years and bad years. Between the 1990s and 2005 Tularosa flourished when it became a bedroom community to Alamogordo.
Tim and I are going to Tularosa today to check out the town and to visit Adobe Bismark. It is located 6 miles west of Tularosa and it is the German Battleship, the Bismark, built in the earth with wooded guns. It was built for the British when they were using this area for their Air Force training. The Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation is also nearby. Check back tomorrow to see what we found.