Collecting the past: Richard Torres invited to NHCC

Richard Torres gently lifted an antique toy car from a glass display case, remembering when he was five years old and playing in the woods with his father.

“Let me tell you a story, you’ll never believe it,” Torres said “So I was playing with my little truck, and I lost this little truck. When we came home, I didn’t know where I left.”

He remembered being upset because his padrino had given him the truck, and growing up poor, it was his only toy. Forty years later, in the 1980s, he was helping his friend Albert Castillo with a broken chain saw and noticed a piñon tree that he thought looked good for firewood.

“So I went to walk in that direction and when I was walking, I noticed under a tree, this part of the car was sticking out from underneath the tree,” Torres said “ I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ And I dug it up; it was my toy truck.”

Born and raised on Milshoe Ranch, Torres is a familiar figure in the community, always ready to lend a hand. Whether it’s operating a backhoe for a neighbor, checking on their livestock, or repairing a stubborn chainsaw, he shows up ready to help. At nearly 70 years old, he is a short story away from an easy smile.

It was no surprise for locals when the New Mexico Hispanic Cultural Center took an interest in preserving his stories. His experiences, filled with vibrant details of the town’s history and culture, offer a unique glimpse into the community.

“I was particularly interested in talking to him, because I’m from Socorro and have ties to Magdalena as well,” Robin Willoughby, National Hispanic Cultural Center Archivist, said “I really wanted more representation for people in the southern half of the state.”

Willoughby invited Torres to give an oral history at the NHCC last month. They said the focus is often on areas near the NHCC and northern New Mexico.

Torres remembers a Magdalena long gone, when he would stack firewood and collect bottles from the local vinos for pennies so he could collect enough money to pay the ten cents for admission to the Aragon theatre to watch a Roy Rogers movies with his friends.

By the time he graduated from Magdalena High School, he was offered a position with the Forest Service, but he was drafted on a 15-month tour to Vietnam with all the boys in his class.

“When I came back, I started working for Morgan Salome, and he gave me a job, and he told me, ‘You can work inside the store out of the cold,” Torres said.

He modestly won’t admit to being a true cowboy, but he spent a lifetime outside on a horse, breaking horses, driving cattle, and using work horses in the forest service.

Torres initially began by framing and displaying photographs of his work from over the years. This passion eventually expanded to include the collection of historical photos, documents, and maps. More than a year ago, he decided that the historic building he has meticulously restored would be an ideal venue to showcase his collection. During Magdalena’s events, he opens the space to the public and shares his stories.

“It’s kind of like a little museum to show people what Magdalena used to be like,” Torres said, “I always talk about a little bit about the stuff, like the mines.”

Torres said that as he develops his little museum, he continues to discover more about the history of his hometown and enjoys sharing it with the community.