On Wednesday, bells rang in Columbus, New Mexico as names were read to honor the lives that lost in the border village 100 years ago.
On March 9th, 1916 Mexican Revolutionary Pancho Villa and his men raided the border community. The raid ended with the town losing several buildings, along with residents dealing with the emotional aftermath of the attack.
95 year-old Margaret Irene Parks Hill is the daughter of Susan Parks, the telephone operator who contacted the nearby city of Deming to alert the authorities to send help during the raid. Parks Hill remembers her mother talking about the raid and the 18 U.S. citizens that lost their lives.
“I remember my mother telling me that were people killed, and that she had to deal emotionally with so much that she never expected in her life.”
Another event remembering the raid is planned for this Saturday. The Binational Trail Remembrance Ride, where members from both sides of the border join together to honor the casualties of the raid.
For more information, email the Columbus New Mexico Historical Society at info@CNMHS.org.
