So how did the town and mountains get their name? Was it from some connection to the Patagonia of South America? According to Gilbert Quiroga, president of the Patagonia Museum, that’s one of two theories behind the origin of the name.

The sleepy school grounds of Old Main came alive once again when the Patagonia Museum held a grand opening at the historic hilltop building on Saturday, Jan. 23.

“We hope this facility will be our permanent home,” museum president German Quiroga told those in attendance. He thanked those who helped facilitate the Patagonia Museum’s mission to preserve and collect the history and culture of southern Santa Cruz County.

From picking up trash on the outskirts of town to working on the Lochiel Schoolhouse, the Patagonia Museum is rolling up its sleeves this week.

In addition, the museum is preparing to host a presentation on Fort Buchanan as well as planning its annual bus tour of historic Mexico.

Even if you didn’t get to experience the teens and roaring 20s in Patagonia, you can still relive it on line thanks to the efforts of The Patagonia Museum, the Patagonia Public Library and the Friends of the Patagonia Museum, who recently partnered to purchase and reformat 693 editions of the Santa Cruz Patagonian.

Students from Patagonia Elementary School learned about local history and helped clean up a historic schoolhouse site during a recent field trip to Lochiel.

The visit by Kate Musick’s first- and second-grade students to the Lochiel School was the culminating event of a partnership between Patagonia Elementary School, The Patagonia Museum, and The Patagonia Creative Arts Center, Musick said.

For years, the Lochiel Schoolhouse has been a target for vandals and a dumping ground for everything from old batteries to old automobile tires. But now it’s getting a thorough cleaning by volunteers who do not want to see the historic building fall apart.