Los Alamos in Los Alamos County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

REMOVED

SEE LOCATION SECTION

William Mackwood Hopper

Los Alamos Homestead Tour

— Site 1 • Marker 2 —

William Mackwood Hopper Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2015

1. William Mackwood Hopper Marker

Inscription. William Mackwood Hopper
Homestead Entry: August 1908
Harold H. Brook
Purchase: 1914
Los Alamos Ranch School
Purchase: 1917
William Mackwood Hopper met Harold Brook when they both lived in Santa Fe. In August 1908, four days after Brook applied for homestead entry here, Hopper applied for an adjacent 130-acre homestead. Hopper seems to have grown tired of homestead life on the plateau. He and Brook received patent on the same day, March 6, 1914. Hopper immediately sold his holdings to Brook and left New Mexico. Brook, whose tuberculosis continued to plague him, often remarked that he missed Mack terribly because he helped with the work when Brook was too ill to handle it. Part of the chimney of Hopper's cabin still stands behind the Los Alamos Historical Museum, the only remaining remnant of Harold Brook's Los Alamos Ranch, his experimental high-altitude farming complex.

Erected by County of Los Alamos, Fuller Lodge/Historic Districts Advisory Board, and Los Alamos Historic Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.

Location. Marker has been permanently removed.

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It was located near 35° 52.957′ N, 106° 18.092′ W. Marker was in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in Los Alamos County. It could be reached from Juniper Street just west of 19th Street. Marker is located along the walkway just north of the Los Alamos Historical Museum. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 2132 Central Avenue, Los Alamos NM 87544, United States of America.

We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.

Regionally, this marker was in Northern New Mexico.

It was also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it was in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Five Eras of History (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Romero Cabin (a few steps from this marker); Fire Cache (a few steps from this marker); Memorial Rose Garden (within shouting distance of

Marker detail: William Mackwood Hopper image. Click for full size.

Los Alamos Historical Society Archives

2. Marker detail: William Mackwood Hopper

Mackwood Hopper, visiting Los Alamos in 1951, stands beside the chimney he built for his homestead cabin in 1908.

this marker); Ancestral Pueblo Site (within shouting distance of this marker); The Big House (within shouting distance of this marker); Los Alamos Ranch School Dormitory (within shouting distance of this marker); Bathtub Row (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Alamos.

Other markers no longer nearby. Harold H. Brook (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); Albert J. Connell (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); Homesteading on the Pajarito Plateau, 1887-1942 (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Martha Brook (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); The Romero Cabin (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Los Alamos Historical Walking Tour

Also see . . . Figures In New Mexico History: Mackwood Hopper. Hopper was born in 1871 on a farm in Yorkshire, England. He emigrated to the United States in 1893, entering through Ellis Island. In

Marker detail: property map image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: property map

his first years he worked as a lumberjack, a miner, and a construction worker, eventually making his way to Oregon. By early 1908 Hopper was in Illinois, but soon he was wandering westward again, headed for California. His route took him to Santa Fe, and there he met a man named Harold Brook who was filing for available homestead land on the Pajarito Plateau. Brook made the farming possibilities look good, and Hopper decided to stay. (Submitted on September 24, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2015

4. William Mackwood Hopper Marker

The 6 original markers have been removed and replaced with different markers along the trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2025

5. The 6 original markers have been removed and replaced with different markers along the trail

Credits. This page was last revised on April 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 354 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 24, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 5. submitted on April 7, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.