Melvyn Gelb will present "The Grant County Rebellion of 1876" at the Silver City Museum Annex on Thursday, March 5, 2015 from 12 noon to 1 pm. This presentation is part of the museum's ongoing series of free Brown Bag lunchtime presentations. The Museum Annex is located at 302 West Broadway in downtown Silver City.

By 1876, the people of Silver City/Grant County felt powerless and neglected by the political cliques that controlled New Mexico and Santa Fe. Their reaction was a declaration of independence, which would allow them to secede from New Mexico and become part of the state of Arizona. This talk will cover who was involved, why it happened, and what the outcome was. FYI: we are still part of New Mexico!

Melvyn Gelb has been a resident of Silver City for 16 years. He is a retired Public Health Nurse/New Mexico Department of Health, and diabetes educator. While his nursing degree was from Eastern New Mexico University and Masters in Public Health from NYU; he also has a B.A. in history from the University of New Mexico, and has always maintained that interest in history.

The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand, and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the region's unique history. For more information, please contact the museum at (575) 538-5921, info@silvercitymuseum.org, or go to the museum's website www.silvercitymuseum.org .