SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO: The Silver City Jacob Bennett Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and rodeo attendees joined in celebrating America's upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with the 2026 Wild, Wild West Rodeo in Silver City. In addition to the United States and New Mexico flags, the America 250 flag and the DAR Chapter flag flew proudly on mounted horses as they ran the rodeo arena in the opening ceremonies to honor the patriots who valiantly fought for our freedom and independence during the American Revolutionary War.
Rodeo attendees also celebrated America 250 by participating in the Silver City DAR chapter's "In the Spirit of 1776" project. This free community project unites a time capsule with the concept of a message in a bottle. The DAR Chapter has been collecting 1,776 patriotic notes and warm wishes from children, students and adults in our community. Attendees wrote a quote from a founding father or President, something they love about America and wish for someone in the future, a scripture or song verse, or simply a blessing or warm wish. This year at Silver City's 250th Independence Day celebration, these 1,776 notes will be enclosed in a time capsule containing only these notes. The "message in the bottle" part: 50 years later at Silver City's Tricentennial celebration on July 4, 2076, the time capsule will be opened and each note therein passed out randomly to individuals at that celebration – a patriotic and warm wish from someone in our communities celebrating America's 250th to someone here in the future celebrating the 300th anniversary of American independence.
Over 200 notes were written by Rodeo attendees, bringing the total collected so far to 1,677 – only 99 to go to get to 1,776!
How you can celebrate America 250 with "In The Spirit of 1776"
The Jacob Bennett Chapter will have a table outside at Ace Hardware, at 3025 Highway 15 on Saturday, June 20, 2026 to collect the remaining notes. Bring the kids and grandkids so you all can celebrate America 250 with this unique and educational community project!
Daughters of the American Revolution
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to preserve the memory and spirit of those who contributed to securing American independence. For more than 125 years, the DAR has strived to bring awareness to the honorable sacrifices and enduring legacy of all patriots who fought for America's freedom. Through the DAR Genealogical Research System , www.dar.org/GRS , the public can access a free database of information amassed by the DAR about these patriots. DAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical women's service organization with more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. DAR members passionately carry out the timeless mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.dar.org .
If you are interested in learning more about DAR and membership, call Lucy Whitmarsh at (575) 574-8394 or email
