Forever linked with World War II and America's entrance into the Atomic Age, Los Alamos was a small ranching community and the site of an exclusive boys' school until 1943. As the Manhattan Project unfolded, Pvt. J.J. Michnovicz--first assigned to Los Alamos as a photographer by the military but later working as a civilian--recorded the everyday spirit of the people and the events that shaped this mountain town into a home . . . and secret scientific hotbed. This comprehensive view of the social and professional world of Los Alamos is the photographic journal of a singular period, as seen through the eyes of one soldier.
Las Cruces
9780738520971
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The city of Las Cruces, situated under blue skies in the Chihuahuan desert, boasts a wealth of Native American and Wild West history. As New Mexico's second largest city, it is a modern metropolis that has held fast to its picturesque past. Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500s in search of the Seven Cities of Gold, and after the United States conquered the territory, the area became a transportation hub, blossoming from its adobe beginnings into a permanent, important city. The photographs contained in this volume tell the unique story of this town of contrasts, where historic plazas sit next to modern office buildings and subdivisions sprawl alongside old Indian trails. Many of the original buildings are now restaurants, galleries, and shops, but here readers see them as they once stood, making this book a fascinating reference for those familiar with the city or exploring it for the first time.
Southwestern New Mexico Mining Towns
9780738579276
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Spanish and American prospectors discovered gold, silver, and copper mines in southwestern New Mexico in the 1800s. This volume explores the further development of these mining operations into the early 1900s. During this time period, improvements in technology made mining profitable, and eastern corporations invested in New Mexico mines. World War I created a demand for copper, and this era saw the development of paternalistic company towns. Miners faced difficult and dangerous working conditions, but their lives improved compared to previous generations. Many of the towns and the people in southwestern New Mexico owed their livelihood, in whole or in part, to mining. Some of these places have disappeared entirely, some are ghost towns, and others are thriving communities.
Hidden History of Southeast New Mexico
9781467137812
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Outlaws, cattlemen and a plethora of quirky pioneers once riddled southeastern New Mexico. In November 1892, E.W. Doll and J.B. Coates ignited rumors of an eight-foot petrified man in McKittrick Cave. A massive fire and subsequent shootout led to the demise of Phenix, one of the Old West's most scandalous towns. And in August 1932, Bonnie and Clyde kidnapped Carlsbad's Deputy Sheriff Joe Johns. Authors Donna Blake Birchell and John LeMay explore these little-known tales and more that have beguiled this region for centuries.
Deming
9780738585376
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Deming, New Mexico, has been an essential stop for transcontinental travelers for centuries. First, wagon roads went through the area in service of the Butterfield Overland Mail Company. On the same route, Fort Cummings was established for the protection of these wagon trains. Later, Deming marked the site of the joining of the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, which created the second transcontinental railroad in March 1881. This attracted numerous entrepreneurs and settlers to Deming. The railroad was also significant in the establishment of two military installations, Camp Cody (World War I) and Deming Army Air Field (World War II). After the war, Highway 70-80 brought many tourists to Deming until Interstate 10 was built in the 1960s. Deming's location, along with the railroad and highway system, created an economic climate that has brought people to the area for centuries in search of their place in the American West.
Silver City
9780738599946
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Silver City is located at the southern boundary of the vast Gila Wilderness in a region of soaring mountains, lush river valleys, and bountiful mineral deposits. Ancient ruins give evidence of prehistoric occupation, followed by a historic parade of Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, miners, outlaws, and settlers, resulting in a community celebrating a rich cultural blend. When silver was discovered in 1870 at La Cienega de San Vicente, prospectors rushed in despite the danger from Apache Indians who traditionally occupied that land. Newcomers flooded into southwestern New Mexico Territory, and Silver City became the county seat the following year. Soon there were businesses, saloons, and homes. Silver City became the supply center for the widespread mining district with a brick plant and lumberyard. By 1883, a narrow-gauge railroad connected the town with the outside world.
Historic Ranches of Northeastern New Mexico
9781467115490
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In 1866, Charles Goodnight and his partner Oliver Loving began rounding up feral cattle in Texas, forming herds to be driven north into the immense unoccupied grazing land in northeastern New Mexico. The counties of Colfax, Mora, Harding, Union, and San Miguel became the location of some of the great historic ranches of the West. From the 11,000-acre Chase Ranch in Colfax County to the 650,000-acre Bell Ranch in San Miguel County, these ranches have been home to several generations of ranching families. Pioneer ranchers such as Manley M. Chase, Frank and Charles Springer, Samuel Watrous, and Albert K. Mitchell established a tradition of perseverance, self-sufficiency, and sustainable range management that continues to the present day.
Hobbs and Lea County
9780738558561
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When Lea County was created in 1917 from Eddy and Chaves Counties in the far southeastern corner of New Mexico, it was virtually a blank canvas for new settlers, with few roads, towns, or amenities. At that time, the area was little more than vast pasture lands for cattle, though a handful of hardy folk had already established homesteads in the region. But on June 13, 1928, that all changed when oil was discovered, and almost overnight, an influx of new settlers arrived, and development began in earnest. Oil wells were drilled on ranchers' property, and saloons, stores, and hotels sprang up, especially in the city of Hobbs. The oil boom drove the early economy of Hobbs and Lea County and of southeastern New Mexico, but through boom and bust, the community has endured, and today more than 50,000 residents call it home.
Alamogordo
9780738584515
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In 1898, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad established New Mexico's first preplanned development community at Alamogordo. This city and its satellite communities of Tularosa, La Luz, and Cloudcroft are the only urban settlements in an area almost as large as Connecticut--the vast deserts and mountains of the Tularosa Basin are where people "climb for water and dig for wood." Alamogordo became the county seat after Otero County was created to modify the trial venue for the murder of Albert Fountain and his son Henry. West Texas ranching families moved into the Tularosa Basin in the 1880s and depended on ranching, farming, and tourism until World War II led to the creation of the Alamogordo Army Air Field (Holloman Air Force Base) and White Sands Proving Ground, the birthplace of the U.S. space and missile program. The first atomic explosion, Trinity, took place in White Sand's northwest corner on July 16, 1945. Col. John Stapp, pioneer of aerospace medicine, rode rocket sleds at the Holloman Test Track, leading to modern automotive seat belts.
Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau
9780738584836
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The story of Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau begins with explosive eruptions. An ancient volcano in northern New Mexico created the mountainous region known as the Jemez, and with time, erosion sculpted narrow mesas and canyons. The first residents were Native Americans. One of their many pueblos was called Tsirege, or the "bird place," from which the name Pajarito originates, meaning "little bird" in Spanish. Homesteaders arrived in the 1880s, but the area was sparsely settled. In 1917, former Rough Rider Ashley Pond started the exclusive Los Alamos Ranch School in the isolated setting, but in 1942 the US government took an interest in that isolation. They abruptly closed the school, and Los Alamos became a secret military post. There, under J. Robert Oppenheimer's leadership, the atomic bomb was created. Postwar housing shortages, Cold War threats, and disastrous fires have challenged Los Alamos, yet it has endured as a place of unique history and natural beauty.
Forgotten Tales of New Mexico
9781609494858
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New Mexico, a place defined by a history of grand conflicts, conquistadores, Pueblo warriors, and nuclear scientists, will celebrate its state centennial in 2012. What better time for a collection of forgotten tales that recounts the adventures and exploits of priests, soldiers, witches, and politicians, who carved out a living in the harsh frontier. Ellen will introduce the reader to a cross-dressing Buffalo Soldier, a French trailblazer who opened a road from Santa Fe to Texas, an American spy who became a Mexican general, a Mexican raised by the Navajo who helped round up the Din for removal, and a governor whose head was removed and used as a football. Spanning from the 17th century to World War II, these stories are drawn from Native oral histories as well as the state's written records, and provide a sampling of New Mexico's colorful past.
Socorro
9781467132190
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The town of Socorro got its name from the "succor" travelers found at the northern end of a 90-mile-long desert trail known as the Jornada del Muerto, the "Journey of the Dead Man," in central New Mexico. The village of Socorro, located at the site of the ancient 1600s Piro Pueblo, was first settled sometime around 1816 as an agricultural community. The discovery of silver at Socorro Peak and the Magdalena Mountains and the arrival of the railroad in 1880 brought boom times to the town. The demonetization of silver in 1893 was the end of Socorro's boom, and the community gradually reverted to its agricultural heritage. Reminders of days gone by can still be seen in Socorro. The Garcia Opera House, the Crown Mill, the Illinois Brewery, and several historic houses have been successfully preserved.
Forgotten Albuquerque
9780738559674
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In 1706, Spanish colonists founded the Villa de Alburquerque on the wooded banks of the Rio Grande. Three hundred years later, that once quiet farming community has grown to become Albuquerque, the largest city in the state of New Mexico. Over the centuries, this fascinating city's identity has metamorphosed many times. In 1862, it briefly became the western capital of the Confederate States of America, before Confederate hopes for the territory were destroyed at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. In 1880, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad brought industry and wealth from the east, as well as tuberculosis-infected "lungers" who came by the thousands to seek a cure in "the Heart of Health Country." Then, in 1926, Route 66 transformed the city into a neon-decked oasis for automobile travelers journeying through the newly accessible West. Though many of these identities have faded, their legacy lives on in the beating heart of an ever-changing city.
Bandelier National Monument
9781467134620
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Bandelier National Monument is located about 60 miles west of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the edge of the Valles Caldera, the center of a massive extinct volcano that forms the Jemez Mountains. The 50-plus-square-mile preserve was designated a national monument in 1916 and is named for anthropologist Adolph Bandelier, the first Euro-American to describe the area and encourage its preservation. Within its boundaries are some of the most important archaeological resources and the most striking scenery in the American Southwest. With deep canyons cutting through volcanic ash, the dramatic geology of the area alone would warrant national attention. However, this is also a place that shows evidence of nearly continuous human occupation for more than 10,000 years and still retains direct links between prehistoric and living Native Americans.
Las Vegas
9781467130660
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Las Vegas, New Mexico, is 70 years older than the Nevada city of the same name. Eleven years after its founding in 1835, it was the first settlement in Mexico reached by invading US troops in the Mexican-American War. In later years, it was an intensely violent place, an equal to Dodge City and Tombstone. Gunmen such as Billy the Kid, Mysterious Dave Mather, Doc Holliday, and others walked the streets of Las Vegas. The town also built grand houses and mercantile buildings. It rivaled Albuquerque and Santa Fe for importance and boasted one of the state's two streetcar systems. Here, Teddy Roosevelt announced his availability to serve as president, and Tom Mix filmed his earliest movies.
Lincoln
9781467130561
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The town of Lincoln is nestled in the lush green valley of the Rio Bonito in Southeastern New Mexico. It lies on US Route 380 about 57 miles west of Roswell and south of the Lincoln National Forest. Lincoln has been a National Landmark since 1960, and historians often refer to it as the most authentic Old West town remaining in the United States. Spanish settlers arrived in the area during the 1840s. By the 1860s, Lincoln served as a supply center for local ranches, mines, and nearby Fort Stanton. Lincoln merchants vied for lucrative government contracts, and the famous Lincoln County War erupted. As a result, Lincoln holds a unique place in American history, connected with the names of Lew Wallace, Billy the Kid, Sheriff Pat Garrett, and John Chisum. Seventeen historic buildings and four museums highlight the town as well as an annual folk pageant, The Last Escape of Billy the Kid, held since 1949.
Cimarrón and Philmont
9780738595276
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Situated where the High Plains meet the Rocky Mountains and where the Santa Fe Trail crosses the Cimarron River, the village of Cimarrón has a richly varied history. Spectacular rock columns, thick seams of coal, dinosaur footprints, pit houses, and petroglyphs echo an early geologic and human presence. Spanish explorers encountered area Native American settlements in the 1700s, and by the 1820s, mountain men roamed these Rockies while eastern merchants followed Indian trails to Santa Fe. By the 1860s, Cimarrón was the headquarters of a vast Mexican land grant managed by Lucien Maxwell and Kit Carson. A gristmill supplied local soldiers and Indians, and the discovery of gold attracted thousands. The Colfax County War erupted after speculators purchased the grant in 1870. When the railroad arrived in 1906, a "New Town" was built on the north side of the river. Today, through tourism and the Philmont Scout Ranch, the Cimarrón area offers a unique window into the history and growth of the West.
Santa Fe
9781467133128
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Located in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Santa Fe was founded in 1608 by Spanish colonists and Franciscan missionaries who were searching for gold, arable land, and Indians to convert to Christianity. In the 400 years since, this mountain community has been the hub of Spanish colonialism in the New World, the terminus of the historic Santa Fe Trail, and since 1912, the state capital of New Mexico. It is America's third-oldest continuously inhabited, European-built community, surpassed in age only by St. Augustine, Florida, and Jamestown, Virginia. It is also the birthplace of Santa Fe style, a term used to describe the unique amalgamation of Indian, Spanish, and Anglo cultures that has strongly influenced the world of architecture and fashion since the 1960s and made the city one of America's most popular and recognizable tourist destinations.
Historic Movie Theatres of New Mexico
9781467137799
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New Mexico's theatrical ties span over one hundred years. The Fountain Theatre, once a Civil War hospital and headquarters, produced plays, opera and vaudeville performances until 1929, when the venue started airing talkies. Today, it holds the title of oldest operating theatre in New Mexico. Albuquerque drive-in attendees enjoyed personal screens for each car at the Circle Autoscope. And Rio Grande Theater operated for over seventy years before showing its final screening of U.S. Marshals in 1998. Author Jeff Berg details the Land of Enchantment's iconic movie houses.
Sierra County
9781467128568
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In 1884, Sierra County was formed in the Middle Rio Grande Corridor of the New Mexico Territory out of the existing counties of Grant, Doña Ana, and Socorro. Not everyone was pleased with the new county, and the courthouse was said to look like "a dance hall." From the fortunes and misfortunes of the miners in the historical towns of the Black Range to the comings and goings of the railroad towns, Sierra County is rich in history. The town of Hot Springs (later renamed Truth or Consequences) came into existence when entrepreneurs decided that the naturally occurring mineral springs could cure arthritis, neuritis, rheumatism, and alcoholism. The Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children, built to take advantage of the natural warm springs to help in the treatment of polio, is now the current New Mexico State Veterans' Home. Sierra County is also home to Elephant Butte Dam and Caballo Dam, both of which have history with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps.
Elephant Butte Dam
9781467133326
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On November 18, 1904, engineer B.M. Hall submitted his final report to the 12th National Irrigation Congress in El Paso, Texas. He concluded that the ideal location for a dam and reservoir would be a site in western New Mexico. A congressional act of February 25, 1905, authorized the construction of Elephant Butte Dam, the first civil engineering structure concerned with international allocation of water. Part of the Rio Grande Project, the dam and its reservoir would provide irrigation water for farmers along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. Today, Elephant Butte Dam is designated as a National Historical Engineer Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the oldest national professional engineering society in the United States. The area is home to Elephant Butte Lake State Park, where camping, fishing, and water sports are enjoyed by both residents and tourists.
The Nogal Mesa: A History of Kivas and Ranchers in Lincoln County
9781609491314
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This book was a finalist for the New Mexico Book Co-Op History Book of the Year. Most people think of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War when Lincoln County, New Mexico is mentioned. Yet, the county has a rich history besides that chapter of lawlessness and violence. In writing this book I wanted to tell the story of the miners and forest rangers and the Civilian Conservation Corps and early settlers. The Jornada Mogollon culture was here over a thousand years ago but had left before Christopher Columbus arrived in the new world. They have left pieces of their lifestyle in the form of pueblos and pottery. A railroad was built in the basin below the Mesa, but the water there was full of alkaline and chemicals. The Mesa had pristine mountain water and an engineering miracle was built in the form of a pipeline to get the water from the Mesa to the railroad. A western religious revival in the form of the Ranchman's Camp continues this summer for the 71st year.
Chaves County
9780738578507
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In 1889, Roswell patriarch Capt. Joseph C. Lea, Pat Garrett (the former sheriff who shot Billy the Kid), and land developer Charles B. Eddy ventured to the territorial council and house in Santa Fe to petition for the creation of two new counties from the massive Lincoln County in southeastern New Mexico. The request was granted and Chaves County officially came into being on February 25, 1889. Today, 120 years later, Chaves County still thrives with a population of more than 60,000 people and is the dairy capital of the Southwest, producing around 1.7 billion pounds of milk annually. Explored in this volume is Chaves County's earliest peoples and settlements, including Roswell, Dexter, Hagerman, Lake Arthur, and Elk. It also takes a look at long-forgotten towns such as Acme, Blackdom, Cumberland, Greenfield and even old ranching outfits and farms such as John Chisum's South Spring River headquarters, the Clifton Chisholm alfalfa farm, and many others.
Hatch Valley
9781467133142
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The headline said it all: "Chili Industry Gains Foothold in the Hatch Community." The Las Vegas Daily Optic of January 17, 1929, reported that the "Farmers of [the] Hatch community, who have developed the chile industry as one which threatens the laurels of King Cotton, are moving out shipments to market." The article reported that just three years prior, only a mere 300 pounds of chile had been marketed in the entire Rincon Valley, of which the Hatch Valley was a part. As of 1929, farmers estimated that 250,000 pounds of chile were being sent to market. The Hatch Valley was on its way to being known as the Chile Capital of the World. True to the nature of a pioneer, the hardy residents of the Hatch Valley have fought against the devastation of floods, the Great Depression, and a changing economy. Their tenacity has made the Hatch Valley what it is today.
Truth or Consequences
9780738579177
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"Hot Springs, New Mexico, Ain't That Any More" was one of the headlines on April 4, 1950, in the Gallup Independent. As a publicity stunt, Ralph Edwards had invited a town to change its name to "Truth or Consequences," the name of his popular radio quiz show, and Hot Springs agreed to do so. Since the late 1800s, the area has attracted health seekers to bathe in and drink from the area's hot mineral springs. The region is home to Elephant Butte Dam and lake, completed in 1916, which remains one of the largest irrigation dams in the United States. Carrie Tingley Crippled Children's Hospital, built in 1937 by New Mexico governor Clyde Tingley, utilized the natural hot mineral waters to treat children with polio. From the placement of the Hot Springs Bathhouse and Commercial District on the State and National Register of Historic Places to the centennial celebration of Elephant Butte Dam, Truth or Consequences continues to grow and develop while still honoring its heritage.
Ruidoso
9781467131858
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Ruidoso, New Mexico, has long offered a cool, verdant haven to the many visitors who come to escape the desert heat. Commercial development of the area was hampered by the sheer difficulty in getting there--"You just picked your way through the sand dunes, following someone else's tire tracks," an early visitor recalled. Eventually, the first private cabins in Ruidoso were built in 1915 and a few primitive lodging facilities were added in the 1920s and 1930s. The local economy slowed during the Great Depression, but visitors still came to the cool pines. World War II brought an influx of servicemen from nearby air bases, but it was during the period of postwar enthusiasm that the town really began to grow. Word spread about the little town in the tall pines, due in large part to the efforts of one of its newest residents--photographer Carmon Phillips.
Around Hillsboro
9780738579528
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Hillsboro, Kingston, and Lake Valley developed in 1877 with the discovery of gold and silver. The towns were interconnected, and the history of one cannot be discussed without the others. Hillsboro became the center of commerce and law, and from 1884 to 1939 it was the Sierra County seat. Mining created the towns, but cattle, sheep, and goat ranching provided a more stable economic base. The towns remain surrounded by large ranches, some still owned by the original families' descendants. When the mines played out, Lake Valley became a ghost town; Hillsboro and Kingston are now quiet villages with a mix of old families, writers, artists, and retirees. The area had its share of Indian wars, range conflicts, prostitutes, rustlers, floods, and politicos who rose to fame and fell in shame, but it also had hardworking businessmen, miners, and cowboys who lived peaceful daily lives. The authors of Around Hillsboro acknowledge the sensational and newsworthy events of the area's history while heralding the people who provided a productive but less visible part of it.
Early Santa Fe
9781467125901
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The history of Santa Fe is encapsulated in imagery. Remnants of unearthed Native American artifacts from eons ago shed light on its first inhabitants. By the 17th century, Spanish settlers were capturing everyday life with brushstrokes on canvas. In the 1850s, the epic of this ancient land was brought to life through the camera's lens. These early images, which tell the story of the convergence of humanity, are as varied as the people themselves. They arrived at different times on the four major arteries that connect in the heart of the city: the Camino Real (from Mexico City), the Santa Fe Trail (from Independence, Missouri), the Old Spanish Trail (from Los Angeles), and the Mother Road, Route 66, which began in Chicago.
Roswell
9780738558547
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Best known as the site of an alleged flying saucer crash in 1947 and the Roswell Incident, Roswell began as a humble trading post in the late 1860s along the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail and eventually grew into a metropolis of southeastern New Mexico. Once a cow town and home to famous Western figures such as John Chisum, Pat Garrett, and Capt. Joseph C. Lea, Roswell is also the birthplace of the New Mexico Military Institute, the testing grounds for Robert H. Goddard's rockets in the 1930s, and the site of the Roswell Army Airfield and a German POW camp in the 1940s. Today Roswell is a popular tourist destination and home to more than 50,000 residents.
Towns of Lincoln County
9780738579085
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Lincoln County is often associated with such legendary figures as outlaw Billy the Kid, Smokey the Bear, and renowned painter Peter Hurd. Named after Pres. Abraham Lincoln in 1869, the new county saw itself through many struggles, including the Lincoln County War, during which cattle barons and landowners bitterly fought over government beef contracts and farmland. At that time, Lincoln was the largest county in the United States and is now home to modern mountain towns such as Carrizozo, Capitan, Ruidoso, and the locally famous ghost town White Oaks, which had been a gold rush boomtown. Lincoln County also contains the beautiful Hondo Valley settlements and ranching communities such as Tinnie, Picacho, San Patricio, Hondo, and Glencoe. From the rolling hills of the Hondo Valley, to the bloody streets of Lincoln, all the way to the forested mountains of Capitan, this retrospective explores the area's rich history.
Corrales
9780738584539
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Nestled in the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, Corrales received its name from the corrals used by settlers on the 1710 Alameda land grant. Descendants of the grant holder, Juan Gonzales Bas, and others settled there and weathered frontier hardships and challenges: a small pox epidemic, floods, Native American raids, the loss of an old church and the building of a new one, and the never-ending demands of agricultural survival. Corrales became known for its vineyards and wines after French and Italian farmers put down roots at the end of the 19th century. After World War II, this isolated, bucolic village was discovered by Albuquerque's burgeoning population. Prominent among the newcomers were professionals and artists seeking inexpensive land in a beautiful setting. Corrales then became an artistic and free-thinking community. It remains a verdant, lively, and semirural suburban oasis sandwiched between Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city, and Rio Rancho, the state's fastest-growing city.
Tall Tales & Half Truths of Pat Garrett
9781467135450
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While many lionize Billy the Kid, the man who killed him, Sheriff Patrick Floyd Garrett, has a rarely told but riveting true story all his own. His adventurous life spawned many a far-fetched, exciting legend. In 1896, Garrett's investigation of the still-unsolved murder of Albert J. Fountain on the White Sands led to nothing but a gunfight and a dead deputy. Some say that Garrett faked the details the night the Kid was brought to ultimate justice, while others swear another wannabe hero did him in. In perfect irony, Garrett's own 1908 death is shrouded in mystery. Some report he died by the hand of Billy the Kid himself. Author John LeMay exposes fabricated tales for what they are and focuses on memories long forgotten about Billy the Kid's personal grave digger, Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Colfax County
9781467133562
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In 1841, Carlos Beaubien and Guadalupe Miranda received a grant of land from the governor of New Mexico in the northeastern part of the Mexican province. Frontier conditions prevented colonization of the grant until 1848, when Beaubien's son-in-law Lucien Maxwell led settlers from Taos to the Rayado River where it crossed the Santa Fe Trail. Maxwell's friend Kit Carson joined him the following year, and their ranch prospered in spite of frequent attacks by Jicarilla Apaches. Later, Maxwell moved north to the Cimarron River. Gold was discovered on the western part of the grant in 1866, and miners rushed to the diggings, establishing the town of Elizabethtown. It became the first seat of Colfax County in 1869. Maxwell sold the grant to foreign investors who organized the Maxwell Land Grant and Railway Company in 1870 and founded the town of Cimarron. The Santa Fe Railroad entered the county in 1879, which precipitated the creation of the towns of Raton and Springer and also fostered large-scale ranching, mining, and lumbering.
Towns of the Sandia Mountains
9780738548524
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Despite their seemingly impenetrable western facade, the Sandia Mountains of central New Mexico have been home to humankind for millennia. Ancient cultures ventured into these peaks for the creeks, game, and shelter. The Spanish established protective outposts along the canyons and intermarried with local tribes. Civil War soldiers passed through en route to their infamous battle at Glorieta Pass. Navajos marched around the mountains' southern end after the confinement that ended their Long Walk. Anglo settlers cleared the hilly land and built cabins. And tuberculosis patients moved up into primitive resorts, hoping that the mountains' abundant sunshine and fresh air would help them heal. Today the tiny resorts and traditional hamlets of the Sandias are established villages and communities-Carnuel, Tijeras, San Antonio, Cedar Crest, Sandia Park, San Antonito, Placitas, and others-and the rough dirt roads that once saw the passing of ox carts are highways and even an interstate. The area's history lives on, however, in crumbling adobe walls, bits of rust, fading memories, and in this photographic retrospective.
