Name: Eddy County
Brand: Donna Blake Birchell
SKU: 9780738579412
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Eddy County

9780738579412

$24.99

Eddy County's 4,198 square miles were carved from the massive land holdings of Lincoln County, then the largest county in the United States, on February 25, 1889. Early Spanish explorers and Native Americans had used the seemingly endless water supply of the Pecos River, which bisects the county, as a trail to the north. Seven Rivers, the first settlement in the Pecos Valley, battled the newly formed town of Eddy for the honor of remaining county seat. Eddy won by a vote of 331 for and 83 against. Although born in lawlessness and diversity, the county flourished as the discoveries of oil, gas, and potash brought industry to support the established fertile agricultural and cattle foundations. This volume explores the early founding families and pioneers and brings to light many of the long-forgotten towns of Dayton, Lookout, Oriental, and Globe that helped form the Eddy County of today.

Aztec

9780738584959

$24.99

Aztec, New Mexico, is nestled in the Four Corners area of the United States and has a rich history beginning with the early Puebloan people. They built villages, irrigation canals, and roads--some of which became the Aztec Ruins National Monument. The town also has several buildings on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. The state's first commercial natural gas well was drilled here in 1921, and its influence continues today. An alleged UFO crash in 1948 led to an annual UFO symposium, and mountain bikers still flock to the annual Alien Run Mountain Bike competition. In 1963, Aztec was named an All-America City for the community's effort to build an 18-mile-long road to the Navajo Dam. The mountains are a short drive away, and the desert and Navajo Lake State Park make Aztec an ideal place to live and explore.

River of Spirits

9781625858603

$24.99

Originating high in New Mexico's mysterious Black Range and flowing to the Rio Grande amid contorted, ghost-like sycamores, Las Animas Creek remains one of the least accessible landscapes in the nation. The watershed is best known as the site of Apache chief Victorio's last major battle with the U.S. Cavalry before his retreat and ultimate defeat by the Mexican army. Despite its geographic isolation, the watershed remains closely linked with the history of nearby Kingston, Hillsboro and Caballo. Once home to New Mexico's last grizzly, Las Animas sustains a diverse range of native plants and wild animals, including bison, prairie dogs and mountain lions, as well as a host of endangered species. Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Ted Turner's Ladder Ranch ensure it remains Rio de las Animas, the "River of Spirits." Wildlife research biologist Harley G. Shaw compiles a human and natural history of this remote ecosystem.

Taos

9780738579597

$24.99

Located in the "Land of Enchantment," Taos has a long history that predates the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth Rock. Anasazi Indians first inhabited the Taos Valley in 1000 A.D., and the Taos Pueblo (both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark) has been continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years. Spanish conquistadors explored Taos in 1540, and by 1615 many Spanish families had settled in the region. Taos later became a crossroads for French and American trappers, and by the early 1800s it was a bustling headquarters for mountain men, including the legendary Kit Carson. When artists Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein passed through in 1898, a broken wagon wheel delayed them and ultimately resulted in another wave of newcomers, who established an art colony. In 1917, New York socialite Mabel Dodge became enthralled with Taos, and during the next four decades she invited many highly regarded creative people to visit, including Ansel Adams, Carl Jung, Georgia O'Keefe, Willa Cather, D. H. Lawrence, and Aldous Huxley. Taos continues to attract adventurous, spirited individuals.

Grants-Milan

9780738599649

$24.99

Grants-Milan, New Mexico, is located on historic Route 66 between Albuquerque and Gallup. The Atlantic & Pacific Railroad hired three Grant brothers to establish Grant's Camp in 1882, including a post office and telegraph office. The railroad changed the way of travel, and the marketing of cattle, farm products, and timber created a number of booms for this little town. "Grant" was officially changed to "Grants" in 1935, and the village of Milan was established in 1957 by Salvador Milan. In 1946, he converted a sheep ranch to a truck farm, which resulted in Grants-Milan being designated the "Carrot Capital of the World." A uranium boom started in 1950 when the carrot boom busted. The uranium companies needed water and housing, while the auxiliary uranium businesses needed a place to operate, resulting in the village of Milan being incorporated since Grants refused to annex the original unincorporated Milan townsite.

Española

9780738579672

$24.99

The story of modern Española begins in 1790, about 100 years after the Pueblo Revolt, at the colonial settlement of Santa Cruz de la Cañada, the largest village in the Spanish Empire north of Chihuahua. At that time, the people of the region lived in tiny hamlets clustered around the hub of Santa Cruz. In 1848, following the Mexican American War, the U.S. government annexed New Mexico under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Santa Cruz de la Cañada was now American territory, connected to a larger world by the Santa Fe Trail. New energy began to flow into the region. The arrival of the Chili Line railroad in 1880 created a corridor of commerce across the river from Santa Cruz--a portent of the Española to come.

Jemez Springs

9780738570556

$24.99

In 1849, James Hervy Simpson, a lieutenant and engineer in the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, was ordered to survey a wagon road as a southern alternative to the Santa Fe Trail from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Simpson hired two brothers, Edward "Ned" and Richard Kern, to provide survey sketches that included the pueblo ruins of Giusewa and natural hot springs of Ojo Caliente, which are known today as Jemez Springs. Prior to incorporation in 1955, Jemez Springs, like many frontier towns, was supported by ranching, logging, and mining. It also had an influx of tourists who enjoyed the hot springs or one of the many dude ranches in the area. In 1995, Jemez Springs won an award as an All-America City from the National Civic League, and with a mere 375 residents at the time, it was one of the smallest communities to earn the honor.

Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs

9780738570693

$24.99

The Sacramento Mountains are an oasis of cool pine forests, alpine meadows, and fast-flowing streams. For more than a century, the area has been a summer haven for people living in the surrounding desert. The town of Ruidoso-a Spanish word meaning "noisy"-is named for the sound of water rushing over rocks as the Rio Ruidoso runs (and occasionally rampages) through the town. The town's first resident, Civil War veteran Paul Dowlin, built an adobe mill that harnessed the river's power. Word of the area's beauty soon spread. Traveling over primitive roads, first by horse and wagon and later by automobile, visitors escaped the summer heat in what became known as "The Playground of the Southwest." Some came for horse racing or the gambling and night life offered by the town's many bars; others came to hike, fish, and later ski on the slopes of Sierra Blanca, the mountain whose 12,000-foot peak provides a stunning backdrop for the town.

Hispanics of Roosevelt County, New Mexico:

9781626199156

$21.99

In 1942, several Hispanic families left drought-devastated Encino and headed for the small, peanut-farming town of Portales in Roosevelt County, New Mexico. Among them was the Trujillo family, including five-year-old Agapito, who later became the county's first Hispanic law enforcement officer. The new arrivals did not feel welcome in Portales, which was almost entirely Anglo and a rumored "sundown" town. However, determined to put down roots and take advantage of economic opportunities, they eventually thrived. Agapito Trujillo tells the story of his family's migration to Roosevelt County alongside the struggles and triumphs of the Hispanic community with candor, grace and an obvious love for his heritage and neighbors.

Hispanics of Roosevelt County, New Mexico:

Artesia

9780738576282

$24.99

Before New Mexico became a state in 1912, hardy pioneers had already established the village of Miller, known today as Artesia, on the dusty southeastern plains of the territory. Abundant artesian wells and, later, oil wells drew settlers from far and wide to make a living and a home in Artesia. As with any town, Artesia has evolved and changed throughout the years; businesses have come and gone, while the love for Bulldog sports still attracts the young and old. Today, Artesia continues to grow as the community takes pride in preserving and displaying the history of the town. Artesia captures this story in photographs, tracing the growth of Miller to Stegman to Artesia.

Belen

9781467130530

$24.99

In 1740, a group of Hispanic families, seeking new cultivatable land, received a grant of more than 200,000 acres from the governor of Spanish New Mexico. In 1793, a church was built in the Belen Old Town Plaza under the direction of Franciscan priests. An agricultural community was formed around several plazas, and residents prospered through barter and subsistence farming. In the 1850s and 1860s, German immigrants joined Hispanic merchants to form a vibrant business community. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad arrived in Belen in the 1880s, and the nearby "Belen Cutoff" in 1908 linked both north-south and east-west rail lines to give Belen the nickname of the "Hub City." Today, more than 100 trains travel through the Belen rail yard daily.

Los Lunas

9780738595344

$24.99

Don Felix Candelaria received the San Clemente Land Grant from the Spanish Royal Government in 1716. The land was later claimed by Don Antonio José Luna, whose ancestors arrived in the early 18th century. Don Antonio's son Solomon Luna was instrumental in New Mexico's quest for statehood and was singularly influential in the creation of the New Mexico State Constitution. Ranching and farming were major commercial activities in Los Lunas, and Solomon Luna and his nephew Eduardo Otero were two of the largest sheep ranchers in the United States. Maximiliano Luna served in the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. German-born merchants, the Huning and Neustadt families brought Anglo goods and culture to Los Lunas in the 1860s. From a population of 1,500 in 1986, Los Lunas has grown to more than 15,000 people today, making it the second fastest-growing community in New Mexico.

Albuquerque's Huning Castle Neighborhoods

9780738596778

$24.99

As a 21-year-old German immigrant, Franz Huning could not have envisioned his future in New Mexico when, in 1849, he signed on as a "bull whacker" for a wagon train heading down the Santa Fe Trail. From his beginnings as a clerk in Albuquerque's Old Town, Huning's entrepreneurial talents flourished over the next half-century. He took on the roles of merchant, flour mill operator, and land speculator, helping to secure Albuquerque as a division point with a depot, offices, and major repair shops for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. Huning's 700-acre estate, home to the once-legendary but now-demolished Castle Huning, fronted Albuquerque's main thoroughfare midway between Old Town and the bustling new downtown one mile east. It was a front-row seat to the city's development after the flood-prone Rio Grande was stabilized. Huning's former estate is now home to fine, diverse homes near the Albuquerque Country Club, as well as historic Route 66, Tingley Beach, the zoo, the Little Theatre, and a Christmas Eve luminaria tradition.