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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.

Roswell is perhaps most famous for its alleged intergalactic visitors that may  or may not have crashed here via flying saucer in 1947. However, some very  real famous people have traversed and lived in Roswell, including singer  John Denver and actress Demi Moore. During the turbulent Wild West  days, Roswell was the stomping grounds of cattle baron John Chisum, sheriff  Pat Garrett, and even his arch-nemesis, Billy the Kid. Among others to call  Roswell home were Robert H. Goddard, the father of modern rocketry;  baseball player Joe Bauman, who hit 72 home runs in one season; pro-golfer  Nancy Lopez; Western superstar Roy Rogers; rodeo champion Bob Crosby;  and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.  This book explores these celebrities and the many unsung local legends and  heroes of Roswell through the vast photograph archives of the Historical  Society for Southeast New Mexico, as well as private collections.

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.