The year is 1928. Forty-four Octobers have come and gone since Elfego Baca earned top ranking as a gunfighter. Few now remember that on a fall day in 1884, in the village of Frisco, New Mexico, Baca ducked some 4,000 bullets fired by eighty cowboys aiming to kill him. Fewer still recall that the reason for the shoot-out was Baca's obsession with rescuing Mexican settlers from abuse by Texans in days before 'civil rights' became a catch phrase. The reputation of the Hero-now turned-lawman-lawyer-politician is sorely in need of repair, for despite his boasts of possessing one of the best law practices in the state, things have not gone well for Baca. Elfego has been declared a bankrupt; he's been humiliated by an untidy divorce; and neither political party in the state seems to want to run him as a candidate for much of anything. So, what's a man of action to do?What Elfego does is to make a pre-emptive strike to repair that tattered reputation. He finds a biographer to tell his story just like he wants it told, including his meetings with Billy the Kid and the opera star, Mary Garden. He finally settles on Kyle Samuel Crichton, but only after William A. Keleher, the respected journalist-lawyer, has said, 'No.' Keleher introduces Baca to Crichton, who has few writing credentials though he would later author popular books and a successful Broadway play. Crichton has escaped from the smoke stacks and slag heaps of the Pennsylvania mining country to the pure air of Albuquerque, not to repair the reputation of those like Elfego who have fallen from grace, but to repair his own health. While Elfego is as short as Napoleon, Crichton is taller than Gary Cooper. While Elfego is rotund, Crichton is thin and muscular. While Elfego is bold, Crichton is cautious. But Crichton, who later wrote a biography of the Metropolitan Opera star Risë Stevens (Subway to the Met), brings a wild sense of humor that was to be reflected in all his books. And, while Baca is long on yarns that boost his heroism, Crichton insists on balance. The narrative of the book the pair produced remains open to question: How much of it is fact, how much is flights of fancy? Whichever it is, it's a whale of a story about a life lived to a fullness rarely experienced.

Law And Order Limited: The Rousing Life Of Elfego Baca Of New Mexico

History

Crichton, Kyle S.

Americas

Rio Grande Press

"In this book of Memories , I have endeavored to trace through my own experiences and observations of the early history and growth of this immediate Pike's Peak region, particularly during the years before the railroads reached the Rocky Mountains. I came to this section with my father in 1860, when fourteen years of age and have lived here at the eastern base of Pike's Peak, almost continuously since that time. My experiences have covered a wide field and brought me into contact with many phases of the early as well as the later life of the region."

Memories of a lifetime in the Pike's Peak region

Howbert, Irving

Hardcover; Very good+; No Dust Jacket as issued; 256 pp., index, photographs, map. A very good+ tight copy with minor soiling to the covers. This 1970 reprint edition contains the, very much desired and helpful, index that the first edition in 1928 did not have. A required book in the Earp/Tombstone field. Rather one agrees with the author or not it is indisputable that he was there in Tombstone with the Earps and all the rest of the characters in that saga. This book comes from the research library of acclaimed historian and author Robert K. De Arment and has his embossed stamp and ownership signature on the ffep. An excellent association and research copy because of the index!

Helldorado: Bringing the Law to the Mesquite

Biographies & Memoirs

Breakenridge, William M.

Regional U.S.

This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher.

The overland stage to California;: Personal reminiscences and authentic history of the great overland stage line and pony express from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, (A Rio Grande classic)

Root, Frank A

Turquois: Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences

Joseph E. Pogue

Dezba: woman of the desert (A Rio Grande classic)

Reichard, Gladys Amanda

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

New trails in Mexico;: An account of one year's exploration in north-western Sonora, Mexico, and south-western Arizona, 1909-1910 (A Rio Grande classic)

Travel

Lumholtz, Carl

Mexico

Lost mines & buried treasures along the old frontier, (A Rio Grande classic)

Mitchell, John Donald

This is a description of a Navajo shamanistic healing ceremony. It centers around a recitation of a cycle of myths about a Navajo culture hero, Dsilyídje Qaçàl. His journey takes him to the land of the gods and goddesses, where he learns powerful magic. The narrative is compelling and compares well with the Homeric Odyssey, which it resembles both thematically and stylistically. The ceremony incorporates dance, song, prayer, sand-painting, drama, sculpture, conjuring, and even a bit of farce. Of note are the beautiful plates of the ephemeral sand-paintings. The purposes of the ceremony are various. Its ostensible reason for existence is to cure disease; but it is made the occasion for invoking the unseen powers in behalf of the people at large for various purposes, particularly for good crops and abundant rains. It would appear that it is also designed to perpetuate their religious symbolism. Some of the shows of the last night are, undoubtedly intended to be dramatic and entertaining as well as religious, while the merely social element of the whole affair is obvious. It is an occasion when the people gather to have a jolly time. The patient pays the expenses and, probably in addition to the favor and help of the gods and the praise of the priesthood, hopes to obtain social distinction for his liberality. This, like other great rites of the Navajo, is of nine days' duration. Some of these rites may take place in the summer; but the great majority of them, including this dsilyídje qaçàl, may be celebrated only in the winter, in the season when the thunder is silent and the rattlesnakes are hibernating. Were they to tell of their chief gods or relate their myths of the ancient days at any other time, death from lightning or snake-bite would, they believe, be their early fate.

The mountain chant, a Navajo ceremony (A Rio Grande classic)

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Matthews, Washington

Crafts & Hobbies

Acoma, the sky city of New Mexico, is presented here by an enchanting text and beautiful color photographs in this revised edition of the Southwest classic book. Occupied by the Acoma Indians, Acoma mesa pueblo is located 65 miles west of Albuquerque. This gem of antiquity is said to be the oldest continuously-inhabited community on the North American continent. The fascinating introduction was written by Frank Waters, one of New Mexico's most famous sons, a literary giant, and an authority on the history of the Indians of New Mexico. In Acoma, the buildings, the people, their traditions and their unique style of pottery are so closely related to this singular terrain that they have become known far beyond its desert.

Acoma: The People of the White Rock

H. L. James

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