Tells of thirty-one interesting episodes in the history of New Mexico, from the days of the prehistoric Indians through 1996; arranged chronologically, and including a collection of facts about the "Land of Enchantment."

Vaughn is a present-day community located in southwestern Guadalupe county at the junction of three highways, US 54, 60 and 285. It is also located at the junction point of two railroads, the AT & SF, popularly known as the Santa Fe, and the Southern Pacific. The area was originally a site on the Stinson cattle trail from Texas to the Estancia Valley. The Stinson cattle trail was pioneered by Jim Stinson in 1882. In 1901 the El Paso &Rock Island began building a railroad through the area and the community of what eventually became Vaughn was born. The El Paso & Rock Island referred to the community as Tony and early railroad maps show Tony located where Vaughn eventually came into existence. The community was named Vaughn for Major G. W. Vaughn, a civil engineer for the AT & SF railroad. The Santa Fe railroad began building its Belen Cut Off through the area after the El Paso & Rock Island had established itself in the area. The Belen Cut Off was a railroad route that the Santa Fe hoped would be more attractive to passengers and companies shipping freight to the West. The route would avoid the mountains of northern New Mexico that the Santa Fe had to deal with when it entered the territory through Raton Pass in 1879. The Belen cut off entered Vaughn from the west in 1905 and from the east in 1907. The Santa Fe railroad decided to build its railroad facilities, a railroad depot, its reading room, and the eating house, the Harvey House, about a mile east of the community that came into existence with the coming of the El Paso & Rock Island. Because of that decision, East Vaughn was born. East Vaughn was essentially an AT & SF community and Vaughn was an El Paso & Rock Island community. The two communities eventually merged into one incorporated town, Vaughn, in 1920, and elected a mayor and had a town council. Each had its own post office. Before the merger, there were two mayors and two governing councils. They also consolidated their schools and built a new school between the two former communities. It Happened in Vaughn is a collection of assorted stories gathered from several sources. Most of the vignettes are from old newspaper articles about Vaughn and the surrounding area. Many of the vignettes are illustrated with period pictures to help provide a visual account of Vaughn rich and colorful past.

New Mexico comes alive in these fascinating stories about events that helped make New Mexico what it is today. From the life and times of Folsom Man (9,000 BC) to the Great Prison Riot of Santa Fe County (1980 AD), It Happened in New Mexico tells the stories of intriguing people and events from the history of one of America’s most captivating states. Find out how Pancho Villa’s deadly raid on Columbus in March 1916 led to a $130 million—unsuccessful—mission to hunt down America’s arch enemy. Go back to July 16, 1945, when a busload of spectators pulled up to a scenic overlook to witness the explosion of the world’s first atomic bomb. Find out how Smokey the Bear began life as an imaginary symbol and ended up as the nation’s most beloved cub. Did the U.S. Army steal Doc Noss’s gold? Join the military cavalcade to Victorio Peak in 1977 and decide for yourself.

"Discover the haunted mesas, the eerie, bloodthirsty canyons, and the scorching wastelands that are beyond the freeways, away from the cities in surreal New Mexico"--Cover

David L. Caffey's book tells the story of the rise and fall of the Santa Fe Ring, looking beyond myth and symbol to explore the history of this remarkably durable alliance.

The murder of 18-year-old Ovida "Cricket" Coogler in 1949 launched a series of court inquiries and trials that would reshape the direction of New Mexico politics and expose political corruption. Paula Moore examines the infamous murder and the events that unfolded in its wake.University of New Mexico Press

A pictorial celebration of New Mexico's history and landscape. In celebration of New Mexico's statehood centenial, Richard Melzer focuses on the various social and political elements that have made the Land of Enchantment what it is today. Filled with images that document the past hundred years, New Mexico is a photographic delight accompanied by brief insightful essays that leave the reader in no doubt of a history that is both imposing and exciting in its scope. This book is also an official product of the state's centennial celebration. Richard Anthony Melzer is a professor of history at the University of New Mexico Valencia Campus. He is a former president of the Historical Society of New Mexico and is the author of many books and articles on twentieth-century New Mexico history.

A New Mexican shaman and PI is up against a shape-shifting adversary who haunts his worst nightmares, in a “fascinating and absolutely eerie” mystery (Thrilling Detective). After a savage confrontation with his archenemy, Sonny Baca is confined to a wheelchair. The doctors don’t know if he’ll ever walk again—and now the Chicano PI is plagued by disturbing dreams of his female ancestors being abducted. The reality is even more chilling. In present-day Santa Fe, the mayor’s sixteen-year-old daughter has disappeared. The four black feathers found on Consuelo Romero’s bed confirm Sonny’s fears: Three more girls will go missing before Raven’s master plan becomes a terrifying reality. A charismatic, chameleonlike power broker who also possesses a shaman’s gifts, Raven lures radical environmentalists into committing terrorist acts under the guise of antinuclear protests. But his true agenda is to bring down Sonny once and for all. By obliterating Sonny’s dreams—the portal into the spirit world—he will destroy his past and his future. The only way to fight back is for Sonny to enter Raven’s own dream state. But can he rid the world of an evil that refuses to die? Rich in atmosphere and setting, this stellar series offers both edge-of-your-seat mystery and one man’s journey into the complex landscape of the soul.

Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press Veteran treasure hunter and folklorist W.C. Jameson presetns twenty-six colorful, inriguing and mysterious stories about fortunes lost and found in the mountains and deserts of New Mexico.

The country Frank Springer rode into in 1873 was one of immense beauty and abundant resources - grass and timber, wild game, precious metals, and a vast bed of commercial-grade coal. It was also a stage upon which dramatic and sometimes violent events played out. A lawyer and newspaperman for the Maxwell Land Grant company and a foe of the speculators known as ""the Santa Fe Ring,"" Springer found himself in the middle of the Colfax County War. A man of many sides, he typified the Gilded Age entrepreneurs who transformed the territorial American Southwest. As president of the Maxwell Land Grant company, Springer led in the development of mining, logging, ranching, and irrigation enterprises. His Supreme Court victory establishing title to the 1.7 million acre Maxwell grant earned him a reputation as a brilliant attorney.