Between Two Countries: A History of Coronado National Memorial 1939-1990

Between Two Countries: A History of Coronado National Memorial 1939-1990 is the inspiring story of a generation that sought to acknowledge the common history the United States shares with Mexico. The story began at a time when fact and legend intertwined to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first European expedition to traverse northwestern Mexico and the southwest of the U.S. In the end, two governments with different historical viewpoints agreed to disagree on the creation of an international monument with corresponding sites on both sides of the border. Congress officially established Coronado National Memorial in 1952 on the U.S. side of the International Boundary. The National Park Service took the reins to commemorate the harmonious relations with Mexico and the common history shared by citizens of both countries.

Between Two Countries: A History of Coronado National Memorial 1939-1990 is the inspiring story of a generation that sought to acknowledge the common history the United States shares with Mexico. The story began at a time when fact and legend intertwined to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first European expedition to traverse northwestern Mexico and the southwest of the U.S. In the end, two governments with different historical viewpoints agreed to disagree on the creation of an international monument with corresponding sites on both sides of the border. Congress officially established Coronado National Memorial in 1952 on the U.S. side of the International Boundary. The National Park Service took the reins to commemorate the harmonious relations with Mexico and the common history shared by citizens of both countries. The process of creating a national park is indeed intriguing. Between Two Countries reveals how the process worked in mid-twentieth century. This book presents the story of a grass-roots movement thatbecame epic in proportion. The creation of Coronado National Memorial brought together ranchers, miners, bureaucrats from local, state and federal levels, governors, congressmen, and cabinet members from the Department of State and the Department of the Interior. This book is a must read for students, professionals, and the general public. - Manuel Lujan, former Secretary of the Interior and U.S. Congressman. If anyone ever wondered about the role of individuals and community spirit as a hallmark of the American tradition, Between Two Countries demonstrates the American character at work. The amazing story is cast in the middle of the twentieth century when rural values were being subsumed by the lure of the city. This book is for those interested in National Park Service history. - Art Gomez, Historian, National Park Service Between Two Countries serves as a treatise about relationships that have often been a source of misunderstanding between Mexico and the U.S. The history of the creation of Coronado National Memorial reveals the result of cross­ cultural differences and perspectives that emerged since the War of 1846 and Mexican historical-political experience that developed throughout the nineteenth century. This book is great reading for those who seek to understand United States-Mexico relations. - Robert Spude, Historian, National Park Service

Dr. Joseph P. Sanchez is superintendent of Petroglyph National Monument and the Intermountain Spanish Colonial Research Center. Dr. Sanchez is also found­er and editor of the Colonial Latin American Historical Review (CLAHR). Before his career with the National Park Service, Dr. Sanchez was a professor of Colonial Latin American history at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He has also taught at the University of New Mexico, Santa Ana College in Southern California and at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. Throughout his career, he has researched archives in Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, and England, and has published several studies on the Spanish frontiers in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Alaska. Dr. Sanchez has served as Acting Superintendent at Fort Davis National Historic Site and at Pecos National Historical Park. In April 2005, he was inducted into the prestigious Orden de Isabella Católica as Knight Commander by King don Juan Carlos of Spain. In 2006 he was named to chair the History Commission of the Instituto Panamericano de Geografia e Historia which is headquartered in Mexico City and affiliated with the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. Among his published books are: The Rio Abajo Frontier, 1540-1692 (1987); Pecos: Gateway to Pueblos and Plains (Joseph P. Sanchez and John Bezy, coeditors; 1988); Spanish Bluecoats: The Catalonian Volunteers in Northwestern New Spain, 1767-1810 (1990); Gaspar Perez de Villagra’s Historia de Ia Nueva Mexico, 1610: A Critical and Annotated Spanish English Edition (Joseph P. Sanchez, Alfredo Rodriguez, Miguel Encinias, co-editors; 1992); The Aztec Chronicles: The True History of Christopher Columbus by Quilaztli of Texcoco (1995); Explorers, Traders, and Slavers: Forging the Old Spanish Trail, 1678-1850 (1997); Don Fernando Duran y Chaves’s Legacy: A His­tory of theAtrisco Land Grant, 1693-1968 (1999); Memorias del Coloquio Internacional El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Joseph P. Sanchez and Jose de la Cruz Pacheco, co-editors; 2000); and Exploradores, comerciantes y tratantes de esclavos: Ia forja de Ia Vieja Ruta Espanola, 1678-1850 (2001). Dr. Bruce A. Erickson is assistant Professor of History at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. Originally from Chicago, he has lived in Bisbee, Arizona, near Coronado National Memorial. In 1991, Dr. Erickson received his M.A. in Latin American Studies and, in 2001, his Ph.D. in Latin American History, both from the University of New Mexico. He has taught at Western New Mexico University and Eastern Michigan University. For eight years, he served as a research historian at the Intermountain Spanish Colonial Research Center. Dr. Erickson also served as a contract research historian for the National Park Service. His research interests cover a range of topics from gender on the Spanish Colonial frontier to historic trails dealing with the Spanish Colonial period. He has contributed to studies published by the National Park Service. Additionally, his research interests include contemporary efforts to sustain peace and guarantee Human Rights. Dr. Jerry L. Gurule is a historian-linguist for the National Park Service’s Intermountain Spanish Colonial Research Center where he has worked since 1989. He received his Ph.D. in 1997 in Spanish Colonial Literature from the University of New Mexico. Throughout his career, he has researched various archives in Spain and Mexico including the Archivo General de las Indias in Sevilla, the Archivo Historico Militar, Real Academia de la Historia, Museo Naval and the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid, Spain, and the Archivo General de la Nación in Mexico City. Additionally, Dr. Gurule serves on the editorial board of the Colonial Latin American Historical Review (CLAHR), a scholarly journal with a worldwide distribution. He is also on the editorial board of the New Mexico Historical Review. His research interests range widely from Spanish Colonial exploration and hist