New Mexico in 1876-1877: A Newspaperman's View

Ever wonder what New Mexico was like in the nineteenth cen­ tury? In 1876, newspaperman William D. Dawson undertook a series of journeys that took him the entire length of the territory from the D&RG railhead near Fort Garland, Colorado, to the Mesilla Valley and west to the mines of Silver City and Pinos Altos, New Mexico. Here for the first time in print since they appeared in the pages of The Santa Fe Daily New Mexican nearly a century and a half ago, are descriptions of New Mexico's towns, its agriculture, wineries and mines; farmers, merchants, vintners, miners, soldiers, Indians, outlaws, and pretty girls-all the elements that we imagine constituted this great frontier-drew Dawson's atten­ tion and found their way into his reports, leaving us an extraordinary portrait of New Mexico as it was mas antes, in the old days.WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK:"Just before the railroads came to New Mexico territory, the Santa Fe Daily New Mexican printed a running account of their reporter's travels up and down the Rio Grande from the San Luis Valley to Mesilla and west to Silver City and Tierra Amarilla. Lively sketches of the countryside, the towns, farms, wineries, army posts and even spas at the hot springs all found a place in his dispatches. Casual readers and historians alike are indebted to Robert Torrez for bringing these scenes of New Mexico some 130 years ago, not to be missed, to a modem audience:'-John P. Wilson, historian

Ever wonder what New Mexico was like in the nineteenth cen­ tury? In 1876, newspaperman William D. Dawson undertook a series of journeys that took him the entire length of the territory from the D&RG railhead near Fort Garland, Colorado, to the Mesilla Valley and west to the mines of Silver City and Pinos Altos, New Mexico. Here for the first time in print since they appeared in the pages of The Santa Fe Daily New Mexican nearly a century and a half ago, are descriptions of New Mexico's towns, its agriculture, wineries and mines; farmers, merchants, vintners, miners, soldiers, Indians, outlaws, and pretty girls-all the elements that we imagine constituted this great frontier-drew Dawson's atten­ tion and found their way into his reports, leaving us an extraordinary portrait of New Mexico as it was mas antes, in the old days.WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK:"Just before the railroads came to New Mexico territory, the Santa Fe Daily New Mexican printed a running account of their reporter's travels up and down the Rio Grande from the San Luis Valley to Mesilla and west to Silver City and Tierra Amarilla. Lively sketches of the countryside, the towns, farms, wineries, army posts and even spas at the hot springs all found a place in his dispatches. Casual readers and historians alike are indebted to Robert Torrez for bringing these scenes of New Mexico some 130 years ago, not to be missed, to a modem audience:'-John P. Wilson, historian

Robert J. Tórrez was born and raised in the northern Rio Arriba County community of Los Ojos and is a graduate of Tierra Amarilla High School. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas and served as the New Mexico State Historian from 1987 until his retirement in December 2000. During the past four decades more than one hundred of his scholarly and popular articles on New Mexico history and culture have been published in numerous regional and national publications. He has also contributed to a dozen books, and since 1992, has written a monthly column, “Voices From the Past,” for Round the Roundhouse. His recent books include UFOs Over Galisteo and Other Stories of New Mexico’s History (University of New Mexico Press, 2004), New Mexico in 1876-1877, A Newspaperman’s View (Rio Grande Books, 2007) and Myth of the Hanging Tree (University of New Mexico Press, 2008).