In the early days of the American West, outlaws dominated the New
Mexico Territory. Such colorful characters as Black Jack Ketchum,
the Apache Kid, Curly Bill, Devil Dick, Billy the Kid, Bill
McGinnis, Vicente Silva and his gang, the Dalton Brothers, and the
Wild Bunch terrorized the land. Feared by many, loved by some,
their exploits were both horrifying and legendary. In between
forays, notorious outlaws were sometimes exemplary cowboys. Singly
or in gangs, they held up stagecoaches and trains and stole from
prospectors and settlers. When outlaws reigned, bank holdups,
shoot-outs, and murders were a common occurrence; death by hanging
became a favored means of settling disputes by outlaws and
vigilantes alike. Stories of outlaws later provided plots for many
of our favorite Western movies. Between 1936 and 1940, field
workers in the Federal Writers' Project (a part of the
government-funded Works Progress Administration, or WPA, later
called Work Projects Administration) collected and wrote down many
accounts that provide an authentic and vivid picture of outlaws in
the early days of New Mexico. They feature life history narratives
of places, characters, and events of the Wild West during the late
1800s. These original documents reflect the unruly, eccentric
conditions of the New Mexico Territory as they played out in
clashes and collaborations between outlaws and "the gentle people"
of New Mexico before and after statehood. This book, focusing on
outlaws and desperados, is the first in a series featuring stories
from the New Mexico Federal Writers' Project collection. Other
books in the series include stories about ranchers, cowboys, and
the wild and woolly adventures of sheepherders, homesteaders,
prospectors, and treasure hunters. In them, the untamed New Mexico
Territory comes to life with descriptions of encounters with
Indians, travels along the old trails, cattle rustling, murders at
the gambling table, and Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus. This
treasury of Federal Writers' Project records, presented with
informative background and historic photographs, also highlights
Hispano folk life and Western lore in old New Mexico. ANN LACY has
lived in New Mexico since 1979. She has been an Artist-in-Residence
in the New Mexico Artists-in-the-Schools Program and a studio
artist exhibiting her work in museums and galleries. As a
researcher and writer, she has specialized in New Mexico history
and culture. She received a City of Santa Fe 2000 Heritage
Preservation Award. ANNE VALLEY-FOX is a New Mexico poet and
writer. Her publications include "Your Mythic Journey: Finding
Meaning in Your Life through Writing and Storytelling," "Sending
the Body Out, "Fish Drum 14" and "Point of No Return." Her work has
been published in numerous anthologies and magazines, including "El
Palacio: Art, History and Culture of the Southwest,"" New Mexico
Poetry Renaissance" and "In Company: An Anthology of New Mexico
Poets After 1960."
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