Don Perkins led a life as one of the most honored athletes in the history of the University of New Mexico and the Dallas Cowboys. But Perkins's life was far more complex and, at times, controversial. He experienced the traumas of racial discrimination, death, divorce, football-related injuries, and a never-ending search for his own identity. In his search, Perkins ventured into sportscasting, public speaking, community relations, big-rig trucking, government work, and even amateur theater,...

Don Perkins led a life as one of the most honored athletes in the history of the University of New Mexico and the Dallas Cowboys. But Perkins’s life was far more complex and, at times, controversial. He experienced the traumas of racial discrimination, death, divorce, football-related injuries, and a never-ending search for his own identity. In his search, Perkins ventured into sportscasting, public speaking, community relations, big-rig trucking, government work, and even amateur theater,...

Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, the White Plague, or simply TB, was the number-one killer in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many physicians of the era advised their patients to chase the cure for tuberculosis in the Southwest, where the region�s clean, dry, fresh air, high altitude, and sunshine offered relief for most and recovery for some. New Mexico, called the �well country,� was particularly eager to promote itself as a mecca for lungers with the...

These are but a few of the incidents of murder, mystery, and mayhem that make the Rio Abajo such a treasure trove of intriguing history for local residents and historians alike. This volume is an attempt to preserve some of the most interesting of these many cases of murder, mystery, and mayhem — ranging from heinous murders to bold train robberies, from religious miracles to unsolved mysteries, and from accounts of earthquakes to reports of terrible disease. All took place in the Rio Abaj...

Spanish settlers founded Albuquerque in 1706, making it the third of only four villas (towns) in colonial New Mexico. Located in the Rio Abajo along a wide turn on the Rio Grande, the settlement developed from a small farming community into New Mexico's largest, most modern city. Many notable men and women participated in this remarkable growth, lending their talents and sacrificing their time, energy, and sometimes their very lives. Dozens of these legendary figures are portrayed in this ...

A unique history of New Mexico told through the fascinating stories of one hundred representative artifacts from around the state—from the ancient fossilized footprints recently discovered at White Sands to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s revolutionary “gadget” that ushered the world into the Atomic Age.Historians continually probe archives, museums, libraries, and less conventional sources in search of new ways to understand and explore the past. A History of New Mexi...

Sunshine and Shadows in New Mexico’s Past has one main goal: to reveal the sharp contrasts in New Mexico history. As with all states, New Mexico has had its share of admirable as well as deplorable moments, neither of which should be ignored or exaggerated at the other’s expense. New Mexico’s true character can only be understood and appreciated by acknowledging its varied history, blemishes and all. The third of three volumes, Sunshine and Shadows in New Mexico’s Past: The Statehood Perio...

Sunshine and Shadows in New Mexico’s Past has one main goal: to reveal the sharp contrasts in New Mexico history. As with all states, New Mexico has had its share of admirable as well as deplorable moments, neither of which should be ignored or exaggerated at the other’s expense. New Mexico’s true character can only be understood and appreciated by acknowledging its varied history, blemishes and all. The second of three volumes, Sunshine and Shadows in New Mexico’s Past: The U.S. Territori...

Sunshine and Shadows in New Mexico’s Past has one main goal: to reveal the sharp contrasts in New Mexico history. As with all states, New Mexico has had its share of admirable as well as deplorable moments, neither of which should be ignored or exaggerated at the other’s expense. New Mexico’s true character can only be understood and appreciated by acknowledging its varied history, blemishes and all. The first of three volumes, Sunshine and Shadows in New Mexico’s Past: The Spanish Colonia...

The enormous effort-called the Manhattan Project-that produced the world's first atomic bomb was supposed to be the best kept secret of World War II. And the Project's Los Alamos, New Mexico site where the bomb was perfected was supposed to have the tightest security of the project's other 37 installations across the United States. Even the vice president, Harry S. Truman, was kept in the dark initially until fate propelled him into the fray. But this was an illusion. Evidence from Soviet ...

Ernie Pyle ranks with Richard Harding Davis, John Reed and Edward R. Murrow as one of the greatest war correspondents in American history. But he was different from all the correspondents who went before him or followed him in the combat zones of the world. While the others reported on the big picture of troop movements and massive battles, Pyle wrote about the fighting soldier and his plight on the front lines. It was said that Pyle's daily columns gave nothing more and nothing less than ...

In 1540, Francisco Coronado led a band of soldiers, treasure-seekers, and Franciscan priests and friars into New Mexico, changing the lives of the Native Americans forever. In 1680, less than 100 years after the first Spanish colony imposed disease, serfdom, and zealous religious oversight on the indigenous peoples, the Pueblos rose up, forcing the Spaniards out. The uprising, known as the Pueblo Revolt, lasted for 12 years, but Catholic influence was reinvigorated following the 1692 Diego...