Legendary Locals Of Albuquerque

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 unique book, with chapters devoted to those who played important roles in politics and diplomacy; the military; law and order; religion and education; art and literature; culture and entertainment; business and tourism; health, science, technology, and space; and sports. A final chapter describes several of Albuquerque’s sung and unsung heroes. The result is a collage of a Western city filled with diversity, tradition, and cultural pride.

Roswell is perhaps most famous for its alleged intergalactic visitors that may or may not have crashed here via flying saucer in 1947. However, some very real famous people have traversed and lived in Roswell, including singer John Denver and actress Demi Moore. During the turbulent Wild West days, Roswell was the stomping grounds of cattle baron John Chisum, sheriff Pat Garrett, and even his arch-nemesis, Billy the Kid. Among others to call Roswell home were Robert H. Goddard, the father of modern rocketry; baseball player Joe Bauman, who hit 72 home runs in one season; pro-golfer Nancy Lopez; Western superstar Roy Rogers; rodeo champion Bob Crosby; and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.

Geography has conspired to make Gallup, New Mexico, a special place with unique people and a colorful history. It has been a place of struggle and extremes where cultures have clashed, mixed, and melded. Gallup is a community that is simultaneously challenging and uplifting, heartrending, and redemptive. To local Native Americans, the Navajo and Pueblo people, Gallup is located on their ancestral homeland and bordered by their sacred sites. To early settlers, Gallup was a place that permitted transportation across the continent, first by foot and horseback, then by stagecoach and railroad, and ultimately, by America's Mother Road, Route 66. With its founding, Gallup became a place where European, Asian, and Hispanic immigrants--with hands that built America--came to construct a transcontinental rail line, harvest timber, mine coal, and establish businesses, while seeking a new life among the region's original native people.

**Winner of the 2021 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards (History, Other)** Lawman or Outlaw? At times, the black-hatted “villains” and white-hatted “good guys” of the Old West were one and the same. Often it was difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish who was who. Sheriff Wyatt Earp stole horses and ran brothels. Albuquerque’s first town marshal, Milton Yarberry, was accused of murder and subsequently “jerked to Jesus.” Burt Alvord, town marshal of Willcox, Arizona, and friends, robbed a train. Alvord then deputized these same friends into a posse to apprehend the robbers. It came as no surprise when his posse came up empty handed. Justice Hoodoo Brown and Deputy JJ Webb ruled Las Vegas as leaders of the Dodge City Gang until they were run out of town by citizens fed up with their type of justice. “Mysterious” Dave Mather and even two of the Dalton Gang spent time behind a badge, as well as behind bars. When Outlaws Wore Badges explores the double lives of outlaw lawmen through some of the West’s most memorable frontier characters.

By the time Alamogordo’s founders platted the town in the late 1800s, bestowing it with the Spanish name for Fat Cottonwood, the region’s lush grasses were luring cowboys such as Oliver Lee. Then, in 1941, an event more than 3,000 miles away changed the quiet community. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, chamber president Mose Cauthen quickly spearheaded bringing the Army’s mission to train bomber pilots to the Tularosa Basin. During the Space Race, Dr. John Stapp oversaw the programs at Holloman Air Force Base that sent Joe Kittinger, Dave Simons, and “Demi” McClure floating heavenward underneath balloons. Soon after, Ed Dittmer was training chimpanzees to rocket out of Earth’s atmosphere and prove man could survive in that hostile environment. Alamogordo is where the Old West melds with ever-evolving technology, along with a rich artistic and literary legacy championed by such women as Linnie Townsend, Maude Rathgeber, and Margaret Flickinger.

For much of its history, Wake Forest was an idyllic college town. Trains chugged past White Street, the depot hummed with activity, and citizens could shop for groceries, see a movie, and cheer the Demon Deacons without ever getting behind the wheel of a car. It was a town of visionaries. Samuel Wait, William Louis Poteat, Sophie Stephens Lanneau, and Peahead Walker made history in the fields of academics, religion, and athletics; when famous 20th-century writer and satirist H.L. Mencken reportedly called North Carolina "the most intelligent" of all Southern states, he was referring to Wake Forest. That tradition continues today. The Allen family publishes one of the region's most honored weekly newspapers; Andy Ammons recreated small-town magic in the community known as Heritage Wake Forest; and Steve Tarangelo followed his dream to prove that "food is love."

This book delves into the history of some of the unique individuals and groups, past and present, who have made a memorable impact on their community throughout its history.

Founded in 1610, Santa Fe has been a beacon for those yearning for adventure, a different way of life, a place of expression, and the opportunity to meld the old with the new. Designated Americas first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Creative City in 2005, Santa Fe is home to people from around the world. Legendary Locals of Santa Fe pays tribute to a diverse group of individuals, who through different eras have contributed to the citys vitality: Native American Popay, leader of the Pueblo Revolt; world-renowned sculptor Allan Houser; performing artist Maria Benitez, who rejuvenated the genre of Spanish Flamenco dance and music; Pulitzer Prize authors Willa Cather and Oliver La Farge; Fray Angelico Chavez, Santa Fes preeminent historian; Santa Fe Opera founder John Crosby; Stewart L. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations; and Sgt. Leroy A. Petry, the 2011 Medal of Honor recipient. All share an enduring spirit and belief in the community that the Spanish explorers had the foresight to name the City of Holy Faith.