Southwest Books

William B. Secrest has finally given readers a true insight into the life of the mysterious Harry Love, "The Man from the Rio Grande." Many stories have been written about the notorious bandit, Joaquin Murrieta. This is the first I have read about the man who brought him to justice. It is a very interesting and accurate portrayal of Harry and the events that formed his life. A must for aficionados of the Wild West.

The Man From The Rio Grande is a biography of Harry Love, the leader of the California Rangers who pursed and captured Joaquin Murrieta, leader of a gang of Mexican bandits wreaking havoc in the 1850's. Since the pursuit and capture of Murrieta stands out in history, Murrieta's complete story is included as also. Extensively researched, The Man From The Rio Grande traces Love's humble beginnings as an army courier and express rider to his famous achievement in the name of justice, to his efforts as a pioneer sawmill operator and farmer, and his unfortunately failed marriage. A revealing glimpse into life on the American frontier through the eyes of an ordinary man turned legendary hero.

By necessity a biographer of legendary California Ranger Harry Love must deconstruct numerous myths surrounding the man Walter Noble Burns called the Robin Hood of El Dorado, the undeservedly romanticized Joaquin Murrieta. Such an author must also tell of the brief history of the California Rangers, and of the lawless atmosphere of the early years of California statehood. Distinguished California historian William B. Secrest does all this for Harry Love, a figure long overdue for a proper biography.

Secrest shows the one-time Texas Ranger Love, by virtue of his Rio Grande experiences, to be the ideal choice of the California legislature to lead a group of twenty Rangers in tracking down the elusive "Joaquin." Murrieta by then was, in Secrest's words, a man whose "hands were stained with the blood of dozens of victims." Whether Murrieta was killed by Love's Rangers has always been questioned by some, despite the identification of his severed head (in a bottle) by many who knew him. In his most compelling writing, Secrest methodically presents a mountain of documented evidence that Love did end Murrieta's life of crime, and that Murrieta's preserved head was convincingly and unmistakably identified by those who knew him.

Love has been called a "drunken brute," a lying braggart, and a fraud, but Secrest portrays a complex and multi-dimensional pioneer figure. Love came to California as early as 1839, and returned to stay during the gold rush. This followed his stalwart service as a volunteer and employee of the U. S. Army along the Rio Grande during the tumultuous 1840s. Love was an imposing figure who could organize a hunt with purpose and tenacity. Yet he was capable of appallingly bad choices in many aspects of his personal life, particularly in his glory-less final years. He made poor business decisions in later life while attempting to prosper at his sawmill and farm, and he especially erred in his choice to settle down with the `wife from hell.' This last poor choice cost him his life, when he provoked his own killing by the mysterious Christian "Fred" Eiversen.

Lavishly illustrated, there are other riches to be found between this book's covers. The author refers to "cleaning up the loose ends of the Murrieta story," and does just that. The myth of Murrieta as a Robin Hood or social bandit is thoroughly discredited. The author calls on Hispanic historians to bring to bear on Murrieta's story the special insights of their heritage and culture, in order to create a truly in-depth study of Murrieta. He lays to rest his bogus image as a nationalistic Chicano liberator and folk hero. This characterization Secrest correctly labels as "insulting to the thousands of decent Hispanic pioneers to whom he caused great distress, grief, and shame." The lengthy epilogue includes the interesting if bizarre story Mariana Andrada, a purported wife of Murrieta.

On a final note, the author relates how Harry Love's long-lost grave was marked with a new and detailed headstone in 2003. William Secrest fittingly was chosen to speak at the dedication of Love's new monument. This book makes a persuasive case that such a monument was deserved for this colorful pioneer Californian.

I think this is just a wonderful book, not only because we have the same last name,but the name of Grijalva goes back into history, like Juan de Grijalva 1518 explorer, Juan Pablo Grijalva, with the 1775/76 Anza Expedtion. You have to read this book yourself to understand what Edwin R. Sweeney wrote in this book.

For how many years had the Apaches lived and survived in the Southwest, even with Spanish, Mexican, and Americans aggression? And yet within a matter of a few short years after Merejildo Grijalva leaves the Apaches, are the Apaches forcefully removed form their homelands. The author demonstrates that the strongest reason for the subduing of the Apaches is because of the valuable information provided by Merejildo Grijalva and other scouts to the United States Army. Devastating campaigns against hidden Apache strongholds could be conducted by the U.S. Army, with Grijalva leading the way. In fact it is my opinion that if Grijalva hadn't left the apaches, the Apache wars could have waged on for at least another 10 or 20 years. What would that have meant for America? With 2 world wars on the horizon, could the Copper and Uranium rich Arizona and New mexico territories have been fully utilized by the U.S. when needed?
If the book has one draw back it is that I would have liked to have read more about Merejildo's life in Solomonville, Arizona. My own family (the Garcia's) Settled in Solomonville at this time and lived on a farm right next to merejildo's. I would have loved to have read how Merejildo received the Gila River land and also why he chose to live there. If I could gleen some insight into his decisions I could possibly understand why my ancesters did the same. Lastly, I wish that more information was uncovered concerning Merejildo's relationship with the Freighters of the area, particularly Tully and Ochoa (Run by Esteban Ochoa with Sydney Delong and Michael Steck as silent partners), Mariano and his mom Raphaela Barela of Mesilla, Ex-confederate Jack Swilling, and The Western end of the Butterfield Mail Company (Brad Daley, Price Cooper, Etc.)
Ultimately though this excellent Book brings out more hidden truth about the South west than many can fully, currently, comprehend! You need to buy this book to understand the Rise and Fall of the Apaches!

Merejildo Grijalva was an Indian Scout who was captured by the Chiricahua Apaches in 1849 and lived more than a decade among the people under such renowned Native American leaders as Miguel Narbona, Mangas Coloradas, and Cochise. Indeed, it was Cochise who used Grijalva as his interpreter in the late 1850s. In 1859, Apache agent Michael Steck encouraged Grijalva to escape the Apaches and two years later aided the American army working in the New Mexico Territory and out of Fort Bowie, Arizona. Edwin Sweeney's Merejildo Grijalva: Apache Captive, Army Scout is number 96 in the University of Texas at El Paso Southwestern Studies series and a work of impeccable scholarship that will be much appreciated by students of Native American studies and western frontier history.

From Preface:

"This book has been written to accompany the traveling exhibition of paintings on pottery made by the ancient southwestern Native American culture we call the Mimbres and to present to a wider public a visual record of these remarkable works. The Mimbres painting tradition, which flourished for about 150 years, ended about 800 years ago and disappeared from human knowledge until late in the last century.

For many years after its rediscovery, Mimbres painting attracted little attention except among southwestern prehistorians. Some examples of the art entered public and private collections during the last half century, and a few have been included in virtually all major exhibitions of American Indian art organized since 1932. Nonetheless, exhibitions of Mimbres paintings outside university and anthropology museums have been rare, and this may well be the first one directed toward a public that is unfamiliar with ancient Southwest Indian art. Our intent, in both the exhibition and the book, has been to provide this new audience with the conceptual and historical contexts that make possible an informed interpretation of this exotic art.

We do not know what the Mimbres people called themselves. The name we give them is the Spanish word for 'willows' and refers to the trees that grow along the lovely stream in southwestern New Mexico that was the center of Mimbres territory. The Mimbres were one of many isolated farming groups of the ancient Southwest and their art, for all of its unique qualities, belongs to a much larger tradition shared by many peoples. The nature of Mimbres art and the similarities between the art and culture of the Mimbres and that of their neighbors provide the focus of this book.

An essential aspect of Mimbres painting, and one that is found nowhere else in its time and place, is its representational character. About 1/4 of existing Mimbres paintings -- almost 2,000 examples -- carry images of animals, humans, and objects which are often shown in narrative interaction. Because of the pictorial nature of Mimbres art we know more about the content and quality of the intellectual life of these peole than about any of their contemporary neighbors."

This is classic Mibres at its best. If you don't have this one in your library - WHY NOT?!

This book is hard to find in libraries but is an excellent resource. Excellent photographs of bowls and clear description of styles and meaning makes the book invaluable. We use it in our class.

For those of us born in the late '30s and early '40s, Larance has magically rekindled a time that while not free from complication and struggle, certainly was more secure in many aspects. It centered around family, work and church, and an often unspoken but universally applied set of values -- love, charity, honesty and integrity.

This cocoon of safety provides a perfect foil for the natural curiosity of the young boys looking for adventure as a part of their initiation into manhood, and Larance captures this environment with warmth, humor, and generosity toward the characters described.

The social tensions of racial relations in Arkansas and elsewhere had yet to erupt, and Larance treats them fairly from the eyes of a child, alluding to both the coming storm and his bewilderment.

The setting may be Arkansas, but Larance aptly described my childhood in a western suburb of Chicago. In it, and perhaps characteristic of communities nationwide during that era, neighborhoods reigned and everyone was your parent, doors were left unlocked, people shared their bounty, money was tight but poverty was negligible.

It would be a shame to characterize Miss Myrtle's Boy as only a regional memoir. In truth, in addition to heartwarming episodes of a child's coming of age, in a larger sense, and without preaching or nostalgia for an age gone by, Larance instructs young and old alike on the values that are the great promise of America -- perhaps somewhat out of focus now, but worthy of redemption.

Stylistically, Larance speaks to us directly, clearly, intelligently, with charm and understated humor -- in a way we're sneaking a peek at his diary. Miss Myrtle's Boy is an excellent read that will leave you smiling and musing on your own life look after you've finished it.

"Miss Myrtle's Boy" is a story elegant in its simplicity. It serves as a good reminder of the importance of the journey over the destination, and of what's special about everything in life that is ordinary. If you like the style of Mildred Walker's books, taking us back to a time and place we all know a bit of -- where values endure, common sense rules, and land shapes the people -- then you'll love "Miss Myrtle's Boy." Its lessons are timeless. Charles L. Larance has delivered a delicious bedtime read, as effective as cocoa and a slice of pie to ensure sweet dreams (but with none of the calories)!

"Miss Myrtle's Boy" is a series of vignettes about growing up and coming-of-age in an idyllic small-town Arkansas community in the 1940s and '50s. If you are a male in, approaching, (or exceeding) mid-life and you want a quick nostalgic escape back to your youth--no matter where you grew up or what your family circumstance-- this book IS for you. I grew up in a large city in the Northeast, the product of a divorced home and still virtually every chapter "pinged" me and brought me "home" again. The simplicity, the reality and the honesty will touch you. And this book isn't just for men in their 50s. If you are married to one, or you are the child of one and you want to better understand where he came from, read the book. If you still have an appreciation for the American values of the 1950s, read the book. If you feel stressed out by the pace and pressure of of the world around you as we rush into the next millenium and you want to slow down a bit, read the book. It would be very easy to read this book in "bite-size" pieces whenever you have a few minutes, since each chapter is a story unto itself. But, if you're anything like me, once you enter the world of "Miss Myrtle's Boy," you'll want to linger a while longer. If you'll soon be getting on a plane for a business trip, or if you're headed for vacation, or if you're able to take a "time-out" at home on an evening or weekend, do yourself a favor and pick up "Miss Myrtle's Boy." You will be glad that you did!

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

Nature's Yucky! 2: The Desert Southwest is a softcover picturebook for young readers brimming with amazing - albeit icky! - facts about nature and wildlife of the American Southwest. From the regal horned lizard, which can spit blood from its eyes, to the dung beetles' favorite food (ew!) to the piglike javelina that smells like stinky socks, each animal has its own gross habits or aspects for a reason - for example, javelinas use their musky odor to help keep the herd grouped together. The last few pages offer additional information about the various wild animals mentioned, as well as a recipe for "Raven-Gut Upside Down Cake", a "Nature's Yucky! Blues" song, and a list of further resources. An enlightening book about the ingenuity of nature for children's library collections and inquisitive young people who aren't too easily grossed out. Also highly recommended is the original "Nature's Yucky!"

With lively illustrations and simple repetition, this is the perfect book to read aloud to children. Plus, it's filled with simple, yet amazing facts about all kinds of southwest desert animals. The list of resources in the back of the book is an extra bonus for budding naturalists. I can't wait to read this during story time at the library where I work...and eat the "Raven-gut Upside Down Cake" with the kids!

I hope that Dr. Faris will not be put off by me considering this book a masterpiece. It is one of my favorites, the details I'll omit. Very few scholars have grasped the complexity and beauty of Navajo ceremonialism and creation stories as well as the author has in The Nightway (Haile, Matthews, Zolbrod, McNeley). There are small portions of the book which I think some Nightway singers (medicine men) could disagree with but overall it is an excellent resource of information on the most familiar of Navajo ceremonials among non-Navajos. Reading Dr. Faris's text reinforces my convention that good anthropolgoy still exists. His basic postulate that the "knowledges of living authorities of local history concerning the healing arts, that is, Navajo Medicine Men and Women, have knowledge which can be accepted as truths, and are as valid as material remains of the deceased, as interpreted by foreign histories," is refreshing, honest, respectful, and badly needed in so many areas of anthropology.

I hope that Dr. Faris will not be put off by me considering this book a masterpiece. It is one of my favorites, the details I'll omit. Very few scholars have grasped the complexity and beauty of Navajo ceremonialism and creation stories as well as the author has in The Nightway (Haile, Matthews, Zolbrod, McNeley). There are small portions of the book which I think some Nightway singers (medicine men) could disagree with but overall it is an excellent resource of information on the most familiar of Navajo ceremonials among non-Navajos. Reading Dr. Faris's text reinforces my convention that good anthropolgoy still exists. His basic postulate that the "knowledges of living authorities of local history concerning the healing arts, that is, Navajo Medicine Men and Women, have knowledge which can be accepted as truths, and are as valid as material remains of the deceased, as interpreted by foreign histories," is refreshing, honest, respectful, and badly needed in so many areas of anthropology.

I hope that Dr. Faris will not be put off by me considering this book a masterpiece. It is one of my favorites, the details I'll omit. Very few scholars have grasped the complexity and beauty of Navajo ceremonialism and creation stories as well as the author has in The Nightway (Haile, Matthews, Zolbrod, McNeley). There are small portions of the book which I think some Nightway singers (medicine men) could disagree with but overall it is an excellent resource of information on the most familiar of Navajo ceremonials among non-Navajos. Reading Dr. Faris's text reinforces my convention that good anthropolgoy still exists. His basic postulate that the knowledges of living authorities of local history concerning the healing arts, that is, Navajo Medicine Men and Women, have knowledge which can be accepted as truths, and are as valid as material remains of the deceased, as interpreted by foreign histories, is refreshing, honest, respectful, and badly needed in so many areas of anthropology.

This one of my favorite books. It is an excellent resourse for information on Native American peoples of the Southwest conveniently divided into three parts and includes personal as well as scholarly information on the Pueblo, Navajo, Pai, Yavapai, Apache, Ute, Southern Paiute, O'odham, Maricopa, Mojave, Chemehaevi, Quechan, Cocopah, and the Yaqui people. The writing of such a book by one author must have been a huge undertaking but the author pulled it off exceptionally well and as other noted authors have declared, "it will probably become a classic in Native American studies." If you have an interest in Native American culture - past/present/and future - this book belongs in your library!

Trimble gives careful, in-depth and complete descriptions of each tribe of the Southwest (here defined as New Mexico, Arizona, southern Utah and Colorado and southeastern California). Each tribe is studied on its own grounds except to develop linguistic and other inter-tribal connections.

Even if you are familiar with major tribes such as the Navajo, Apache and the best-known Puebloan peoples, Trimble still has a wealth of information for you.

A decade of research and a number of photographs by Trimble himself underscore the interest, depth and care he brings to this book and the tribes of his study.

An invaluable bonus at the end is Trimble's calendar of major religious ceremonies of the various tribes, a helpful vacation planning assistant.

Stephen Trimble's The People is an excellent account of Southwestern Native American history and culture. Trimble outlines the history of the several groups inhabiting these three divisions of the Southwest: the Pueblo people, the Upland people, and the Desert people. His ten years of ethnographic field research have given him personal relationships with many Native Americans, allowing him to share the words and emotions of the people he studies. Trimble's well-taken photographs also add to the understanding the reader gains of the cultures of the Southwestern groups. This ethnography does more than outline history and bring the reader up to date with the most recent accomplishments of the people, but also illustrates the strong traditions of the culture that are still practiced today.

The Southwest is an area with a diverse environment, and the groups of people living in the many areas practice different lifestyles to coexist in harmony with their surroundings. Trimble's photographs are helpful in giving examples of these varied environments, some so surprising that they could not be equaled in the reader's imagination. By seeing the places that these people call home, the reader has a greater understanding of lives that Trimble describes. Trimble approaches this extremely varied area by describing one group at a time...After fully describing their history up to present living conditions, he moves on to the next group. For example, when studying the Pueblo people, Trimble first describes the Anasazi, the people who first practiced the ancient Archaic tradition of adobe and masonry building. As time went on, the Anasazi became several groups of Pueblo people practicing the same traditions. As Trimble says, "The Anasazi grew corn, Pueblo people grow corn" (47).

American movement into the Southwest is the single force that most drastically changed the lives of these Native Americans. Trimble not only states the facts of the events involved in this history, but also gives accounts of the highly emotional attitudes of these people when recalling such events. Thus, the reader is presented with accounts given by the people whose lives were radically changed in our country's history. The Quechan are one of the Colorado River Tribes that used to thrive on the rich farmland around the river...Trimble describes decades of poverty suffered by these people. Harold Chaipos, a Quechan, is quoted by Trimble, saying, "I really miss that big river. Those were good old times" (410).

Personal accounts are also important in Trimble's description of the present status of the Southwestern groups. In his conclusion, called "We Are The Land," Trimble emphasizes the connectedness that these people have with the land. This is something that most Americans do not understand...The attachment that these people have to the land makes attempted relocations and constant environmental threats that have come along with the spread of American inhabitation all the more devastating. According to Trimble, many Southwestern Native Americans feel that they live a life in which they practice a balancing act. In order to survive and protect their land, the groups need to be able to interact with Americans while still upholding their traditional culture...[T]he Southwestern Native Americans continue to live rooted in their homeland, while taking what they know from their cultural traditions and applying it to modern American culture. They say, "We are the people. We are the land. We will persist" (457).

Trimble provides a wonderful source of information about the widely diverse groups of Southwestern Native groups...In The People, Trimble captures the attitudes of the native people of the American Southwest and presents them in a form that educates the rest of the world on aboriginal lifestyles and present Native American values.

I missed Ty Cashion's book "Pigskin Pulpit" when it was first released a few years ago but with the re-release in paper back this year (2006) I had the opportunity to read it. I think the reason I didn't read it the first time was the title. I thought it was another "Glory" of High School Football book. Had I just paid attention to the subtitle "A Social History of Texas High School Football Coaches" my history buff inclination would have made reading this book a no brainer.

Ty Cashion was ordained to write this book. A professor of history at Sam Houston State University and more importantly the son of a Texas High School football coach, Ty had the knowledge to tell the story and the access to interview, by my count, at least 82 different Texas High School football coaches, many of which are no longer with us.

Some 40+ years ago, when I was a kid, I would listen to Texas High School football play off games on the radio. The radio announcer start by saying something like this: "Broadcasting from P.E. Shotwell stadium in Abilene, Texas ...".

P. E. Shotwell, Darrell Tully, and Gordon Wood may just be the name of Texas High School football stadiums for football fans of the current generation but they are just three of the many coaches that made Texas High School football what it is today. Many young athletes dream of "going pro" and signing multimillion dollar contracts. School boy football players born into the depression era of the early twentieth century just dreamed of the chance to play college football, get an education and coach football. It was their ticket off the farm and a way to a better life.

Ty Cashion chronicles the path to their goal and how the experiences that they had impacted several generations of young men in Texas.

If you ever knew a coach, if you ever played for a coach, if you ever learned from a coach, if you ever cussed a coached, if you ever idolized a coach ..., you need to read this book.

This is a great book. It tells the story of how High School Football has become the number one event in Texas. I am glad someone put these stories into print because sadly many of these great men are leaving us but their stories and the impact they have had, and continue to have, will be passed on. This is a must read for any football fan.

Aren't history books supposed to be dull as dishwater? I gave this book to my 80+ year-old Father for Christmas. He really enjoyed it! So did I, for that matter. Dr. Cashion must have spend untold hours interviewing old-time Texas High School football coaches and those who played under them. This book is as close to listening to those old timers as the written word can be. Growing up in football crazy Garland, Texas (back-to-back state championships in the 1960's under Chuck Curtis), I remember as a child "high school football fever." This hits the mark, or should I say is a "two point conversion."

I am very thankful for this book - I discovered many things about my Great, Great, Grandfather, Padre Polaco. I was grateful that someone chose to research and document this information. I felt it was written in an interesting and concise manner, as well as touching on many human interest points. Reading that my ancestor, as well as other Poles, had contributed significantly to the development of the Southwest, and were instrumental in the developement and settlement of the future State of New Mexico; gave me reason to be proud of my heritage. The book was a blessing and I am happy to be able to share this with my children. I think it is ironic that the Author, Francis Casimir Kajencki was born in Erie, PA., and that is where I currently live.

I am very thankful for this book - I discovered many things about my Great, Great, Grandfather, Padre Polaco. I was grateful that someone chose to research and document this information. I felt it was written in an interesting and concise manner, as well as touching on many human interest points. Reading that my ancestor, as well as other Poles, had contributed significantly to the development of the Southwest, and were instrumental in the developement and settlement of the future State of New Mexico; gave me reason to be proud of my heritage. The book was a blessing and I am happy to be able to share this with my children. I think it is ironic that the Author, Francis Casimir Kajencki was born in Erie, PA., and that is where I currently live.

I am very thankful for this book - I discovered many things about my Great, Great, Grandfather, Padre Polaco. I was grateful that someone chose to research and document this information. I felt it was written in an interesting and concise manner, as well as touching on many human interest points. Reading that my ancestor, as well as other Poles, had contributed significantly to the development of the Southwest, and were instrumental in the developement and settlement of the future State of New Mexico; gave me reason to be proud of my heritage. The book was a blessing and I am happy to be able to share this with my children. I think that it is ironic that the Author, Francis Casimir Kajencki was born in Erie, PA., and that is where I currently live.

Very well written,well documented. Much more objective than others of this genre.

The late Alden Hayes engagingly weaves true stories of the cultures and individuals who have populated the Chiricahua Mountains, from mammoth hunters of the Clovis culture who arrived more than 11,000 years ago down to ranchers and farmers at the beginning of World War II. Various Native American cultures, including the Apaches who had migrated into the Borderlands by about 1600 A.D.; Spanish explorers; and gringo miners, ranchers, outlaws, and homesteaders followed those initial hunters in a swirl of history that at times involved substantial conflict and bloodshed. All but the book's first chapter take place in historic times, with the bulk detailing the years between 1860 and 1920 when figures such as Cochise, Geronimo, the Earps, the Clantons, and "Curley Bill" Brocius were on center stage. Important locations include Fort Bowie, Galeyville, Paradise, Portal, and Rodeo. Hayes' book will be most meaningful to those with at least passing acquaintance with Southeastern Arizona from the Dragoon Mountains east through the Sulphur Springs Valley and Chiricahua Mountains to the San Simon Valley, Peloncillo Mountains, and Animas Valley of New Mexico. If, as I have, you have visited Chiricahua National Monument, gone birding in Cave Creek Canyon, stopped at the monument to Geronimo's surrender in Skeleton Canyon, viewed a staged shootout in Tombstone, or yearned to learn more about the days of the Butterfield Stage and Apache Pass, this is the book for you. Hayes admirably includes a short section describing the geological and ecological setting of Southeastern Arizona, including three maps at various scales. In several sections of the book, Hayes also provides photographs of some of the many people whose lives, difficulties, and adventures he aptly describes. One minor criticism is that even more map detail would have been useful for tracing the exact movements of people through the Chiricahuas and adjacent ranges and valleys down into Sonora and Chihuahua, although sufficient detail is present to see the major outlines of those journeys. I enjoyed Hayes' book because it taught me why Portal, Paradise, and Rodeo are there at all and revealed the human, often tragic, struggles of those who settled (or were displaced from) Southeastern Arizona. I highly recommend this book to those with similar interests.

Portal and Paradise are tiny communities on the east slope of the Chiricahua mountains of Arizona. They are delectable places in the high desert, and the Chiricahuas are possibly the finest of Arizona's "sky islands" -- isolated green and lush mountain ranges that rise precipitously from the desert.

The history of the Chiricahuas matches the appeal of the scenery. Coronado marched through this region in 1540; the Apaches made it their home; and Gringo ranchers and miners arrived in the 19th century. Billy the Kid killed his first man in the Chiricahuas; Curley Bill, John Ringo, Cochise, and Wyatt Earp are part of their history; Geronimo surrendered for the last time in 1886 just across the valley.

As is apparent from the lengthy title, the author has a sense of humor and that contributes to the appeal of this book as he plows through centuries of history and events. As he moves into the 20th century, he gets much more upclose and personal with the people -- and it's a sparse population -- who inhabit the region. He first lived in Portal in 1936 and he knew many of the oldtimers who settled in the region. He carries the history up to about 1940 with tales of the people who tried, and usually failed, to make a living of mining and ranching in this land of little rain and less opportunity. I love the quote heading one of his chapters: "Arizona would be a desirable place to live if it had more water and a better class of people." A few good black and white photographs illustrate the people and the land.

Today, as the author points out, the Chiricahuas are visited more by birdwatchers than by bandits. That's progress, I guess. The author has done a fine job preserving and recording the history of the Chiricahuas and the people who lived here before the birdwatchers arrived.

Smallchief