Wildest of the Wild West

The "Wild West" stories of Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone pale in comparison to the incredible story of Las Vegas, New Mexico, for decades considered the most violent community on America's Western frontier. Due largely to is strategic location on the historic Santa Fe Trail, and laster as an end-of-track town on the westward pushing Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, the Hispanic farm and ranch community reeled under the impact of Indian warfare, conquering armies, insurrectionists, outlaws and gunfighters, and an ever increasing tide of immigrants from Eastern states. Wildest of the Wild West is not a community history as such, but rather a compilation of violent, dramatic, and melodramatic events that shook the New Mexico town over a 60-year period from 1835 to 1915.^ Most of these tales, many published here for the first time in books form, were drawn from the pages of early newspapers, and the text includes generous samples of the informal style, wit , and humor of frontier journalists in describing events of the day. The tales are not confined to Las Vegas itself, but extend up and down the Santa Fe Trail and the rail line that succeeded it. Las Vegas. however, is always the focal point. Dramatic highlights include the true stories of an Apache chief's daughter who chose death to dishonor, the first hanging of a woman on the Western frontier, and Italian hermit who sought solitude on a mountain peak, midnight lynchings from the "hanging windmill," secret outlaw gangs that included members of the police force, a heavyweight title bout, and the filming of some of the earliest Western movies.^ the book is illustrated with vintage black-and-white photographs, drawn from historical photo archives, and includes an introduction by Max Evans, prominent Western author, novelist, and screen writer. With this book, Las Vegas, New Mexico, (not to be confused with Las Vegas, Nevada), truly takes its place in history as the "Wildest of the Wild West" -- Book jacket.