African American History in New Mexico: Portraits from Five Hundred Years ed. by Bruce A. Glasrud (review)

New Mexico history books used to refer to the state as a land of three cultures: Anglo, Hispanic, and American Indian. One would think that no African Americans (or Asians, for that matter) have ever lived in the region. The omission of references to the African American presence in the Land of Enchantment underscores the wider neglect by many academic authors of the black experience in the western half of the United States. In the past quarter century or so, however, several historians have undertaken the task of correcting the record by drawing some much needed attention to the contributions of African Americans to the settlement and development of the American West.

One of these insightful scholars is Bruce Glasrud, who for many years taught at Sul Ross State University. Since his retirement, Glasrud has increased greatly the pace of his scholarly output. His contribution to the production of works on the history of African Americans in the American West has been particularly note-worthy in the area of bringing works written by others to a wider audience. While continuing to write the occasional essay, Glasrud has compiled a major bibliographical volume and several collections of articles.

Glasrud undertook this particular project because he realized that most of the topics one needs to discuss when compiling a volume on African Americans in the American West are relevant to New Mexico. A former resident of the state (he earned his master’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University), Glasrud is familiar with New Mexico history and the contributions African Americans have made to it. He begins his book, as he should, with a look at Estevanico—who was the first known African to enter New Mexico. Estevanico was the scout for an expedition sent in 1539 by Spanish authorities to search for seven fabled cities of gold. Estevanico was killed by natives near present-day Zuni, New Mexico. His expedition did not find gold, but it led to other Spanish attempts to find riches in the American Southwest. In tracking down these false rumors, Spanish officials increased their country’s presence in what is now the United States.

Other topics covered in this book include the creation of all-black towns, black U.S. Army troops (the famous “buffalo soldiers”) stationed in the state, discriminatory state and local laws, women, and the civil rights movement. To make up for the notable lack of a good article on black cowboys in New Mexico, Glasrud uses part of his introductory essay to discuss in some detail the state’s most famous nineteenth-century African American working cowboy, George McJunkin, who discovered some bison bones in the northeastern part of the state that date back several thousand years.

When compiling volumes of previously written articles into a book, editors invariably have problems with the fact that the available materials vary widely in length, style, quality, and scholarly significance. Glasrud obviously had to deal with that matter in producing this collection. Consequently, some of the book’s articles are not nearly as good as others. Moreover, he commissioned authors (including his nephew) to write two original essays on more recent events to bring the story up-to-date. Glasrud has deftly woven the articles he has chosen to use into a cohesive whole. The result of his work is a worthwhile volume that belongs on the shelves of every public and academic library in New Mexico.