Desert Lawmen: The High Sheriffs of New Mexico and Arizona Territories, 1846-1912

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments The author desires to recognize the many acts of kindness that made this book possible. Among the institutions that provided assistance were the National Archives and the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; the Special Collections Department, Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico Albuquerque; the Museum of New Mexico Historical Library and the State Library and Archives, Santa Fe; the Rio Grande Collection and the Rare Books Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces; the Chaves County Historical Society, Roswell; the Arizona Historical Society and the Special Collections Department, University of Arizona, Tucson; the Special Collections Department and the Arizona Historical Foundation , in the Hayden Library, Arizona State University, Tempe; the Phoenix Public Library;the SpecialCollections Department, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff; the Sharlot Hall Museum, Prescott ; the Nita Stewart Haley Library, Midland, Texas; the Special Collections Department, Universityof Texas at El Paso; the El Paso Public Library; and the Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis. Many individuals have provided very valuable aid. John P. and Cheryl Wilson of Las Cruces, New Mexico, deserve special mention . Not only did the hospitality of their home ease the tedium of long research stints but their knowledge of people and sources for this book was very valuable. Jack took time away from his personal work to make availablecopies of numerous documents that otherwise would have been missed, and he graciously guided this writer on a firsthand tour of historic Lincoln, New Mexico. As rare book librarian at New Mexico State University, CheryPs knowledge of the literature of the Southwest was especially informative. Many xi xii / Acknowledgments other persons also deserve recognition. They include, Bruce Dinges , editor of the Journal of Arizona History, Blaise Gagliano, archivist (retired) of the Arizona State Library and Archives; Bonnie Greer of Flagstaff; Melba M. McCaskill, a descendant of Deputy Sheriff William Voris of Gila County, Arizona; and Barbara J. Judge, a member of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, in Phoenix . John Grassham, now of the Southwest Research Institute at the University of New Mexico, provided translations of records pertaining to the earliest Taos County sheriffs. Dennis Rousey, a colleague in the Department of History, Arkansas State University, generously provided data about lawmen gleaned from New Mexico territorial censuses. Some material from this book appeared in the following journals: "Frontier Sheriffs at Work,"Journal of Arizona History 27 (Autumn 1986): 283-96; "TheFrontier Sheriff's Role in Law and Order," Western Legal History 4 (Winter/Spring 1991): 13-25. My thanks also go to the staff of the Dean B. Ellis Library, Arkansas State University, for many courtesies over the years. Margaret Daniels and her assistants in the interlibrary loan department demonstrated much patience and the willingness to go to the extra step to obtain hard-to-find works that facilitated myresearch. Andfinally,my appreciation goes out to Ruth, mywife, and Dur, my son. Ruth not only read and reread chapters but patiently shared her dining room table with piles of notes for months on end. Dur, who is a doctoral candidate at the Universityof New Mexico, made many useful suggestions and provided encouragement when this task appeared beyond fulfillment. To the many persons whose names I have failed to mention, thanks to you all. Desert Lawmen This page intentionally left blank ...