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History of New Mexico

Histories and Source Documents

I have no general history of the territory or state onsite yet, and for now only this one book, although another item is on its way; a fair amount though of New Mexico material — scattered thru a number of more general books on the history of the American West, usually in connection with the Mexican War, the building of the railroads, and of course camels — can be found onsite: see the orientation page to American history; for example, a good treatment of the region's history under Spain is given in Bolton's The Spanish Border­lands, chapter 6, "New Mexico".

[A lithograph of a Western scene. In the background, a gently hilly landscape with one distant snow-covered peak on the viewer's right. In the foreground, a dirt road traveled by a group of some thirty men, some on muleback, accompanying two covered wagons and several oxen; they are traveling toward the viewer's right and generally into the background, where a small town canned be dimly made out. Many of the men are raising their hats high in the air. The scene depicts the arrival of a caravan at Santa Fé, New Mexico in the 1840s, and serves as the icon on my site for the book by James Josiah Webb, 'Adventures in the Santa Fé Trade, 1844‑1847'.]

Adventures in the Santa Fé Trade, 1844‑1847, by James Josiah Webb, is his first-hand account (1888) of his first travels as a dry-goods merchant along the Santa Fé Trail and into Mexico. A good deal of information about the Trail and the trading, and about Santa Fé, Taos and New Mexico in the 19c; but definitely also the adventures: not only the difficulties of wagon trains in the West — terrain, hostile Indians — but the added peculiarities of American citizens conducting business in a country with which their government was at war.

[ primary source: 301 printed pages
presented in 11 webpages; 8 illustrations ]

[A blank rectangle, on which, centered and occupying about 20% of its area, a circle from which radiate equidistantly four sets of four lines each, the two center lines being slightly longer than the outside lines. It is the flag of the State of New Mexico.]

The icon I use to indicate this subsite is the flag of the State of New Mexico.

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Site updated: 19 Jan 22

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