The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 74, July 1970 - April, 1971 Page: 279
616 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Book Reviews
in order to advance her skills in a high school typing course, helps to
prove the value of "oral tradition." The book based on that typescript
will be of value to both the serious historian and the "buff," because
it employs a simple, straight-forward style as it deals with the romance
and adventure of life in the Old Southwest.
University of Nebraska, Omaha A. STANLEY TRICKETT
History of the Lincoln County War. By Maurice Garland Fulton.
Edited by Robert M. Mullin. (Tucson: University of Arizona
Press, 1968. Pp. 433. Introduction, illustrations, maps, index.
$8.50.)
For more than four decades, through the media of folklore, oral
tradition, and motion pictures, the turmoil which erupted in the
1870's in Lincoln County, Territory of New Mexico, has been de-
picted as a dramatic collision of strong-willed personalities, the most
notable of whom was William Bonney, alias Billy the Kid. Even
historical literature, with the exception of specialized studies, often
presented romanticized versions of that controversial event. For
these reasons the publication of Maurice Garland Fulton's History
of the Lincoln County War has answered the need for a definitive,
objective account of the turbulence in southeastern New Mexico
which had national and international repercussions.
In a readable, flowing style Fulton reconstructed the Lincoln
County War as a bitter confrontation between one faction of early
arrivals (the Murphy-Dolan-Riley organization), who virtually mo-
nopolized the pastoral-commercial outlets in the area, and a group
of later settlers (the Tlimstall-McSween-Chisum alliance), whose pres-
ence seriously challenged the security and control of the first party.
Aligned with the dominant clique was the so-called "Santa Fe Ring,"
a motley assortment of Republican officeholders including the ter-
ritorial governor and the U.S. district attorney, which had acquired
vested interests in Lincoln County. The involvement ol the territorial
press, as reflected in its biased accounts, clearly demonstrates the
validity of Fulton's thesis that economic-political considerations
transcended the confines of the Rio Pecos Valley.
As the fighting increased, with casualties on both sides, the com-
batants became identified as the McSween faction and the Dolan
crowd. Apart from the fact that Colonel Fulton presented as accurate279
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 74, July 1970 - April, 1971, periodical, 1971; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101200/m1/291/?rotate=270: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.