Donna Blake Birchell's Books

Tall Tales and Half Truths of Clay Allison

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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Tall Tales and Half Truths of Clay Allison

By: Donna Blake Birchell

Sort outlandish fiction from no-less-outrageous fact in this wild ride with the West's Gentleman Gunfighter. Robert Andrew Clay Allison was a jumble of contradictions. Mentally unstable and mean as a rattlesnake, he was also a fierce defender of the innocent. A hard drinker but a quiet-spoken man. A hell raiser who was an impromptu preacher. He was as feared for his prowess with pistol and Bowie knife as he was famous for loving whiskey and dancing. Largely forgotten today, his legend once sprawled across the frontier from Cimarron to Mobeetie, where he was known to careen drunkenly through the streets wearing only his gunbelt and his boots. Donna Blake Birchell places one of New Mexico's most fascinating figures back among his more well-chronicled peers.

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Page Count

128

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467151033

ISBN 13

9781467151030

Frontier Forts and Outposts of New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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Frontier Forts and Outposts of New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell

Life in early New Mexico was often perilous. Geographic isolation attracted outlaws and ruffians, and skirmishes often arose between the indigenous tribes and settlers. In response, the U.S. government set up military forts and outposts to protect its new citizens. These strongholds include Fort Craig, where logs were made to look like cannons to fool Confederate troops. Kit Carson, John Pershing and Billy the Kid all called Fort Stanton home, before it became the first federal tuberculosis sanatorium and later a detention center for German prisoners of war. Author Donna Blake Birchell relates little-known yet highly important Civil War battles, the tragedies of the Navajo and Mescalero Apache internments and other dramatic frontier stories.

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Page Count

160

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439668582

ISBN 13

9781439668580

McKittrick Canyon

A Beautiful History

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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McKittrick Canyon

A Beautiful History

By: Donna Blake Birchell

The Guadalupe Mountains hold what some call the most beautiful spot in Texas. Once home to the Mescalero Apaches, McKittrick Canyon is an alluring wonderland of lush and abundant flora and fauna. It is named for Captain Felix McKittrick, who acquired the land for ranching in 1869. Legends of lost Spanish gold mines drew many unsuccessful prospectors before the turn of the century. Later, through the monumental efforts of early landowners J.C. Hunter Sr. and Wallace Pratt, the canyon was preserved as a pristine portion of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Each fall, eager visitors witness a vibrant show headlined by bigtooth maple and a variety of oak trees. Join author Donna Blake Birchell in an exploration of McKittrick Canyon's colorful history.

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Page Count

161

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1625853491

ISBN 13

9781625853493

New Mexico Wine

An Enchanting History

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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New Mexico Wine

An Enchanting History

By: Donna Blake Birchell

Every vine has a story, and nearly four hundred years ago, New Mexico's wine journey began when the first Mission grapes were planted in 1629. Taste this rich legacy, the oldest in the United States, in Donna Blake Birchell's account of the turmoil and triumph that shaped today's burgeoning industry. Despite greedy Spanish monarchs, prim teetotalers and the one-hundred-year flood's gift of root rot and alkaline deposits, New Mexico winemakers continue to harvest the fruits of sun-soaked volcanic soils and clear skies, blending their family stories with the vines and traditions of the Old World. Raise a toast and join Birchell on the trail of New Mexico's enchanted wines as she explores the heritage of more than fifty wineries in four distinct wine-growing regions.

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Page Count

145

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1614238901

ISBN 13

9781614238904

Haunted Hotels and Ghostly Getaways of New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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Haunted Hotels and Ghostly Getaways of New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell

True to its nickname, New Mexico enchants some souls so much they never leave. The Express St. James of Cimarron plays host to the cantankerous spirit of former owner Thomas James "T.J." Wright. At the Trinity Hotel in Carlsbad, Miss Ruby occasionally pranks unwitting guests and still cares for the rooms where she once worked. The gentle ghost of Julie Staab sits weeping at the bar of La Posada when not running bath water in her former room. And in death, Byron T. Mills looks over the Las Vegas Plaza Hotel he owned and neglected in life. Local author Donna Blake Birchell shares the chilling stories of these permanent spectral guests.

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Page Count

143

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439665168

ISBN 13

9781439665169

Eddy County

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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Eddy County

By: Donna Blake Birchell

Eddy County's 4,198 square miles were carved from the massive land holdings of Lincoln County, then the largest county in the United States, on February 25, 1889. Early Spanish explorers and Native Americans had used the seemingly endless water supply of the Pecos River, which bisects the county, as a trail to the north. Seven Rivers, the first settlement in the Pecos Valley, battled the newly formed town of Eddy for the honor of remaining county seat. Eddy won by a vote of 331 for and 83 against. Although born in lawlessness and diversity, the county flourished as the discoveries of oil, gas, and potash brought industry to support the established fertile agricultural and cattle foundations. This volume explores the early founding families and pioneers and brings to light many of the long-forgotten towns of Dayton, Lookout, Oriental, and Globe that helped form the Eddy County of today.

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Page Count

132

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

0738579416

ISBN 13

9780738579412

New Mexico Ghost Towns

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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New Mexico Ghost Towns

By: Donna Blake Birchell

Promises of riches from gold, silver, copper and zinc ores attracted thousands of treasure seekers to the Land of Enchantment. Boomtowns blossomed across the rugged wilderness until the trifecta of the Silver Panic of 1893, World War I and the Great Depression collapsed the economy. Explore the vacant relics of once vibrant communities. Some are well preserved and others are but a whisper of their former selves, but all have a story to tell. From the lessons still scrawled across the chalkboards of the abandoned Cedarvale School to the forgotten talismans of the Turquoise Trail, accompany author Donna Blake Birchell on her trek through the ghost towns of New Mexico.

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Page Count

192

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467148261

ISBN 13

9781467148269

Hidden History of Southeast New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell & John LeMay

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Hidden History of Southeast New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell & John LeMay

Outlaws, cattlemen and a plethora of quirky pioneers once riddled southeastern New Mexico. In November 1892, E.W. Doll and J.B. Coates ignited rumors of an eight-foot petrified man in McKittrick Cave. A massive fire and subsequent shootout led to the demise of Phenix, one of the Old West's most scandalous towns. And in August 1932, Bonnie and Clyde kidnapped Carlsbad's Deputy Sheriff Joe Johns. Authors Donna Blake Birchell and John LeMay explore these little-known tales and more that have beguiled this region for centuries.

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144

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Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467137812

ISBN 13

9781467137812

Legendary Locals of Carlsbad

By: Donna Blake Birchell and the Southeastern New Mexico Historical Society

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Legendary Locals of Carlsbad

By: Donna Blake Birchell and the Southeastern New Mexico Historical Society

Born from opportunity and a promotional scheme hatched by founding father Charles B. Eddy, Carlsbad started life as a tent city on a desolate landscape. As the investment money started to flow, the Pecos River was harnessed through the creation of irrigation, which turned the region into a rich, fertile valley. As tuberculosis swept the nation, hundreds of new settlers arrived in Carlsbad for the arid climate. Legendary Locals of Carlsbad celebrates their descendants who forged the community of today. Learn about socialite Cesarine Graves, daredevil and "Mr. Welcome" Frank Kindel, actors Dan Blocker and Bruce Cabot, drag racer Dick Harrell, newscaster Linda Wertheimer, astronaut F. Drew Gaffney, and baseball star Cody Ross, to name but a few. Included also are the tales of the trials and heroism shown and faced by all the veterans of wars that Carlsbad provided, especially the World War II veterans of the Bataan Death March, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Page Count

128

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467102261

ISBN 13

9781467102261

Carlsbad and Carlsbad Caverns

By: Donna Blake Birchell,Carlsbad Public Library

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Carlsbad and Carlsbad Caverns

By: Donna Blake Birchell,Carlsbad Public Library

Created by the visionary Charles B. Eddy, Carlsbad rose from the humble beginnings of a tent city to become a vital community on the banks of the Pecos River. One of the largest irrigation projects known at that time made the transformation possible. The Carlsbad Caverns, discovered by James Larkin White and documented by local photographer Ray V. Davis, introduced the world to the wonders that lay beneath the desert surface. World War II saw Carlsbad members of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery units being thrown into the midst of the Bataan Death March. With the discovery of a large deposit of potash east of town, agriculture flourished nationwide and prosperity returned to the town. As the country moved into the nuclear age, Carlsbad once again played a significant role. The detonation of the Gnome Project in 1961 and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant of the present day have provided the country with vital knowledge and nuclear waste storage.

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132

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Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439624615

ISBN 13

9781439624616

New Mexico Mission Churches

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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New Mexico Mission Churches

By: Donna Blake Birchell

Before Spanish rule, the land now known as New Mexico was inhabited by many indigenous tribes and pueblos with their own religious beliefs. When conquistadors arrived to search for the Seven Cities of Gold, they created settlements in the pueblos they conquered and forced Catholicism on the people they enslaved. While several of these original missions were destroyed during the Revolt of 1680, the surviving churches are cherished by the communities they now serve. Author Donna Blake Birchell guides you through the unique histories of more than twenty mission churches, their struggles and triumphs over the centuries and the preservation challenges they now face.

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Page Count

176

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467144932

ISBN 13

9781467144933

Wicked Women of New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell

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Wicked Women of New Mexico

By: Donna Blake Birchell

New Mexico Territory attracted outlaws and desperados as its remote locations guaranteed non-detection while providing opportunists the perfect setting in which to seize wealth. Many wicked women on the run from their pasts headed there seeking new starts before and after 1912 statehood. Colorful characters such as Bronco Sue, Sadie Orchard and Lizzie McGrath were noted mavens of mayhem, while many other women were notorious gamblers, bawdy madams or confidence tricksters. Some paid the ultimate price for crimes of passion, while others avoided punishment by slyly using their beguiling allure to influence authorities. Follow the raucous tales of these wild women in a collection that proves crime in early New Mexico wasn't only a boys' game.

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