Roadside History of New Mexico (Roadside History Series) [Hardcover]

Francis L. Fugate (Author), Roberta B. Fugate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1989 | Series: Roadside History Series

1990 Western Writers of America Spur Award. New Mexico's heritage spans more than four and a half centuries. Roadside History of New Mexico brings the state's history to vibrant life.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It provides a skillfully crafted . . . synthesis of the historical background of countless communities and other sites along the roadsides that crisscross New Mexico's vast landscape." --Journal of the West --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 483 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Pr (October 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087842248X
• ISBN-13: 978-0878422487
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,710,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a history buff - get Roadside., December 16, 2003

By 

Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roadside History of New Mexico (Roadside History Series) (Paperback)

Eureka! What a find. Besides being a phenomenal ROADSIDE history book (best used with an automobile traveling the highways and byways), it is worth the purchase for the 100s of black & white photos that are found throughout the book. In my recent two week of travel through New Mexico there was not a ghost town, pueblo, town or city that was not expounded upon.

Folks, this is a wonderful book, and works best as a supplement to a good traveling guide (my recommendation is Fodor's New Mexico [see my review]). Now, I will admit that traveling guides usually have a brief sketch of the history of locations, but Roadside History expands that and the photos are priceless. Strongly recommended

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, May 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Roadside History of New Mexico (Roadside History Series) (Paperback)

This book is really fascinating. I was thinking about getting another book on the history of New Mexico but I wasn't quite sure about it. The sales clerk at a bookstore in Sante Fe recommended that I get this one.I didn't even see it until she pointed it out to me. Boy, am I glad she did!
Once I started looking at it at the bookstore I found it so interesting that I could literally not stop reading it.I guess that was a good sign that I should buy it.
My boyfriend and I have never been to New Mexico- and as we drove through little towns along the way I opened up the book and read about the history behind each town. It was very informative and helpful.
It has great black and white photos and neat drawings that depict the historical events in a fascinating fashion.
Every town is mentioned- even tiny ones that no one has ever heard of such as: Wagon Mound, Maxwell, Embudo, Watrous, Valmora, Tatum, Dora, Lingo, White Rock, etc....
It mentions Los Alomos and the Manhattan Project, Taos, Albuquerque, etc...
This book gives a history of each town, how and when it was founded, by whom, and in some cases how the town got its name.
I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a book about New Mexico, October 1, 2005

By 

Mike Smith (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Roadside History of New Mexico (Roadside History Series) (Paperback)

I like this book. I do. But I'm just not crazy about it.

It's a fairly handy reference, and has a good index, and it especially has a lot of good information on a lot of southern New Mexico towns like Radium Springs and Fort Seldon. Factually, it's great.

The way it divides the state up into sections however seems somewhat random--into areas that were into cattle, areas that were affected by the railroad, et cetera--and unless you are very familiar with these areas, you may find the book awkward to use. The book also passes over New Mexico's best ghost towns--Hagan and Tejon and the others on La Madera Road--but it's full of facts, and is pretty readable.

If you are looking to build a small New Mexico library, definitely get this book.

But if you just want one book on New Mexico, get Robert Julyan's "The Place Names of New Mexico." It's better organized and has more of the places you mighr want to know about.