Recollections of a Western Ranchman

Captain William French’s first-hand account of running the WS Ranch at Alma, New Mexico from 1883 to 1899 — the Apache wars, the Elfego Baca siege, and the Wild Bunch working his outfit under aliases.

Context: Methuen, London, 1927. Long out of print and hard to find; reprinted by High-Lonesome Books and available as an audiobook.

Why it’s on the list: The dates are exact: French arrives in New Mexico in 1883, the year Kyle’s family settled Luna, and writes through 1899 — from a ranch on the same river, downstream. There is no other outside eyewitness to that decade.

Where I saw it: Recommended by Debbie Lee alongside her four-part Catron County Centennial History, posted publicly by the Catron County Historical Society in April 2022. It is part of the Catron County reading list assembled for the Luna novel research — the county Kyle’s family town sits in.

Debbie Lee’s note: “Set mainly on the WS Ranch at Alma, NM. Excellent first hand account of events near Alma and Reserve NM in 1880’s. Can be hard to find but is in circulation at this time.”

Connections

• William French — the author
• Elfego Baca — the 1884 Frisco siege, which French covers
• Ranches of Catron County — the WS Ranch entry
• Luna, New Mexico — settled 1883, the year French arrives