Elfego Baca

Elfego Baca (1865–1945) was a legendary lawman, lawyer, and politician in the closing days of the American wild west.

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Elfego Baca was born in New Mexico just before the end of the American Civil War. His family later moved to Topeka, Kansas when he was a young child. Upon his mother?s death in 1880, Baca returned with his father to Belen, New Mexico where his father became a marshal.

Related Topics:
New Mexico - American Civil War - Topeka, Kansas - 1880 - Belen, New Mexico

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In 1884, at age 19, Baca stole some guns and bought a mail-order sheriff’s badge and more or less appointed himself deputy sheriff in Socorro County, New Mexico (near present-day Reserve, New Mexico).

Related Topics:
1884 - Socorro County, New Mexico - Reserve, New Mexico

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His goal in life was to be an top-notch peace officer. He wanted, he said, “the outlaws to hear my steps a block away.” Southwestern New Mexico was still relatively untamed, open cattle ranching country. Cowboys roamed the land and did pretty much as they pleased. They would come into town, drink at the saloon, harass the local Mexicans, and shoot up the town.

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