In the latter half of the nineteenth century a number of talented and industrious individuals immigrated to New Mexico in search of wealth and prestige. Among these enterprising newcomers was a young lawyer from Missouri named Ralph Emerson Twitchell. Shrewd, audacious, and driven, Twitchell quickly distinguished himself from the others as an attorney, an orator, a publicist, and a historian. From the moment he stepped off the train in Las Vegas, Twitchell entrenched himself in his adopted home, working tirelessly to promote progress and to broadcast its many virtues.

A pillar of the New Mexico community, he spent more than forty years as a devoted civil servant. Inspired by the history, culture, and charm of old Santa Fe, he became one of the city's leading patrons and helped transform the ancient capital into a popular tourist destination. Yet he seems to be one of the most obscure and understudied figures in New Mexico history. Remembered solely for his achievements as a historian--his books articulated the idea of New Mexico for generations of Americans--Twitchell has otherwise been virtually ignored.

Ralph Emerson Twitchell's influential role in the modernization and development of New Mexico is now expansively detailed in this revelatory work.