Chasing the Santa Fe Ring
Power and Privilege in Territorial New Mexico
Anyone who has even a casual acquaintance with the history of New Mexico in the nineteenth century has heard of the Santa Fe Ring--seekers of power and wealth in the post-Civil War period famous for public corruption and for dispossessing landholders. Surprisingly, however, scholars have alluded to the Ring but never really described this shadowy entity, which to this day remains a kind of black hole in New Mexico's territorial history. David Caffey looks beyond myth and symbol to explore its history. Who were its supposed members, and what did they do to deserve their unsavory reputation? Were their actions illegal or unethical? What were the roles of leading figures like Stephen B. Elkins and Thomas B. Catron? What was their influence on New Mexico's struggle for statehood? Caffey's book tells the story of the rise and fall of this remarkably durable alliance.
This long over-due book-length study of the infamous Santa Fe Ring puts New Mexico's territorial politics in the broader context of corruption and politics in western states and at the national level during the Gilded Age. Caffey shows an impressive attention to detail, such as with his important appendix listing members of the Santa Fe Ring over several decades. A notable contribution to the study of the territorial period and the dynamics leading up to statehood in 1912.'--Laura Gómez, Professor of Law, UCLA, author of Manifest Destinies: The Making of the Mexican American Race
The Santa Fe Ring is the most maligned, least studied political and economic clique in New Mexico history. With masterful research and analysis, David Caffey has removed the veil of intrigue to reveal the Ring, its members, and its nefarious activities. This will be the definitive book on the Santa Fe Ring for decades to come.'--Richard Melzer, coauthor, A History of New Mexico Since Statehood
The most comprehensive examination of the Santa Fe Ring to date. Whether or not one agrees with the author's analysis and conclusions, he has succeeded in amassing a vast amount of information and sources that will provide scholars and general readers alike with enough food for thought to last a long time.'--Robert Tórrez, former State Historian of New Mexico and author of UFO's Over Galisteo and Other Stories of New Mexico's History
David L. Caffey has served as director of the University of New Mexico’s Harwood Library and Museum in Taos, director of Instructional Support Services at San Juan College in Farmington, and vice president for instruction at Clovis Community College.