by Craig Holden (Author), C. W. "buddy" Ritter (Author) Mesilla Comes Alive: A History of Mesilla and Its Valley tells the story of one of the iconic towns of the old west, from the arrival of the Spanish in the XVI century to the granting of statehood to New Mexico in 1912. Written in short, entertaining, informative sections, and loaded with custom maps, archival photos and other illuminating illustrations, Mesilla Comes Alive provides a fascinating journey back in time and includes stories of such notable and colorful figures as Don Juan Onate, Santa Anna, Billy the Kid, Albert Fountain Pat Garrett, and many others. The book also puts forward several interesting theories that contradict the accepted history of the area, and includes two items -- a newly discovered photo of Billy the Kid and a short history of Mesilla written by Albert Fountain -- that have not previously appeared in any book. Mesilla Comes Alive breaks new ground while telling the story of a very old place. This description is for both the Black & White and color editions, but the color edition is only available through the estore: https: //www.createspace.com/5164710 Author Biography C.W. "Buddy" Ritter is a fifth generation native of Mesilla and Las Cruces. He studied at Tulane, received his graduate degree from NMSU, and did post-graduate work at Michigan State University, becoming the first Certified Hotel Administrator in the state of New Mexico. Over the course of 53 years he has owned four hotels, eleven restaurants and two breweries in New Mexico and Arizona. He is currently the owner of Peppers and the Double Eagle on the Plaza in Mesilla. His office in the front of the Double Eagle was once the surgical suite of his great-great grandfather Dr. Edwin Burt, who arrived in Mesilla in the 1870s and is pictured in this book. Craig Holden is the author of six novels, including Four Corners of Night (Delacorte), which won the Great Lakes Book Award and, most recently, Matala (Simon & Schuster). He received his graduate degree from the University of Montana and has taught previously at the University of Toledo and the University of Michigan. He currently lives with his children in Las Cruces and, when he is not writing his own books, works as a freelance writer and editor and also teaches at New Mexico State University. Number of Pages: 238 Dimensions: 0.5 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN Publication Date: December 17, 2014