Preservation: The Storm Takes Away...
Categories: Preservation: You Can Help
By: Mark Boardman 04/01/2008
Baca in Bronze
Elfego Baca is best known for an 1884 dust-up in Reserve, New Mexico. The 19-year-old deputy arrested a carousing cowboy, whose pals decided that was a bad idea. About 80 of them cornered Baca in a house. For 36 hours, they shot more than 400 bullets through the place—none of which hit their target. Baca was more accurate. He either killed one or four of his attackers, and he also wounded a handful of others before authorities intervened.
On May 24, Baca finally gets what’s coming to him—in bronze, not lead. A full-sized statue of the man (left), by sculptor James Muir, will be unveiled in Reserve—on the site of the hut where Baca held off the cowboys in ’84. A $7.9 million museum is also planned. Backers are seeking funds for that project.
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