When Cimarron Meant Wild: David Caffey’s Look at the Legacy of the Land

My personal favorite topic within my broader interest of Southwest history as a whole is without a doubt the Maxwell Land Grant. So today, I wanted to post a review on David Caffey’s When Cimarron Meant Wild, a look at the grant itself, as well as the land’s history.

In this book, Caffey explores themes surrounding Colfax County (which he often refers to as Cimarron Country), on which a tiny part of the historic Maxwell Land Grant sits (the entire grant was eventually surveyed to be 1.7 million acres). His emphasis on storytelling helps in engagement with his topic, combining historical facts with compelling narratives. Descriptive language and writing techniques bring individuals and events to life, giving the book a fiction feel, allowing readers to witness the conflict and struggle over land ownership, especially leading up to the Colfax County War. This quality of his writing draws in not only historians, but casual readers as well (many of the authors in this particular area of interest seem to possess that talent… but it could just be that it happens to be my area of interest as well!).

It is due to this writing style, perhaps, that drew me to talk about this book today. Caffey’s chronological exploration of the Cimarron Country – which I think is very helpful for people who may not be familiar with the topic – is part of what makes it so digestible and informative, whereas books like Maxwell Land Grant by William Keleher (one of my favorites – another easy to read telling), focuses on the formation and transitions of the grant itself and tends to jump around the timeline, or Translating Property by Maria Montoya, which looks at the transition of land ownership throughout the broader history, but is much more analytical. Caffey’s bigger picture, almost casual, look helps the reader understand the more complex topics that are so often present in history directly involving politics.

In his perhaps better known Chasing the Santa Fe Ring, Caffey also discusses the arrival and machinations of the Santa Fe Ring – a group of powerful businessmen and politicians during the period of the 1860s to 1910s involved in political and legal underhandedness that wildly affected the outcomes of land ownership and tenure in New Mexico. This group’s treatment of the land was often at the detriment of local communities and the original landholders, detailing the ways their involvement shaped the region’s socio-economic dynamics and challenged the land rights of those who had been in New Mexico for generations….. obviously an easy topic to understand (thank goodness he wrote a whole book on it!).

In a good portion of his book, Caffey discussed Lucien Maxwell, the land grant’s iconic owner whose lackadaisical business mindedness led to a collision between personal interests and historical implications of the land. Maxwell’s inability to effectively manage his land along with external systemic exploitation led to the erosion of local interests in favor for corporate gain, ultimately inducing the sale of the land grant to a British corporation, setting the stage for later conflict, namely the Colfax County War.

Caffey’s analysis draws clear connections between historical events and long-term ramifications, showing that the legacy of the Maxwell Land Grant continues to influence land use and ownership today. David Caffey’s treatment of the subject of the Maxwell Land Grant invites his readers to engage with the past and consider continuing narratives shaping the identity of not only Colfax County, but broader discussions and land ownership in the United States. His work helps illustrate the idea of a historic tapestry, interweaving diverse strands of the story, further encouraging the understanding of the legacy of the land.