Nana’s raid is treated only briefly in most popular histories of the Apache Wars. I believe the old man who was hero (or villain, depending on your point of view) of this extraordinary saga deserves better. This is my attempt to gather the available facts, resolve various inconsistencies and contradictions in the narrative, and tell his tale as best I can. The old man crossed paths with a number of equally interesting characters during the course of his raid. Their stories are woven into his, and some of their photos are here.
The old Apaches insisted that their stories could only be told properly over a campfire. To help you understand what they meant, I’ve included a hiking, driving and camping guide that retraces Nana’s trail through New Mexico Territory in the summer of 1881.
For a brief overview of my researches and my (tentative) conclusions, a copy of my presentation to the 2016 Historical Society of NM annual conference is here.
You can follow my progress (and randomly related thoughts on topics that interest me) by checking Field Notes, which is kind of an intermittent blog. Questions or comments are welcome. Contact me direct at rhagan66@yahoo.com
Tracking Nana 