Legendary Locals of Alamogordo

by Michael Ray Shinabery

Overview

By the time Alamogordo's founders platted the town in the late 1800s, bestowing it with the Spanish name for Fat Cottonwood, the region's lush grasses were luring cowboys such as Oliver Lee. Then, in 1941, an event more than 3,000 miles away changed the quiet community. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, chamber president Mose Cauthen quickly spearheaded bringing the Army's mission to train bomber pilots to the Tularosa Basin. During the Space Race, Dr. John Stapp oversaw the programs at Holloman Air Force Base that sent Joe Kittinger, Dave Simons, and "Demi" McClure floating heavenward underneath balloons. Soon after, Ed Dittmer was training chimpanzees to rocket out of Earth's atmosphere and prove man could survive in that hostile environment. Alamogordo is where the Old West melds with ever-evolving technology, along with a rich artistic and literary legacy championed by such women as Linnie Townsend, Maude Rathgeber, and Margaret Flickinger.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439653166
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/14/2015
Series:	Legendary Locals Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	39 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Michael Ray Shinabery is an educator at the New Mexico Museum of Space History. As a former reporter who hosts a radio talk show, he has enjoyed the history of the different places he has lived. After moving to Alamogordo in 1993, he soon discovered the works of local historians David Townsend, Clif McDonald, and Pete Eidenbach. Ever since that time, he has had a passion for passing along the local lore of Alamogordo's incredible past.