The American Occupation of New Mexico A panel discussion with the Western Writers of America

Join the Western Writers of America for a special event at the New Mexico History Museum during the group's annual conference. At 2 pm on Wednesday, June 13, James A. Crutchfield will lead a panel discussion on "The American Occupation of New Mexico," with panelists John Carson, Meg Frisbee, and Thomas E. Chavez.

The event is free with admission and open to the public, but seating in the History Museum Auditorium is limited.

Crutchfield, an author of numerous books on Southwestern history, will talk about the Taos Revolt of 1847. Crutchfield is the 2011 recipient of the Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement; his most recent publication is the two-volume reference work, The Settlement of America: Encyclopedia of Westward Expansion form Jamestown to the Closing of the Frontier. Carson, a descendant of Kit Carson, will discuss “The Most Curious Species of Foreign Intercourse: The Santa Fe Trail, 1821-1846.” He is a teacher and also serves as a park ranger and interpreter at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site near Lamar.

Frisbee, a visiting assistant professor of history at New Mexico State University, is a former managing editor of the New Mexico Historical Review. She will discuss “Laws and Provisional Government Under the Kearny Code.”

Download a high-resolution image of Stephen Watts Kearney by clicking on "Go to related images," below.

A former director of the Palace of the Governors and the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, Chavez will discuss “Conflict and Confusion at the Day of the Marriage: The Second Encounter.” This panel is jointly sponsored by the New Mexico History Museum and Western Writers of America.