Borderlander

Ralph Adam Smith

ISBN 10: 0806130415 / ISBN 13: 9780806130415

Published by University of Oklahoma Press, US, 2000

About this Item

James Kirker, ""Indian fighter,"" is among the most infamous characters of the American West. In his exhaustively researched biography, Ralph Adam Smith explores the controversy surrounding the life of this frontier figure. Kirker emigrated from Ireland to New York City in 1810. In the years that followed, he was a privateer (in the War of 1812), a British captive, a merchant, a mountain man, the head of a private army, and a dominant figure in New Mexico politics.When Apache and Comanche Indians from the United States began raiding frequently in northern Mexico, the Mexican government, in desperation, turned to bounty warfare, signing five contracts with ""Don Santiago"" Kirker to defend the borderland region. He became known throughout the West for his ""effective and inexpensive"" methods of killing Indians.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780806130415

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Borderlander
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, US
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0806130415
• ISBN 13: 9780806130415
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Dimensions: 15.24W x 2.22H x 22.86D centimeters 15.24 centimeters width by 2.22 centimeters height by 22.86 centimeters depth
• Weight: 606 grams

About this title

Synopsis

James Kirker, "Indian fighter," is among the most infamous characters of the American West. In his exhaustively researched biography, Ralph Adam Smith explores the controversy surrounding the life of this frontier figure. Kirker emigrated from Ireland to New York City in 1810. In the years that followed, he was a privateer (in the War of 1812), a British captive, a merchant, a mountain man, the head of a private army, and a dominant figure in New Mexico politics.

When Apache and Comanche Indians from the United States began raiding frequently in northern Mexico, the Mexican government, in desperation, turned to bounty warfare, signing five contracts with "Don Santiago" Kirker to defend the borderland region. He became known throughout the West for his "effective and inexpensive" methods of killing Indians.

About the Author

Ralph Adam Smith was Emeritus Professor of History at Abilene Christian University, Texas, and the author of numerous articles on the history of the American Southwest.