Fort Sumner: A Look Back [New Mexico]

The mention of Fort Sumner immediately brings the name of Billy the Kid to mind. Billy the Kid, arguably the most infamous and best known of the Wild West outlaws, was killed on July 14, 1881 in Fort Sumner by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Though not as well known as the outlaw, the Navajo and Apache reservation of Bosque Redondo was also located in the Fort Sumner area. It is virtually impossible to tell the story about Fort Sumner without including Billy the Kid and Bosque Redondo. Fort Sumner: A Look Back is about other events from Fort Sumner's past and only briefly includes both. The outlaw, Billy the Kid, and the infamous Indian reservation, Bosque Redondo, are both worthy of their own stories and many books have been written about both of them. There is certainly much more to Fort Sumner than Billy the Kid and Bosque Redondo. Fort Sumner: A Look Back uses old newspaper articles and other sources to tell the story of the other Fort Sumner. There are also many period photos used to help tell that story. Included are men such as Lovelace, Beaubien, Clancey, Parsons, De Graftenried, and Hunter and others who have very significantly contributed to the history of the area. There was once even an American vice-president who paid the area a visit. The old newspaper articles are quite interesting because they are written in a folksy style that was very popular when they were composed. Journalism and writing styles have certainly evolved over the years. The old articles also give the writers' perception of the events during that period of time. Fort Sumner: A Look Back is being written to help tell the story of the rich and colorful past of the former Guadalupe county community. In 1917, that community, Fort Sumner, achieved its goal of being the county seat of a new county. Reluctantly the citizens of Fort Summer accepted the name of De Baca for their new county. They had strived since statehood for the creation of their own county under the name of Sumner. The creation of De Baca county also meant that Fort Sumner could have its own high school. Fort Sumner high school opened for the 1917-18 school year and in May saw its first graduating senior class. A member of that class would eventually play an important role in bringing about an end to World War II.

Daniel B. Flores was born in Puerto de Luna, New Mexico in 1946, in the home of his paternal grandfather, Cipriano Flores. That is the same house where Billy the Kid ate his last Christmas dinner in 1880. In 1880 the house belonged to his maternal great-grandfather, Alexander Grzelachowski. Grzelachowski built the house in 1870. Grzelachowski's estate served as a combination residence and mercantile store. He is the oldest of thirteen children. The Flores family lived in Puerto de Luna until they moved to Santa Rosa in October 1959. Flores attended public schools in Puerto de Luna and Santa Rosa. After graduating from Santa Rosa High School in 1964, he enrolled at the University of New Mexico. He received a BA degree from the University of New Mexico in 1969 and an MA degree in Educational Administration from New Mexico Highlands University in 1984. He returned to Santa Rosa after graduating from UNM in 1969 and was employed by the Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools for over forty years. After working as a teacher for fifteen years, he spent the last twenty-five years of his educational career as an administrator. He served as middle school principal for two years and then was high school principal for seven years. He retired from the school system in July 2009 after working his last sixteen years as the school district's superintendent. He was inducted into the New Mexico Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2002. He was named the New Mexico School Superintendent of the Year in 2007 by the New Mexico School Superintendent's Association. He married his wife, the former Lupita Campos, in 1966. He credits her for helping him complete his college education. They are the parents of Daniel, Jr., Steve and Stephanie. Daniel and Lupita are also the proud grandparents of Marcus and Hannah, the children of Steve and his wife, Tina. The Flores family also welcomed a new grandchild in November 2013, Henry Augustus Flores Boyd, the son of daughter, Stephanie, and Alex Boyd. In September 2010 he and his wife were honored by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe as the recipients of the St. Francis of Assisi award for the Santa Rosa de Lima parish. The award was presented in a ceremony in Santa Fe at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis by Archbishop Michael Sheehan. The ceremony was the Archdiocese of Santa Fe's last official ceremony celebrating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Santa Fe.