Chuck Olson

Chuck's family came to New Mexico in 1880 in a covered wagon across the Llano Estacado from Texas. His Grandfather and grandmother were married in Seminole Texas in 1906 with the first marriage license ever issued in Gaines County. His Grandfather became the Marshall in a small town in southeast New Mexico in 1916.

After a successful business career, Chuck and his wife, Kathy, purchased land in the Mimbres River Valley in Southwest New Mexico. It was an idyllic place with lush green irrigated fields and tall cottonwood trees lining the river. Their registered black angus bull, Lethal Weapon, whose prowness as a bull became legendary, at least in Chuck's mind, was lord of his herd of heifers. Chuck loves paint horses and he bought a beautiful registered paint mare for his wife named Provocative Legs. Legs was a perfect representation of what every horse should be: tall, strong and intelligent, with great stamina. Legs was an impressive cutting horse who loved her work.

An old adobe building on the place that dated from the 1800's had been home to the family of Santiago McKinn. Santiago, at age 10, was kidnapped by Geronimo in 1885. Santiago spoke both Spanish and English at the time he was kidnapped. When the boy reluctantly returned home, he would only speak Apache and Spanish. Chuck plans a book about the adventures of Santiago McKinn soon.

After a horse accident, Chuck sports a titanium knee and is relegated to riding a swivel wheeled desk chair these days. He and Kathy live in Las Cruces, NM.