Dawson NM

They came from near and far to attend Dawson talk at Highlands University

By Nick Pappas / November 25, 2024 / Comments Off on They came from near and far to attend Dawson talk at Highlands University

I’ll go pretty much anywhere to speak about Dawson. So I didn’t give distance a second thought when I was invited to present this month at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M., roughly a 130-mile, one-way trip from my Albuquerque home. Gary Torres did me one better. The 72-year-old son of a coal…

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Some thoughts on Dawson reunion 2024 … 74 years after the town was no more

By Nick Pappas / September 12, 2024 / Comments Off on Some thoughts on Dawson reunion 2024 … 74 years after the town was no more

Where to begin? That’s the challenge in trying to describe what it was like to attend this year’s biennial Dawson reunion over Labor Day weekend on the old townsite. Two years ago, when I came to my first reunion, I was about a month away from submitting the final version of my manuscript to the…

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Dawson history celebrated at Tucumcari Railroad Museum event

By Nick Pappas / July 17, 2024 / Comments Off on Dawson history celebrated at Tucumcari Railroad Museum event

A funny thing happened moments into my Dawson book presentation Saturday afternoon at the Tucumcari Railroad Museum. A roaring freight train rushed by the depot, interrupting my talk and prompting laughter among the roughly 50 folks in attendance. “That seems appropriate,” I said, before playfully pointing to a gentleman in the audience. “Frank, that was…

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True West magazine calls ‘Crosses of Iron’ an ‘instant classic’

By Nick Pappas / June 25, 2024 / Comments Off on True West magazine calls ‘Crosses of Iron’ an ‘instant classic’

As a first-time book author, I will forever be grateful to the writers and publications that have published positive reviews of Crosses of Iron since its release by the University of New Mexico Press this past October. That includes David Steinberg at the Albuquerque Journal, Jim Frost at the New Mexico Genealogist and David Caffey…

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Nick Pappas signs copies of his book, "Crosses of Iron: The Tragic Story of Dawson, New Mexico, and Its Twin Mining Disasters," on Nov. 11 at Treasure House Books & Gifts in Albuquerque. (Photo by Susan Pappas)

Dawson presentations/book-signing calendar

By Nick Pappas / April 23, 2024 / Comments Off on Dawson presentations/book-signing calendar

This list will be updated as new events are confirmed. No presentations or book signings are scheduled at this time.

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‘Crosses of Iron’ to receive book award from Historical Society of New Mexico

By Nick Pappas / April 17, 2024 / Comments Off on ‘Crosses of Iron’ to receive book award from Historical Society of New Mexico

Two years ago, while making revisions to my manuscript, I remember receiving a marketing questionnaire from a University of New Mexico Press publicist, seeking my input on marketing my upcoming book, Crosses of Iron. Among the questions: “Do you know of any awards for which your book qualifies that should be considered for submission? Please…

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It’s now official: There will be a Dawson reunion in 2024

By Nick Pappas / March 26, 2024 / Comments Off on It’s now official: There will be a Dawson reunion in 2024

Even in today’s uncertain times, there are certain things you can count on: The sun will rise in the East. Thanksgiving will fall on a Thursday. And, if it’s an even year, Dawson folks will come together for another reunion. So it came as no surprise to learn last week that the Dawson New Mexico…

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New Mexico public library to host book-signing in April

By Nick Pappas / March 5, 2024 / Comments Off on New Mexico public library to host book-signing in April

A funny thing happened a few weeks ago when I attended a book-signing event for a former Albuquerque Journal colleague. I was invited to do one of my own. On Feb. 17, I drove to the Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo, New Mexico, to show my support for Rosalie Rayburn, whom I met during…

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Book review in High Country magazine 

By Nick Pappas / January 11, 2024 / Comments Off on Book review in High Country magazine 

David Caffey is no stranger to Dawson, New Mexico, having worked for a time as a chief ranger for the Philmont Scout Ranch in nearby Cimarron. That’s why I’m particularly grateful for his review of Crosses of Iron that appeared last month in High Country, the bimonthly magazine of the Philmont Staff Association. Coincidentally, I mentioned…

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Book review in the New Mexico Genealogist

By Nick Pappas / January 10, 2024 / Comments Off on Book review in the New Mexico Genealogist

Two days after Christmas, I received an email from Jim Frost, editor of the New Mexico Genealogist, notifying me that his review of Crosses of Iron was published in the December issue of the New Mexico Genealogical Society’s quarterly journal. I got to know Jim as a colleague during my time at the Albuquerque Journal. He…

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