Raton, New Mexico, where the west began for those from eastern states, had a wild and wonderful beginning. Here is the complete story, as gleaned from newspaper reports from the late 1800s and pioneer oral histories. Gun fights, lynchings, land wars, construction of the city's opera house and much more about how this rare American community grew. This is true western history at its vibrant best in a re-publication of a unique book printed in 1948.