The American Dream

1866.  The Civil War is over.  Years after the emergence of the Gold Rush along the West Coast of the United States.  The idea of the American dream steadily grew, not just within the widening border of the United States, but this theory spread globally.  Foreign Immigrants flocked toward the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”  The idea of new opportunity and the abundance of stories depicting the act of “striking it rich,” appealed to many people of different backgrounds.  Crime was also beginning to run rampant.  Especially in the South West, cattle rustlers and bandits were more than a few and many suffered at the hands of these villains.

Westward expansion increased as citizens migrated toward Nevada, Utah, Oregon and California.  While credit for the most famous path West is held by the Oregon Trail, The Old Spanish trail still hosted many travelers hoping to reach California from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Ortíz family lived in Casas Grandes Mexico, just South of the Mexican and American border.  They worked as cattle ranchers as they had inherited the family farm.  After constantly falling victim to cattle rustlers, the eldest child, Guillermo, convinced his parents to leave the farmer’s life behind and head toward the golden hills of California.  Guillermo’s family packed up and moved to Santa Fe in order to raise the money to make the 700 mile journey along the Old Spanish Trail.

In Santa Fe Guillermo (18) worked as a bar hand in a saloon, his sister, Luna as a handmaid, his father, Calixto in the livery stable, and his mother, Maria as a seamstress.