While the colonial and territorial periods in New Mexico history have been well documented, and in fact helped create the myth of the American West, the contemporary period remains largely unexamined. This collection of essays remedies that lack by examining the dramatic social, economic, and political changes that have occurred in the course of the twentieth century. Thirteen essays present case studies of farm families, groundwater law, mining, Native American experiences, ranch culture, the role of the military in the states economy, the development of the penitentiary system, organized labor, the tuberculosis industry, public health nurses, tourism, and World War II Japanese internment camps. A bibliographic essay provides additional resources for teachers and students, and a photographic essay illustrates the states diversity.