The American Southwest of the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth century was a magnet for young men seeking adventure. These men were analogous to Christopher "Kit" Carson, a saddler's apprentice who ran away from his workbench to become legendary frontiersmen, Indian agent, and Union General in the Civil War, the brothers William and Charles Bent, who built a trading and political empire in the early days of New Mexico and Colorado, and Lucien Maxwell who operated the largest land grant in the Southwest and established the fi rst bank in New Mexico. The Southwest was a place where a youth could shape his destiny and reinvent himself. One of these adventurers was Dan Dubois, a man whose life remains a conundrum, a puzzle and a mystery, yet unsolved.
John Lewis Taylor is a long-time educator in western New Mexico having served as a teacher and principal for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and as an Instructor at the University of New Mexico-Gallup.
He became fascinated with the adventures of a fellow "Navajo In-Law" Dan DuBois during the years he was principal of ChichilTah-Jones Ranch School in Cousins, New Mexico. The Chichiltah community was where Dan lived for many years and operated a small trading post. DuBois left many descendants in this area and several of them shared the details of Dan's colorful life with the author. Retirement has given Mr. Taylor the time to share Dan DuBois with his readers.
John Lewis Taylor holds a Bachelors of Arts in History from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of New Mexico. He currently lives with his wife Betty in Gallup, New Mexico.