Interview with Historiographer Don Bullis

Perfecto Armijo

(historynet) As a former newspaperman and criminal investigator, Don Bullis knows all about research. As a historiographer or historian—take your pick—he has become one of the go-to guys when it comes to New Mexico history. His recent books include New Mexico Historical Biographies and Unsolved: New Mexico's American Valley Ranch Murders & Other Mysteries (both from Rio Grande Books). A 1970 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University (named an outstanding alumni last year), Bullis worked for newspapers and then entered law enforcement in 1982, retiring in 2002. He has nine nonfiction books and two novels to his credit—and plenty of awards, including the 2013 Eric Hoffer Award for Best Reference Book. The New Mexico State Library named Bullis the state's Centennial Author in 2010, and last fall Bullis was presented the Rounders Award from the state Department of Agriculture for living, articulating and promoting the Western way of life. He lives with wife Gloria in Rio Rancho, N.M., where he took time from researching his latest project, New Mexico Historical Encyclopedia (Rio Grande Books, due out in 2015), to discuss his career. Continued