Tom Jernigan

Silent Witness: the Untold Story of Arizona's White Mountains Tom Jernigan

A number of good books on the history of Arizona's White Mountains already exist. These volumes (as with most historical accounts) speak of pioneers (and the characters among them) overcoming adversity and conquering nature to morph into the society we have today. Silent Witness looks at local history from different angles including the improbable viewpoint of nature. True exploits of some outstanding characters (both human and otherwise) are described. The White Mountains are centered about 165 miles north of the Mexican border and 25 miles west of the New Mexico state line. About half is occupied by the Apache Reservation. This region is one of the wildest and most remote areas left in the country. From the west side of the Apache Reservation, wildness flows southeasterly over forested peaks and river-washed canyons some 200 miles to the edge of the Rio Grande valley. This was the area chosen for the restoration of the Mexican Wolf and the Apache Trout. The author has worked and played in the forests of Arizona's White Mountains for over forty years. A student of local history, he presents some old familiar tales as well as many new stories from a fresh and sometimes controversial viewpoint.