Description: Prior to 1922, one of Santa Fe, New Mexico's, most colorful and famous residents was Charles Angelo Siringo (1855-1928), popularly known as "the cowboy detective." Siringo's experiences as the quintessential cowboy and determined detective helped romanticize the West and its myth of the American cowboy.
Brief description: Charles Angelo Siringo (1855-1928), for a number of years prior to 1922, was one of Santa Fe, New Mexico's most colorful and famous residents and was popularly known as "the cowboy detective." A small, wiry man, he was friends with practically everyone in town, from the governor to the dog catcher. He had access to many persons, on both sides of the law, who were on their way to winning a place in the history books. From them he got first hand information that he incorporated into several of his books and their many incarnations. In his later years he lived in near poverty, making small amounts of money from his book writing and consulting on western films for Hollywood producers. Charles Angelo Siringo fell victim to a heart attack on October 8, 1928 in Altadena, California. Humorist Will Rogers, who knew and respected him, sent a telegram upon learning of his passing. It read: "May flowers always grow over his grave." He is also the author of "Riata and Spurs," also available in a new edition in Sunstone Press' Southwest Heritage Series.