Griggs, George, 1866-1939

George Griggs was born in Mesilla, New Mexico on May 2, 1866. His father, James Edgar Griggs, had come from New Jersey to Fort Filmore, New Mexico. The elder Griggs' ventures in mining and mercantile establishment led him to settle in Mesilla, where he married Eugenia Ascarate, a daughter of Cristobal Ascarate, a member of one of the most prominent Mexican families in the territory. After finishing his formal education at St. Regis College in Denver, Colorado, George Griggs migrated to Mexico. Griggs quickly won an honored place in the affections of the President of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz. Diaz appointed Griggs Governor of Baja California. While in this area, Griggs studied the Tarahumara Indians of Chihuahua and produced the first dictionary of their language. He also studied mining and his 1911 Mines of Chihuahua remains one of the most complex, technological histories of mining ever attempted. When the Mexican Revolution overthrew Diaz in 1910, Griggs was forced to flee the country and walked from Monterrey to Eagle Pass, Texas and then to Mesilla. After his return to Mesilla, Griggs began writing the history of the region, "History of Mesilla Valley or The Gadsden Purchase." Griggs also ran the Billy the Kid Museum in Mesilla and spent his latter years engaged in scholarly study. He died in 1939.

From the description of George Griggs family papers, 1900-1954. (New Mexico State University). WorldCat record id: 60697352

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