What do you know about Elfego Baca?
Try this US Old West History Quiz.
"Check Your Answers" at the end of the page.

1) When was Baca born in Socorro, New Mexico?

1. January 10, 1865
2. February 10, 1865
3. March 10, 1865
4. April 10, 1865

2) In 1884, at age 19, Baca stole some guns, bought a mail-order sheriff's badge, and more or less appointed himself deputy sheriff.
What was the county?

1. Lincoln County, New Mexico
2. Sierra County, New Mexico
3. Socorro County, New Mexico
4. Roswell County, New Mexico

3) On December 1, 1884, in the town of Lower San Francisco Plaza, Elfego Baca arrested a carousing cowboy who had shot at him. The man's companions demanded the cowboy's release, but Baca refused.
What is the town known as today?

1. Lincoln
2. Roswell
3. Reserve
4. Glenwood

4) Following threats from the cowboys, Baca took refuge in the house of Geronimo Armijo. A standoff with the cowboys ensued and some 80 cowboys gathered to attack the house. Allegedly, the cowboys fired more than 4,000 shots into the house, until the adobe building looked like Swiss cheese. Incredibly, not one of the bullets struck Baca. ( The floor of the home is said to have been slightly lower than ground level; thus Baca was able to escape injury.)

• True or False?

5) During the siege, Baca shot and killed four of his attackers and wounded eight others. After about 36 hours, the battle ended when the cowboys ran out of ammunition. When they had left, Baca walked out of the house unharmed.
What is the incident become known as?

1. Geronimo Shootout
2. Frisco Shootout
3. Baca's Shootout
4. Gun Smoke

6) Baca officially became the sheriff of Socorro County and secured indictments for the arrest of the area's lawbreakers. Instead of ordering his deputies to pursue the wanted men, he sent each of the accused a letter. It said, "I have a warrant here for your arrest. Please come in by March 15 and give yourself up. If you don't, I'll know you intend to resist arrest, and I will feel justified in shooting you on sight when I come after you." Most of the offenders turned themselves in voluntarily.

• True or False?

7) What did Baca became in 1888?

1. U.S. Marshal
2. Border Patrol Agent
3. IRS Agent
4. Captain, Army National Guard

8) What did Baca become in December 1894?

1. Lawyer
2. Attorney General
3. Governor
4. High School Principal

9) Working at times as a private detective, Baca also took a job as a bouncer in a casino across the border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

• True or False?

10) In July 1936, several years before his death, a writer conducted an interview with Elfego Baca. Her notes can be found in the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection. Baca told the writer, "I never wanted to kill anybody, but if a man had it in his mind to kill me, I made it my business to get him first."
Who was the writer?

1. Ann Ryan
2. Mildred Ann Hill
3. Margaret Reynolds
4. Janet Smith

11) When did Baca die in Socorro, New Mexico?

1. August 27, 1945
2. August 27, 1946
3. August 27, 1947
4. August 27, 1948

12) Where was Elfego Baca buried?

1. Sunset Memorial Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2. Ridgeline Memorial Park, Socorro, New Mexico
3. Morning Sun Memorial Park, Santa Fe, New Mexico
4. Mount Calvary Cemetery, Las Vegas, New Mexico