Early Life: Tragedy and a Tough Start

Born in 1865, right at the end of the Civil War, Elfego Baca started his life in New Mexico. But things took a hard turn when his family moved to Topeka, Kansas. By the time he was 12, a terrible plague wiped out his mother, sister, and one of his brothers. His father, Francisco, left Elfego in an orphanage and went back to New Mexico.

Francisco eventually became a marshal, and when Elfego turned 15, he left the orphanage and went back to New Mexico—just in time to see his dad arrested for fifth-degree murder. After a drunken brawl gone wrong, Elfego and another kid broke Francisco and three others out of jail, helping them escape to El Paso.

The First Gunfight: A Taste of the Wild West

At just 18 years old, Elfego joined a sheriff in chasing down a group of rowdy Texas cowboys who were terrorizing the town of Socorro. Not one to shy away from action, Elfego ended up shooting down one of the cowboys, giving him his first taste of Old West justice.

Making a Name in Frisco, Texas

Soon after, Elfego found himself working at a general store in New Mexico, where he met a sheriff from Frisco, Texas. The sheriff told Elfego about the rowdy cowboys treating the Hispanic locals like dirt. They even tied a man to a post and used him for target practice. The sheriff was too scared to do anything about it.

Elfego wasn’t having it. He called out the sheriff, saying, “I will show the Texans there is at least one Mexican in the county who isn’t afraid of an American cowboy.” Elfego then made himself a fake badge, mounted his horse, and rode 130 miles to Frisco.

The Legendary “Frisco War” Shootout

When Elfego arrived, he walked into a bar and saw a cowboy named Charlie McCarty showing off his gun, forcing Hispanic men to dance by shooting at their feet. One of those bullets even shot off Elfego’s hat.

Elfego wasted no time. Flashing his fake badge, he disarmed McCarty and told the rest of the cowboys they had until the count of three to get out or he’d start shooting. They laughed, saying a Mexican couldn’t count to three. Without hesitation, Elfego yelled, “One, two, three!” and fired warning shots at the door. A bullet hit a horse, crushing one cowboy and wounding another.

The next day, the cowboys returned, but this time they wanted to settle things. They agreed that McCarty would be fined for his crimes. However, Elfego found himself in trouble for the man crushed by the horse. Not one to wait for justice, he snuck out of the courthouse and hid in an adobe shack.

80 Men, 4,000 Bullets, and Tortillas for Breakfast

What followed was the Frisco War, a legendary shootout where 80 men fired over 4,000 bullets at Elfego, who was hiding in the shack. Despite the odds, Elfego fired back occasionally, holding his ground. The townsfolk treated the whole thing like a spectator sport, watching the gunfight from nearby hills.

One cowboy tried using a stove door as a shield, but Elfego shot just above his head, sending him running. As night fell, the cowboys resorted to throwing Molotov cocktails onto the roof. Part of it collapsed, and they assumed Elfego was dead.

But come morning, they woke up to the smell of tortillas and coffee. Elfego was still alive. Eventually, a sheriff from Socorro convinced Elfego to surrender, and he agreed—on the condition that he keep his guns and be tried in Socorro.

Lawman with a Unique Approach

Elfego was acquitted at trial, and from there, his reputation grew. He became a sheriff, a marshal, and eventually a lawyer. His methods, however, were...unique. He’d send letters to outlaws saying things like:

“Dear Sir,
Please come in on [Date] and give yourself up. If you don’t, I’ll know you intend to resist arrest and will feel justified in shooting you on sight when I come after you.
Yours truly,
Sheriff Elfego Baca.”

Caught in the Middle of the Mexican Revolution

Elfego’s story doesn’t end with shootouts. He became embroiled in the Mexican Revolution in 1910. The two main players in his story are Pancho Villa and Victoriano Huerta. One of Huerta’s generals, Salvador Salazar, was chased into the U.S. by Pancho Villa’s forces and arrested in Presidio, Texas.

Huerta requested Elfego to represent Salazar. Elfego tried pulling some strings in D.C., but instead of getting Salazar released, Elfego only managed to add a perjury charge to the mix. Salazar was moved to a New Mexico jail, where he was soon broken out by masked men. The jailbreak led to Elfego being charged with conspiracy, but with a solid alibi, he walked free.

Pancho Villa’s Prized Rifle and a $30,000 Bounty

Before all this, Elfego had crossed paths with Pancho Villa. The two had a falling out so Elfego stole one of Pancho’s prized rifles. When Pancho found out that Elfego was representing Salazar, he put a $30,000 bounty on his head.

Elfego, ever the schemer, came up with a plan to collect the bounty on himself. He would deliver himself to Villa, escape, and take the reward. Unfortunately, Pancho got tipped off, and the plan fell through. But Elfego still walked away with $30,000 for representing Salazar.

The Later Years: Politics and a Peaceful End

In addition to his many titles—Sheriff, Marshal, Lawyer—Elfego ran for Congress when New Mexico became a state in 1912. Though he didn’t win, he mobilized a significant number of Hispanic voters and remained an influential figure in New Mexico politics. He also dabbled in mining and even worked as a nightclub bouncer in Mexico.

Despite his wild, action-packed life, Elfego Baca didn’t go down in a blaze of glory like so many other Old West figures. Instead, he lived peacefully and passed away in 1945 at the age of 80. While often overshadowed by bigger names, Elfego’s story is one of grit, guts, and a whole lot of luck.