Stories in Stone
BY VIRGINIA L. CLARK & Photos by Montanna Binder




Community has from the beginning been the driving force when it came to settling the region known as Taos Valley. With the Pueblo Peak and a southern spur of the Rocky Mountains holding forth over the occasional hustle and bustle, punctuated by an unmatched serenity, Taos has become a natural gathering place for creatives, adventurers, outlaws, farmers, ranchers and even celebrities from time to time.

The life of Long John Dunn is a study in contrasts and a portrait of resilience.
Dunn was imprisoned in Texas, yet escaped and became known as the King of Taos. He admitted to his own sleight of hand in gambling, but also was a respected member of the Taos community. He arrived in Taos with nothing, but through sheer determination and a bit of luck, went on to own four saloons, a gambling hall, a hotel, two bridges, a livery stable and to control most of the transportation in and out of Taos for close to 30 years. In Max Evan’s 1959 biography of Dunn, “Long John Dunn of Taos: from Texas Outlaw to New Mexico hero,” Evans says, “He lived in his ninety or more years one of the most incredible lives of any of the old-time westerners.”
Dunn almost starved and escaped being killed many times, yet he survived to be 94 years old. What accounts for the near-miraculous life and luck of John Dunn or as he was known in Taos — Juan Largo?
By Dena Miller & Photos by Sam Joseph
There are two types of people who visit Taos: those who come for the immersion in a culturally rich art colony and those who come for its many other notable attractions. If you fall into the latter camp, then allow this to serve as your road map for unlocking some of the art treasures to be found, for there are many.
The origins of the Southwest’s most storied cultural institutions are often as interesting as the objects preserved within…
This winter, step out of the cold and into the hearth of Taos Art and Culture. Several museums in town masterfully act as storytellers for one of the most culturally rich places in all of America and continue to shine a light on its future.



