Teenage Jews, members of the Staab and Ilfeld families left Germany in the mid 1800s and settled in the Wild West. Julia Staab had a scary encounter with Billy the Kid. Hebrew was written in stone above a cathedral entrance. Ludwig Ilfeld landed a role in the movie, The Rattlesnake.
There were rumors of a ghost at the Palace Avenue mansion. Hopi snake dancers, a horse named Maude, a President and a freed slave appear in this true story of family, friendship and adventure in New Mexico.
Interest Level--Ages 8 to 108 available at www.jewsgowest.com ebook at Amazon.com
Kay Miller is a descendant of the Staab and Ilfeld families of 1800's New Mexico. Her grandmother Ruth Ilfeld grew up in Albuquerque. Kay grew up in Cincinnati. Horseback riding at Winton Woods was one of her favorite childhood activities.
Kay moved to New York City in the late 1970s. She was a public school teacher on the Lower East Side of Manhattan until retirement in 2009. Her family research was based on documents, books on Jews of the wild west, interviews with relatives and the internet.
"Kay's true tale of the American West is fun to read, chock full of unexpected encounters, and beautifully illustrated with folk-art style paintings that glow with quirky understated personality, and carefully chosen details. I saw press proofs and have seen the originals (for you designers) and the art looks great. These are stories that few have ever heard before. They reveal how varied and interconnected were the lives of our various ancestors. Text is perfectly pitched to capture the interest of both child and grown up audiences. A great gift for fans of the wild west, New Mexico, folk art, Billy the Kid, Thurgood Marshall, American history, Teddy Roosevelt, (oh and Jewish, African and Native Americans)."
This books is packed with vivid paintings and great true stories about the real life adventures of Jewish pioneers in New Mexico. I spend a lot of time researching Jews in the Wild West for my Rabbi Harvey comics - and I think Harvey would get a big kick out of this book!