Bill AdamsBill Adams is the scheduled speaker for the next Westerners meeting, to be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cross Point Church Fellowship Hall. Cross Point Church is located at 11600 Highway 180 East, 1.1 miles east of the Walmart entrance on the south side of the highway. A full dinner will be catered. Bill Adams will provide an entertaining presentation about the life and times of his great-great grandfather, Will Adams.
Will Adams lived his life in the "cowboy era". Around 1860 when Adams was a baby, his family journeyed west, planning to go to California, and then took a detour to Salt Lake City. Their further travels took them to Arizona and Mexico. Bill Adams grew up hearing stories about his great-great grandfather's life and sometimes fantastic adventures from his grandfather and father, whom he noted are great storytellers.
Initially, Bill had intended to write a story about Will Adams for the Single Action Shooting Society journal, "The Cowboy Chronicle". However, before writing the article, he thought he should research some of the stories about Will to make sure they were not just tall tales. Bill noted that he first began just checking genealogical records to see if dates matched the stories, which surprisingly they did. During the next step of research, he came across several books that corroborated stories about his family, including eyewitness accounts of people that were with his great-grandfather's family. He eventually found so much information and documentation that he compiled Will's adventures and escapades in two books, Two-Gun, The Forgotten Legend of Will Adams, and Two-Gun, Legacy of a Promise.
Bill Adams is a native New Mexican, and lives in Las Cruces with his wife. He operates the Adams Auto Center, which has been in business for 60 years, started by his grandfather in 1956. He is also a real estate agent in Las Cruces. He enjoys being involved in the local cowboy action shooting club, and travels to various shooting events around the state.
Westerners International is an international group dedicated to sharing and preserving the history of the American West. The local chapter meets on the third Tuesday of every other month throughout the year, except for December, when the meeting is held on the second Tuesday. Dinner is served at the meeting, and the cost is $12.00 per person for members and $15.00 per person for non-members. The public is invited to attend the meeting, and should make reservations with Mary Margaret Soule at 538-2888 by Sunday, December 11.