John O. Baxter is an expert in water rights and other aspects of the history, culture, and law of the Southwest. A former archivist and historian for the State of New Mexico, Baxter holds the Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico and is the author of Dividing New Mexico's Waters, 1700???1912 and Las Carneradas: Sheep Trade in New Mexico, 1700???1860. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.