Erna Fergusson’s later years

After her successful run training Couriers for the Harvey Company’s Indian Detours, Erna returned to working in Albuquerque. In 1925 she got involved with the State Library and advocated for a new one. She suggested that it should be built in the “new-old” style of Spanish Pueblo Revival that was already popular at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, as well as in Santa Fe. This building still houses the State Library today.

Erna’s involvement with the library began her career as a writer. Her brother, Harvey Fergusson, who was already a popular writer, played a big role in introducing her to publishers. She began by writing articles for The Century Magazine, a prominent American literary magazine based in New York City. She joined forces with Kyle Cripton. His cryptic feedback was “write it as you tell it”. This became her guiding motto for all her books.

Given her knowledge of the Pueblos from her Koshare Tours days, she eventually wrote the book “Dancing Gods: Indian Ceremonials of New Mexico and Arizona”, the book she is still known best for today. After that book’s success, she traveled extensively to Mexico and South America and wrote many books about these cultures, including a Mexican cookbook.

After many misfortunes, Erna’s father committed suicide. This left Erna as the main caretaker for her mother, who lived until she was 85. This may have been one of the reasons she never married, an unusual stance in those days.

She became a well known literary figure in Albuquerque who would host salons for many well known writers and artists, so much so, that she earned the title, the “First Lady of New Mexico Letters’”.