Rarely does one person face the terrible choice of saving himself, or saving his entire town. In 1909, in Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico, just across the border from Arizona, U. S. A., locomotive engineer Garcia drove his blazing, dynamite-laden train away from the center of town. He lost his life when the dynamite exploded, but 5,000 townspeople survived. Nicknamed "the Casey Jones of Mexico," Garcia today is honored as the national railroad hero; the day of his sacrificial death is a national holiday. Monuments to Garcia occur throughout Latin America & Europe.

Meticulously researched & brightly written to a juvenile reading level, this inspiring story fits into Hispanic heritage programs & Western history curricula. Eighty-five historic photographs show the man, his community, his train & an array of scenes from turn-of-century, frontier Mexico. Sprinkled through the mostly English text are delightful "dichos," or sayings, lending authentic samples of the Spanish language together with English translations.