We started this morning at the Billy the Kid Information
Center to make sure we had all the info and ammo we needed to ensure we didn’t
miss anything. The main focus of the Byway was the Lincoln County Wars and the
role Billy and others played in the short but bloody war.
With maps and brochures in hand we headed out along Hwy 70 that would take us to Hwy 380. We would then turn northwest towards Lincoln. On the way we passed the town of San Patricio which was a known hangout for Billy the Kid. It was here that John Tunstall, a friend of Billy the Kid and one of the main players in the war was shot and killed on February 18, 1878.
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| Site of John Tunstall Murder |
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| Town of San Patricio |
We reached the
turnoff to Hwy 380 and proceeded into Lincoln.
The most amazing thing about Lincoln is that most of the buildings have
been preserved and look exactly as they did in 1881. The people responsible have really done a
good job. The town itself is not very
big but at the time of the war it was the county seat and a lot was going
on.
We made the Museum our first stop which offered a 20 minute
film on the Lincoln County War. The
reason the war was started, the involvement of the main players and how the war
ended. It gave a lot more history that I
was aware of which made it very interesting and informative.
We left the museum and started the walking tour along what
was once called “The most dangerous street in America” by then President
Hayes.
The two main buildings were the two stores that were owned
by John Tunstall and Murphy / Dolan. These two groups were the two main
combatants in the war. John Tunstall’s
store is exactly as it was in 1881 when the war ended.
There was also a bicycle in the store that I asked to take for
a ride. They just laughed at me. If fact, I think they are still laughing.
The store owned by Murphy and Dolan was called “The House”
and it was more than a store. It
actually included a store, a billiard room, a bar, a Masonic Lodge and living
quarters. The business failed after the
store and became the County Government and Judicial Centre. The outside of the building is the same as
it was in 1881.
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| The House |
This is where Billy the Kid was jailed in 1881 while on
trial for murder. He was accused of
shooting Sheriff Brady, found guilty and sentenced to hang on May 13, 1881. It
was also from this building that he made his escape on April 28, 1881.
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| Billy the Kid |
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| Bullet hole is from Billy's gun, I guess he missed his first shot |
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| Hallway used in escape and where he killed on of the deputies. |
This old stagecoach was on display in the building.
We spent a good portion of our day walking around Lincoln exploring
and taking pictures of some of the other building that are still in their
original condition.
We left Lincoln and started out for Capitan which was about
12 miles down the road. We were running
parallel with Capitan Mountains as they were on our right.
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| Capitan Mountains |
Prior to arriving in Capitan we came upon a Historical
Marker which showed where Smokey the Bear was born (found). The gap in the mountains in the picture below
is where Forest Rangers found a little orphaned bear cub suffering from
burns. They nursed him back to health
and the legend of “Smokey the Bear” started.
Smokey and I had a good chat but when somebody started
shooting I headed for the hills.
We had a very late lunch in Capitan and then back tracked to
Fort Stanton. Unfortunately we got there
too late to do any exploring so we took a couple of pictures and then made our
way back to the Ruidoso and the RV Park.
It was a heck of a day.
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