The audacious outlaw fought and raided his rival renegades without retribution. All images courtesy True West Archives unless otherwise noted ...
The West’s First Preservationist Will Surprise You
In Lincoln County, New Mexico, the name John Tunstall is as famous as his hired gun, Billy the Kid. His ambition, his capitalistic competition, his...
Here’s Looking at You, Kid
The Class of 2021 has turned in their research and—boy, howdy—there are some eyebrow-raisers here. When I was first diving deep into all the Billy...
Feed the Dog An unusual explanation for being heavily armed.
Robert Widenman was a New Mexico deputy US marshal—and an associate of Billy the Kid and the Regulators during the Lincoln County War. He was...
Walking into War A pastor-physician moved to Lincoln County in 1878.
Taylor Ealy thought he had a simple assignment: go to Lincoln County, New Mexico to serve as a doctor, Protestant pastor and to run a school for...
Billy Crosses Over
After his mother’s death in November 1874, young Henry McCarty fell in with a rough character named Sombrero Jack and drifted into a life of crime....
Western Roundup: June 2021
Brian Lebel’s Old West Show & Auction June 25-27, 2021, Santa Fe, NM: A weekend dealer show and sale, along with an exciting, live/online...
What History Has Taught Me: Janice Dunnahoo, Archivist
Janice Dunnahoo is the archivist for the Historical Foundation of Southeastern New Mexico. She is a sought-after public speaker on local...
A Rare Find Researchers discover a document related to Pat Garrett’s death.
Four years ago, in 2017, Dona Ana County (NM) researchers found a remarkable document in a box of old records. It was a coroner’s jury report from...
A New Leaf A Billy the Kid pal who went straight…
Billy Wilson rode with Billy the Kid—was arrested with him by Pat Garrett at Stinking Springs in December 1880. He later went straight, in Texas,...
Third Time’s the Charm for Bob Boze Bell’s Billy the Kid The Final Word
The Illustrated Life and Times of Billy The Kid: The Final Word (Two Roads West Publishing, $24.95) is Bob Boze Bell’s magnum opus on the subject...
¿Quien Es? Billy the Kid vs Pat Garrett
For her he took a bullet in the heart.