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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Near Fort Sumner in De Baca County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest) |
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Old Fort Sumner and "Billy the Kid's" Grave
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By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007 | |
| | | 1. Old Fort Sumner and "Billy the Kid's" Grave Marker | | |
Inscription. Fort Sumner was established in 1862 to guard the Navajo and Apaches on the Bosque Redondo reservation. It was discontinued as a military post in 1868 and the buildings and site sold to Lucien B. Maxwell. William "Billy the Kid" Bonney was killed here by Sheriff Pat Garrett the night of July 14, 1881. Bonney is buried in the nearby cemetery.
Location. 34° 24.253′ N, 104° 11.593′ W. Marker is near Fort Sumner, New Mexico, in De Baca County. Marker is on Billy the Kid Road (New Mexico Route 272) near New Mexico Route 212. Click for map. Marker is in front of the Old Fort Sumner Museum. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3501 Billy the Kid Rd, Fort Sumner NM 88119, United States of America. |
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By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007 | |
| | | 2. Billy the Kid's headstone. | | The headstone has been stolen on a couple of occasions. | | |
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By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007 | |
| | | 3. Billy the Kid's grave. | | Because of vandalism, the entire grave site has been secured with an iron cage. | | |
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By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007 | |
| | | 4. Billy the Kid's grave information marker. | Billy the Kid's Tombstone was stolen in 1950. For 26 years it remained a mystery until 1976, when it was recovered in Granbury, Texas by Joe Bowlin.
Stolen again on Feb. 8 1981. Recovered Feb. 12 in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Gov. Bruce King arranged for De Baca County Sheriff "Big John" McBride to fly to Los Angeles, Calif. via Texas International Airlines to return the marker.
Chamber officials with Jarvis P. Garrett officially reset the marker in iron shackles May 30, 1981.
Old Fort Sumner Museum
Contains Historical Documents of Billy the Kid & Pat Garrett | | |
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By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007 | |
| | | 5. The area where Billy the Kid was killed. | | The actual building where Billy the Kid died was washed away when the Pecos river flooded. However, this is the spot where the building stood. | | |
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By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007 | |
| | | 6. The area where the building stood overlooking the Pecos river. | | The area where the building stood in which Billy the Kid was killed. The woman in the background is overlooking the bank of the Pecos river. | | |
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| Credits. This page originally submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. This page has been viewed 1,195 times since then. This page was the Marker of the Week May 3, 2009. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page. | | Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print |
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