Near Fort Sumner in De Baca County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Old Fort Sumner and “Billy the Kid’s” Grave

Photographed 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.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical date for this entry is July 14, 1579.

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 (State Road 272) near State Road 212. Marker is in front of the Old Fort Sumner Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3501 Billy the Kid Rd, Fort Sumner NM 88119, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell (within shouting distance of this marker); Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation (approx. 3½ miles away); Fort Sumner (approx. 4.2 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Sumner (approx. 6.1 miles away).

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .

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The Teenage Outlaw of the Southwest. “In legend, Billy the Kid has been described as a vicious and ruthless killer, an outlaw who died at the age of twenty-one, not before raising havoc in the New Mexico Territory. It was said he took the lives of twenty-one men, one for each year of his life, the first one when he was just twelve years old. He was a rebel without a cause who killed without reason, other then to see his victims kick. These and many more accusations of callous acts are examples of the myth of Billy the Kid. In real form, the Kid was not the cold-blooded killer he has been portrayed as, but a young man who lived in a violent dog-eat-dog world, where knowing how to use a gun was the difference between life and death.” (Submitted on April 13, 2011.)

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, April 29, 2014

2. Old Fort Sumner and “Billy the Kid’s” Grave Marker

Entrance to Post Cemetery is just behind marker.

Billy the Kid's headstone. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007

3. Billy the Kid's headstone.

The headstone has been stolen on a couple of occasions.

William Henry McCarty, Jr. "Billy the Kid"<br>a.k.a. William H. Bonney (1859–1881) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Ben Wittick (from Wikipedia Commons)

4. William Henry McCarty, Jr. "Billy the Kid"
a.k.a. William H. Bonney (1859–1881)

Billy the Kid's grave. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007

5. Billy the Kid's grave.

Because of vandalism, the entire grave site has been secured with an iron cage.

Photographed By Gene Essman, Sr, 1978

6. Old Fort Sumner and “Billy the Kid’s” Grave Marker

Photo shot shortly after the marker was returned from Texas in 1976 after being recovered. The marker was in a locked chain-link enclosure, about 6 ft. high, 8 ft. square, as evidenced by the presence of the back of the enclosure behind the marker and the shadow from the left side of the enclosure.

Billy the Kid's grave information marker. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007

7. 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

The area where Billy the Kid was killed. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007

8. 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.

Area where the building stood overlooking the Pecos river. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Ron Pounds, June 20, 2007

9. 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.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. This page has been viewed 37,627 times since then and 176 times this year. Last updated on May 14, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. Photos: 1. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. 2. submitted on May 14, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 3. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. 4. submitted on April 13, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. 6. submitted on January 16, 2015, by Gene Essman, Sr of Littleton, Colorado. 7, 8, 9. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.