Lincoln_County
Home Up

 

We took a drive down to Ruidoso to get away for the weekend.  Ruidoso is located in Lincoln County New Mexico.  Lincoln County was made famous by the Lincoln County Wars that made Billy the Kid famous.  Here are some photos of the town of Lincoln and some of the stories.

torreon.jpg (324270 bytes)

The Torreon

After parking at the visitor center and walking west, the fist thing you come to is the Torreon.  This is one of the oldest structure in Lincoln and was built in the 1850's.  It's thick walls protected Spanish-Americans against the Apache indians.  During the Lincoln County Wars, Murphy stationed sharpshooters here. 

TunstallStore.JPG (378102 bytes)

Tunstall McSween Store

Next comes the Tunstall McSween store.  It was erected in 1877 by J. H. Tunstall and A. A. McSween.  This was a focal point in the Lincoln County War during which both partners were slain.  Despite looting by the Seven Rivers Group, the building continued as a store under pioneer merchants, notibly John M. Penfield.   It is now set up as it would have been in the days of the Lincoln County Wars and is maintained as a musium.  Here are some photos of the interior.

InsideTunstall1.JPG (291954 bytes)           InsideTunstall2.JPG (261142 bytes)           InsideTunstall3.JPG (314493 bytes)

Next to the Tunstall McSween store is the site of the McSween home.   Opening a law office in Lincoln in 1875, Alex A. McSween rebuilt and old adobe into a ten room house.  On July 19, 1878, Peppin's posse fired it to ouse inmates (including Billy the Kid).  Billy and several of the "Regulators" escaped to the river area east of the house and McSween was killed while trying to surrender.   The house burned to the ground and was never re-built.

WorleyHotel.JPG (400016 bytes)

The Worley Hotel

This frontier hosterly lodged judges during court terms and courts retainers.  On April 28, 1881 Bobt M. Ollinger was sitting at a table when he heard shots from the courthouse where Billy the Kid was being heald.  As he came around the rear of the courthouse, Billy was waiting for him in a second storey window and shot Bobt to death with his own shotgun before escaping once again.

MurphyStore.JPG (346789 bytes)

Murphy Dolan Store

Built in 1874 as a place of business and residence of L. G. Murphy and Co a dominant factor in teh 1870's and headquarters of the Murphy faction during the Lincoln County War.  Store failed and became County Government and judicial center for 33 years.  It was from this building that Billy the Kid escaped after shooting a deputy in the stairwell and killing Bobt Ollinger from the armory in the rear of the building on the second floor.

BulletHole.JPG (234466 bytes)

The bullet Hole

This bullet hole is located in the wall at the bottom of the stairs of the courthouse (formally the Murphy Dolan Store).  This bullet hole was supposedly put there by the six shooter when Bully the Kid shot a deputy when he was being heald there.  No one really knows where Billy got the gun from.  As the story has it, Billy was being heald in shackles in an upstairs room.  When Bobt Ollinger took the other "prisoners" to the Worley Hotel for the evening meal, Billy asked to go to the outhouse.  On the way back in, Billy shot the deputy on the stairs (the bullet making this hole after passing through the deputy).  The deputy was able to make it outside before falling over dead.  Billy then proceeded to the armory (where the door was broken and would not lock) and waited in ambush for Bobt.