Hubs is not only a fan of all things sci-fi and space related, but he’s also a huge history buff, and the legends of the American Wild West with its outlaws and lawmen are among his favourite history topics.

Once I saw how disappointed hubs was in Roswell, New Mexico, I did some research and suggested that we could add Fort Sumner to our itinerary. Our next planned stop was Santa Fe, and Fort Sumner wasn’t too far out of the way.

Hubs agreed and as soon as we left Roswell, we were on the hunt for the grave of William H. Bonney, AKA Billy the Kid.

We arrived at the town of Fort Sumner at around 11:30 am. We had to drive a little more than three miles east and then three miles south of the town to reach the old fort cemetery.

The drive through the countryside once we turned south, with farm yards close to the road, was a refreshing break from the highway.

I don’t know what we expected, but we were both surprised by the amount of history at this site, through both the gravestone inscriptions and informational stones in the small cemetery and through the tourist information building.

In addition to the headstones,
there are several informational stones at the gravesites
Graves of Billy the Kid and his “Pals”, Tom O’Folliard and Charlie Bowdre

At the foot of Billie the Kid’s grave is his original tombstone

If you’re asking, as we were, why a cage? … Here’s the explanation:

I’ve never understood the thought process behind
or the joy in acts of vandalism

Photo Note: Because it was noon when we arrived at the cemetery, the bright sun overhead wasn’t the best light for photos. As a result, I took all of the photos in this post into Snapseed where I did corrections to white balance, exposure and contrast. This worked well except for the photo of the original headstone. I believe I over-edited that one in attempts to make it easier to read than the dark original.

“The Kid’s career of crime was not the outgrowth of an evil disposition, nor was it caused by unchecked youthful indiscretions; it was the result of untoward, unfortunate circumstances acting upon a bold, reckless, ungoverned and ungovernable spirit, which no physical restraint could check, no danger appal, and no power less potent than death could conquer.”

Pat F. Garrett