New Mexico: A Journey Through Family History and the Wild West
Las Cruces, Mesilla, Fort Craig, White Oaks, Lincoln, and Fort Stanton — October 2026
There are trips we take to relax, trips we take to see something new, and occasionally trips that allow us to walk directly into history. Our October journey through southern New Mexico turned out to be a little of all three.
For Jeanne, the trip was an opportunity to attend a school reunion, renew old friendships, and revisit places connected to her childhood in Las Cruces. For me, it offered something equally special: an opportunity to explore the life of my great-great-grandfather, Saturnino Barrientos, who lived in Mesilla during one of the most turbulent periods in New Mexico history.
We also planned to explore Lincoln County, where Billy the Kid, John Tunstall, Alexander and Susan McSween, and an extraordinary assortment of businessmen, gunfighters, lawmen, and outlaws wrote some of the most colorful—and violent—chapters of the American West.
By the time we returned home, we had visited Civil War battlefields, frontier military forts, historic homes, forgotten cemeteries, and a town where a man could once be shot for supporting the wrong merchant.
And, as always, there was plenty of New Mexican food along the way.
Thursday: Off to New Mexico
We left home around 3:15 Thursday afternoon, stopped for gas, and headed south toward San Diego International Airport.
I had anticipated substantial traffic, but surprisingly, the drive down was relatively painless. That changed during the final mile or two approaching the airport, where traffic once again slowed to a crawl.
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| El Paso Baggage Claim |
We parked on the second level, walked to the terminal with our checked luggage, and breezed through check-in and security. We had several hours before our flight, so we found something to eat and wandered around the airport.
Our nonstop flight to El Paso was delayed about thirty minutes. Fortunately, once airborne, the flight took only about an hour and fifteen minutes, considerably less than I had anticipated.
We arrived in El Paso late that evening, retrieved our luggage, and headed to the rental car counter. Everything proceeded smoothly, and shortly after midnight we were on Interstate 10 heading north toward Las Cruces.
The highway was almost deserted. I had wisely changed our hotel reservation to indicate that we would arrive around 1:00 a.m., even though our reservation technically began Thursday evening.
We reached Las Cruces, collected our keys, and went directly to bed.
The historical adventures would begin the following morning.
Friday: The Taylor House and an Unexpected Family Discovery
After sleeping in and having a late breakfast at the hotel, we drove to historic Mesilla for a scheduled tour of the Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site.
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| Mesilla |
The house was the longtime residence of J. Paul Taylor and his wife, Mary Daniels Taylor.
J. Paul Taylor was a prominent New Mexico educator, historian, and state legislator who devoted much of his life to preserving the region's cultural heritage. Mary was an accomplished writer, photographer, and historian with a particular interest in the history of Mesilla.
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| Mesilla |
The house itself is considerably older than the Taylor family's occupancy. Portions date to the late 1850s, when Mesilla was a thriving commercial center along the Rio Grande.
In those days, Mesilla was far more important economically than neighboring Las Cruces. Situated along the historic Camino Real and later the Butterfield Overland Mail route, it was a vital stopping point for merchants, travelers, soldiers, and emigrants moving between Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
The town also played a central role in the Gadsden Purchase. Although the United States and Mexico had ended their war in 1848, the exact border remained disputed. The Gadsden Purchase resolved the territorial question, and in November 1854 the American flag was raised over Mesilla Plaza.
It was into this rapidly changing frontier environment that my great-great-grandfather Saturnino Barrientos arrived during the 1850s.
Inside the Taylor Home
As it turned out, Jeanne and I were the only people on our scheduled tour.
Our guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and took us through the entire house, explaining its history, architecture, furnishings, and remarkable collection of artwork.
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| Taylor House |
I was surprised by the sheer quantity and quality of the objects on display. The rooms were filled with beautiful furniture, paintings, religious art, and artifacts representing centuries of Hispanic and Southwestern culture.
The house is much more than an old adobe residence. It is a remarkable collection of history preserved within the walls of a family home.
Walking through those rooms, it was easy to imagine generations of Mesilla residents passing through the adjoining stores, courtyards, and living quarters.
The property had witnessed an astonishing transformation—from Mexican territory to American frontier settlement, through the Civil War, the arrival of the railroad, and eventually the modern Southwest.
After completing our tour, we visited the gift shop.
That was where the day took a particularly unexpected turn.
Saturnino Barrientos and 112 Bottles of Champagne
I purchased a copy of Mary Daniels Taylor's book, A Place as Wild as the West Ever Was: Mesilla, New Mexico, 1848–1872, a book I had wanted for some time.
I began looking through it and was astonished to discover that my great-great-grandfather, Saturnino Barrientos, appeared in its pages.
I have spent many years researching Barrientos, particularly his involvement in the Civil War and his service as an officer with the Union forces in New Mexico. Finding him mentioned in a local history is always interesting, but this particular account was completely unexpected.
According to the passage, Barrientos prepared and served an elaborate farewell supper in a patio covered with canvas.
The guest of honor was Captain Giles Hawley, a senior official associated with the Butterfield Overland Mail Company, who was preparing to travel east by stagecoach to visit family.
The festivities reportedly included an astonishing 112 bottles of champagne.
One hundred and twelve bottles!
This was frontier Mesilla in the late 1850s or early 1860s, not a grand hotel in New York or San Francisco. Transporting that much champagne to a remote community along the Rio Grande would have required a considerable logistical effort.
The discovery becomes even more interesting when we consider Hawley's position.
The Butterfield Overland Mail Company began operating its great southern mail and passenger route in 1858. Its stagecoaches linked St. Louis and Memphis with California across nearly 2,800 miles of frontier territory, carrying mail, passengers, money, and news.
Mesilla was an important stop on the route, and Hawley was involved in supervising its operations in the region.
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| Organ Mountains |
The Butterfield route transformed communities like Mesilla. Stage passengers needed food, lodging, fresh horses, supplies, and numerous other services. Local businessmen who established relationships with the company could benefit substantially.
This raises a fascinating possibility about Barrientos.
Was he simply hosting a social event for a prominent visitor, or did he have business dealings with the Butterfield operation?
At present, I cannot answer that question. But the elaborate farewell supper suggests that Barrientos moved within an important commercial and social circle in territorial Mesilla.
I had previously known him primarily as a merchant, a Civil War officer, and a man whose life became entangled in a military court-martial.
Now I had to add another image to the story: Saturnino Barrientos presiding over a grand champagne celebration for one of the Southwest's leading stagecoach officials.
History has a wonderful way of surprising us.
Mesilla Plaza and Lunch at Andele
After leaving the Taylor house, we wandered around Mesilla Plaza, visited several shops, and enjoyed the atmosphere of this remarkable little town.
The plaza is one of the most historically significant public spaces in southern New Mexico.
For much of the nineteenth century, Mesilla was a center of trade, politics, and social life. It was also a town divided by loyalties during the Civil War. Confederate troops occupied Mesilla in July 1861, and the community briefly became the capital of the Confederacy's claimed Territory of Arizona.
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| Dusk in the Desert |
It is remarkable how much history is concentrated in such a small area.
For lunch, we went to Andele Restaurant, one of our longtime favorites. Over the years, we have eaten there many times with family, and it remains a dependable place for traditional New Mexican cooking at reasonable prices.
After lunch, we headed back toward Las Cruces for my 2:00 p.m. appointment at New Mexico State University.
Friday Afternoon: Researching Barrientos at New Mexico State University
My appointment was at the Archives and Special Collections research center in the NMSU library, where staff had assembled several files relating to Saturnino Barrientos.
I was particularly interested in material associated with historian Jerry D. Thompson.
Thompson is a distinguished historian of the American Southwest and the Civil War in New Mexico. His extensive research has documented the experiences of soldiers, civilians, and communities along the Rio Grande during the Confederate invasion of 1861–1862.
He has written about Barrientos, and I wanted to examine the underlying research materials and correspondence.
Once again, we had the place largely to ourselves, which proved quite convenient.
The staff had prepared a collection that included census records, letters, historical documents, and photographs. Some of the letters were unfamiliar to me, making the visit especially worthwhile.
Among the photographs was a historic image of Edward Richard Sprigg Canby, the Union military commander whose decisions would ultimately have an extraordinary influence on my family history.
General Canby and the Fate of My Great-Great-Grandfather
During the Confederate invasion of New Mexico in 1862, Canby commanded the Union forces defending the territory.
At the Battle of Valverde on February 21, 1862, he faced Confederate General Henry Hopkins Sibley, whose Texas troops were advancing north along the Rio Grande.
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| Canby |
He would later face a military court-martial and a death sentence.
Among the surviving documents is a remarkable letter written by his wife pleading for mercy and describing the hardship that his execution would bring upon their children.
Canby's intervention spared Barrientos's life.
The exact legal and military circumstances surrounding the final disposition of the case remain an important part of my continuing research, but the significance to my own family is unmistakable.
Had Barrientos been executed, the history of his family—and quite possibly my own existence—might have been very different.
Standing in the archives examining records associated with these men, the Civil War no longer seemed like a distant event found only in history books.
It was a story involving my own ancestors.
Canby's later life was equally remarkable. He rose to the rank of major general and served in several important Civil War commands. In April 1873, during peace negotiations with the Modoc people near Tule Lake in northern California, he was killed by Modoc leader Captain Jack, also known as Kintpuash.
Canby became one of the highest-ranking American military officers killed in conflicts with Native Americans.
His career ended tragically, but for my family, his earlier decision to spare Barrientos has a special and enduring importance.
We finished our research visit with considerably more material to examine at home.
An Evening in Downtown Las Cruces
After leaving the university, we picked up one of Jeanne's longtime friends and drove the two women to their class reunion event on the west side of Las Cruces.
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| Downtown Las Cruces |
Downtown Las Cruces has changed substantially over the years, with pedestrian-friendly sections, restaurants, theaters, public spaces, and an increasingly active nightlife.
I photographed the illuminated streets, restaurants, and people enjoying the evening. There was dancing in the plaza and a pleasant sense of activity throughout the downtown area.
Later, I picked up Jeanne and her friend and returned everyone home.
It had been a long day, but an exceptionally interesting one.
Saturday: Old Friends, Family, and the Las Cruces Market
Saturday began at The Shed, another longtime favorite breakfast restaurant in Las Cruces.
We have eaten there countless times with family over the years, although I believe this was our first visit with just the two of us.
I ordered chorizo and eggs, while Jeanne had green chile cheese enchiladas with turkey.
Both were excellent.
We then returned downtown, where the streets had been transformed overnight by the Farmers and Crafts Market of Las Cruces.
The market stretches for blocks along Main Street, with vendors selling fresh produce, prepared foods, handmade crafts, jewelry, artwork, clothing, and all manner of interesting merchandise.
The market dates back to 1971, when local farmers began gathering downtown to sell produce. Over the decades, it has developed into one of the region's most successful markets and an important gathering place for the community.
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| Downtown Vendors |
There seemed to be hundreds of vendors, and the sidewalks and streets were filled with shoppers.
We've visited the market before and have always enjoyed it. It offers an interesting mixture of local agriculture, art, food, and community life.
The remainder of Saturday was devoted primarily to Jeanne's reunion activities and visiting family.
I drove Jeanne to one event, spent some time in Mesilla, and later visited relatives in Las Cruces.
At one point, I picked up food for a Greek meal, which I delivered to the relatives while Jeanne continued with her reunion festivities. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the dinner.
Later that evening, I collected Jeanne and her friend and returned to the hotel.
It had been a pleasant couple of days reconnecting with people and places that had been part of Jeanne's life for many years.
But on Sunday, the focus of our trip would shift dramatically.
We were heading north into the history of the American frontier.
Sunday: Fort Craig and the Battle of Valverde
After another breakfast at The Shed—we never seem to tire of New Mexican food—we packed our belongings and began the drive north toward Lincoln.
Our first destination was Fort Craig, a military post along the Rio Grande with an important connection to my great-great-grandfather.
Fort Craig was established in 1854 to protect travelers along the Camino Real and to serve as a military base in the region.
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| Fort Craig |
By the beginning of the Civil War, it had become one of the largest military installations in New Mexico Territory.
The fort played a critical role in the Confederate invasion of 1862. General Sibley's Texas troops were advancing north from the Mesilla area, hoping to capture New Mexico and ultimately gain access to the mineral wealth of Colorado and the Pacific Coast.
Fort Craig stood directly in their path.
Rather than attack its formidable defenses, Sibley attempted to bypass the fort and continue north.
Colonel Canby responded by sending Union forces to intercept the Confederates at Valverde, a crossing of the Rio Grande north of the fort.
The resulting battle took place on February 21, 1862.
Although the Confederates succeeded in forcing the Union troops to withdraw and captured several artillery pieces, the campaign ultimately failed. The Confederate forces could not sustain their advance through New Mexico and eventually retreated to Texas.
Walking Among the Ruins
Getting to Fort Craig required leaving the highway and traveling approximately four miles over dirt roads.
The landscape is remarkably isolated.
Today, the fort is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and what remains consists largely of deteriorating adobe and stone walls, foundations, earthworks, and interpretive displays.
We walked around the site, examining the ruins and trying to imagine what it must have looked like during the winter of 1862.
At its peak during the campaign, thousands of Union soldiers and New Mexico volunteers occupied the installation.
There would have been soldiers, horses, wagons, military equipment, supplies, and the constant activity associated with preparing for battle.
Today, there is little sound beyond the wind.
The surrounding countryside is dry, exposed, and seemingly endless.
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| Fort Craig |
It must have been an uncomfortable place to live, particularly during the summer heat or winter storms.
For me, this visit was particularly meaningful because my great-great-grandfather, Captain Saturnino Barrientos, actually participated in the Battle of Valverde on February 21, 1862.
Barrientos served with the Union's New Mexico volunteer forces during the campaign against Confederate General Henry Hopkins Sibley's invading Texas army. His participation is documented in historical records, including recollections published by historians Jerry D. Thompson and Cameron L. Saffell.
Standing among the ruins of Fort Craig, I was struck by the realization that 164 years earlier, my own ancestor had been involved in the fighting in this very region.
These were not simply places I had read about in history books. This was a battlefield connected directly to my family.
Somewhere along the Rio Grande, Barrientos had experienced the confusion, danger, and uncertainty of a battle that would help determine whether the Confederacy could establish itself in the American Southwest.
I have spent years studying his military career, his subsequent court-martial, and the remarkable circumstances that spared his life. Standing near the battlefield brought another dimension to that research.
History becomes considerably more personal when one of the men who fought there is your own great-great-grandfather.
After exploring the fort, we drove back to the highway and continued north.
The Battlefield at Valverde
A short distance beyond Fort Craig lies the general area of the Battle of Valverde.
From the highway, we could see the distant terrain associated with the battlefield.
Much of the historic battlefield is now on private property, and access is restricted.
The area has been associated with the Turner family's large New Mexico landholdings, and I have read that specialized tours may occasionally provide access.
That is something I would like to explore on a future trip.
For now, seeing the battlefield landscape from a distance was meaningful enough.
Somewhere in that country, Union volunteers and Confederate Texans fought a desperate engagement that would help determine the future of the Southwest.
For me, it was another physical connection to Barrientos and the extraordinary events of 1862.
Sunday Afternoon: White Oaks and the Lincoln County War
Continuing north, we passed through San Antonio, New Mexico, where we had hoped to stop at the famous Owl Bar & Cafe.
Unfortunately, it was closed on Sunday.
The Owl is well known for its green chile cheeseburgers and has long been a favorite stop for travelers in this part of New Mexico.
We continued toward Carrizozo, where we found a small Mexican restaurant and stopped for a late lunch or early dinner.
I ordered chicken and cheese enchiladas covered with green chile sauce. The food was excellent and reasonably priced.
Refreshed, we continued north toward White Oaks, a nearly forgotten mining community with a remarkable history.
White Oaks: A Town That Once Rivaled Lincoln
White Oaks developed rapidly after gold was discovered in the surrounding area in 1879.
During its boom years, it became an important commercial center in Lincoln County, attracting merchants, miners, lawyers, bankers, and an assortment of frontier characters.
At one time, White Oaks was a serious rival to Lincoln in economic importance.
Today, the community is small and quiet, reached by a road that essentially ends at the town.
Our primary reason for visiting was Cedarvale Cemetery.
I wanted to find the grave of Susan McSween.
Susan McSween: The Cattle Queen of New Mexico
Susan McSween is one of the most remarkable women associated with the Lincoln County War.
Her husband, Alexander McSween, was an attorney and business associate of John Tunstall and cattleman John Chisum.
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| Susan McSween Gravesite |
These men challenged the economic domination of Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan, whose mercantile operation in Lincoln was known simply as "The House."
The resulting struggle involved far more than competing stores. It included control of government contracts, cattle operations, credit, law enforcement, and political influence throughout Lincoln County.
The conflict erupted into violence in 1878 following the murder of John Tunstall.
Billy the Kid, who had worked for Tunstall, joined a group known as the Regulators, determined to avenge his employer's death.
The fighting culminated in July 1878, when armed factions battled for several days in Lincoln.
Alexander McSween was killed during the final confrontation after his house was set on fire.
Susan survived.
Rather than disappear into obscurity, she eventually became a successful cattle rancher in her own right.
With assistance from John Chisum and through her own determination and business ability, she built a substantial cattle operation, earning the nickname "Cattle Queen of New Mexico."
In a period when women had relatively few opportunities to control large commercial enterprises, Susan McSween became an exceptional frontier businesswoman.
She later lived in White Oaks, where she died in 1931.
Susan McSween: A Remarkable Connection to Gettysburg
There is another extraordinary chapter in Susan McSween's life that deserves attention.
Susan was born Susanna Ellen Hummer on December 30, 1845, on a farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
She was seventeen years old in July 1863 when Union and Confederate armies converged on her hometown for the Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.
Over three terrible days, approximately 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured, or reported missing. The fighting engulfed Gettysburg and the surrounding countryside, transforming farms, roads, churches, and homes into a vast battlefield.
Susan and her family were living in that countryside.
Historical accounts suggest that the Hummer family sheltered in their farmhouse as troops passed through the area and the sounds of cannon and rifle fire echoed across the fields.
According to Susan's obituary, she had been a close friend of Jennie Wade, the young Gettysburg woman killed by a stray bullet during the battle.
Imagine being seventeen years old and witnessing one of the most consequential and destructive battles ever fought on American soil.
And yet this was only the first great American conflict that Susan would experience.
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| White Oak Gravesites |
Fifteen years later, she found herself in Lincoln, New Mexico, at the center of another violent struggle. Her husband would be murdered, her home burned, and her life forever changed by the Lincoln County War.
What I find most remarkable is how history subsequently remembered her.
During her later years, Susan was interviewed by people interested in Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War. They wanted to know about Billy, the Regulators, the gunfights, and the men who had become legends of the American West.
Yet in the surviving accounts, remarkably little attention was devoted to her experiences as a seventeen-year-old girl living near Gettysburg during the great battle.
Here was a woman who had lived through the largest battle of the Civil War, personally experienced the violence of the Lincoln County War, survived the murder of her husband, and subsequently built a successful cattle business in a male-dominated frontier society.
And what did people want to ask her about?
Billy the Kid.
There is something deeply ironic about that.
Susan McSween lived an extraordinary American life, crossing the country from Pennsylvania to New Mexico and witnessing two defining periods of nineteenth-century history.
But she spent much of her later life standing in the shadow of a young outlaw whose own life ended at twenty-one.
Perhaps that is what struck me most as I stood beside her modest grave in White Oaks.
Susan McSween deserved to be remembered for considerably more than having known Billy the Kid.
Finding Susan's Grave
When we arrived at Cedarvale Cemetery, I had no idea where Susan was buried.
There were many graves scattered across the cemetery, and I assumed that someone of her historical importance might have an elaborate monument or an obvious marker.
I was wrong.
We wandered around the cemetery for a while, and eventually, almost by accident, I found her grave on the right side of a slope near a fenced area.
The marker was surprisingly modest.
Considering Susan's extraordinary life and the role she played in New Mexico history, I expected something much more substantial.
But perhaps the simplicity was appropriate.
Here was a woman who had survived one of the most violent conflicts in territorial New Mexico, lost her husband, rebuilt her life, and established herself as a successful cattle rancher.
And now she rested quietly on a hillside in a nearly forgotten mining town.
Deputy James Bell: Another Victim of Billy the Kid
We also located the grave of Deputy Sheriff James W. Bell.
Bell was one of the two deputies killed during Billy the Kid's spectacular escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse on April 28, 1881.
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| James Bell Gravesite |
Visitors had left coins on the grave, a small tribute to a man who died while performing his duties.
Bell's death occurred when Billy, who had been sentenced to hang, managed to escape his restraints while being escorted inside the courthouse.
Billy shot Bell as the deputy attempted to flee.
Moments later, Billy killed Deputy Bob Olinger, who was returning to the building after taking other prisoners across the street for a meal.
We would see the exact locations associated with those events the following day in Lincoln.
But first, there was one more stop in White Oaks.
No Scum Allowed: A Saloon with Character
After paying our respects at the cemetery, we drove to the famous No Scum Allowed Saloon.
The establishment occupies an old building in White Oaks and has become something of an institution among visitors exploring New Mexico's backcountry.
Fortunately, it was open.
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| No Scum Allowed Saloon |
We walked inside and found a friendly group of patrons who seemed delighted to have additional company.
Jeanne and I each ordered a beer and settled in to enjoy the atmosphere.
The people were exceptionally friendly.
Perhaps a little too friendly.
When I initially attempted to settle our tab, the bartender informed me that we weren't finished drinking.
Apparently, two beers were considered an insufficient contribution to the afternoon's festivities.
We stayed for approximately forty-five minutes, talking with the locals and watching as more people arrived.
There was considerable enthusiasm for shots and additional rounds of drinks.
Eventually, I approached the bar again and announced that we really did need to leave.
Once again, I was encouraged to drink more.
I declined.
The final bill for our two beers, including a tip, was ten dollars.
It was one of the more entertaining bar visits we've had in some time.
I suspect the people of White Oaks know how to have a good time.
Sunday Evening: Arrival in Lincoln
We returned to Carrizozo and turned east toward Lincoln.
The drive through the rolling hills and mountains was beautiful, with changing landscapes and increasingly rugged terrain.
As we approached Lincoln, the speed limit progressively decreased. Eventually, we encountered flashing warning lights and speed bumps.
Clearly, the residents are determined to keep traffic moving slowly through their historic community.
And for good reason.
Lincoln is essentially one long street, approximately a mile in length, lined with historic adobe buildings, many dating to the nineteenth century.
This is not a modern recreation of an Old West town.
Much of it is the real thing.
We found our accommodations at the historic Wortley Hotel almost immediately upon entering town.
The Wortley Hotel
The Wortley Hotel is a historic lodging establishment associated with Lincoln's frontier past.
Our hosts welcomed us warmly and showed us to our room.
The room was small, rustic, and clearly reflected the building's age. The bathroom appeared to have been fitted into a corner during a later renovation.
Nevertheless, it was comfortable and had precisely the atmosphere we were hoping to experience.
After unloading our belongings, we stepped outside and began exploring.
One of the remarkable features of the Wortley is its proximity to the old Lincoln County Courthouse.
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| Wortley Hotel |
From the rocking chairs outside our room, we could look across the street toward the building where Billy the Kid made his famous escape in 1881.
The second-story window associated with the shooting of Deputy Bob Olinger was plainly visible.
It was an extraordinary place to sit and contemplate history.
We walked the length of Lincoln that evening, examining the historic buildings, reading markers, and enjoying the quiet atmosphere.
It takes remarkably little time to walk through the entire community.
Yet the amount of history concentrated along that single street is astonishing.
In 1878, it was a place where competing political and commercial factions fought openly, lawmen and outlaws exchanged gunfire, and rival businessmen settled disputes with deadly force.
President Rutherford B. Hayes reportedly described Lincoln's main street as one of the most dangerous streets in America.
Today, it is peaceful enough that we could walk its length with little more concern than an occasional passing automobile.
We returned to our room and settled in for the evening, looking forward to exploring the historic buildings the following morning.
Monday: Walking in the Footsteps of Billy the Kid
Breakfast was served at 8:00 a.m., and by 10:00 we were ready to begin visiting the historic sites.
We started at the Anderson-Freeman Visitor Center, located toward the eastern end of Lincoln.
The center provides an excellent introduction to the area's history, with exhibits, photographs, and interpretive displays explaining the events that led to the Lincoln County War.
The story is much more complicated than the simple image of Billy the Kid as a young outlaw riding around New Mexico shooting people.
At its core, the Lincoln County War was a struggle for economic power.
The House Versus John Tunstall
For years, Lawrence Murphy and his associates dominated commerce in Lincoln County through a powerful mercantile business known as "The House."
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| The Torreón |
Its operators also enjoyed significant political connections.
Then a young English businessman named John Henry Tunstall arrived.
Tunstall was only in his early twenties when he established a competing mercantile operation, backed by substantial financial resources and supported by associates including Alexander McSween and John Chisum.
Tunstall intended to challenge the Murphy-Dolan commercial monopoly.
The rivalry quickly turned bitter.
Both sides recruited supporters, and law enforcement officials became involved in the struggle.
Tunstall was murdered on February 18, 1878, while riding with employees near Lincoln.
One of those employees was a young man named Henry McCarty, better known to history as Billy the Kid.
Tunstall's killing triggered the formation of the Regulators and set in motion a chain of violence that would consume Lincoln County.
The Tunstall Store
After touring the visitor center, we walked to the Tunstall Store.
This was one of the places I had most wanted to see.
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| Tunstall Store When John Was Alive |
The building is a substantial adobe structure, much larger than I had expected for a frontier mercantile business.
Inside, much of the original nineteenth-century shelving and cabinetry remains in place.
Remarkably, the displays also include merchandise and artifacts dating from the store's early commercial history.
The preservation of the interior makes the building particularly interesting.
You can stand inside and imagine customers arriving on horseback or by wagon to purchase supplies, clothing, tools, or household goods.
For the people of Lincoln County, these stores were not merely places to shop.
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| Tunstall Store Today |
Control of a store could mean control of
an entire community.
Standing inside Tunstall's establishment, it became easier to understand why the established merchants considered him such a serious threat.
Tunstall had the financial resources, commercial ambition, and political connections necessary to challenge their dominance.
His arrival threatened an entire system of economic power.
And within a short time, he was dead.
The Graves of Tunstall and McSween
We visited the simple wooden crosses commemorating Tunstall and McSween.
Visitors had left coins as small tokens of remembrance.
It was a quiet and surprisingly moving place.
Tunstall was only twenty-four when he was murdered.
His death unleashed a violent conflict that would claim numerous lives and ultimately transform Billy the Kid into one of the most famous figures in American folklore.
Alexander McSween died only a few months later, during the climactic fighting in Lincoln.
Their graves are a reminder that behind the legendary gunfights and romanticized stories of the Old West were real people whose lives ended suddenly and violently.
The Lincoln County Courthouse
Our next stop was the old Lincoln County Courthouse, directly across from our hotel.
The building originally served as the headquarters of the Murphy-Dolan commercial operation—the infamous "House."
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| Window Where Billy Shot Bob |
Later, it became the county courthouse and jail.
In April 1881, Billy the Kid was confined there after being convicted of murdering Sheriff William Brady during the Lincoln County War.
He had been sentenced to hang.
Sheriff Pat Garrett left Lincoln temporarily, placing Billy under the supervision of Deputies James Bell and Bob Olinger.
On April 28, Billy made his escape.
The circumstances remain the subject of historical discussion, particularly concerning exactly how he obtained a weapon.
What is certain is that he killed Deputy Bell inside the courthouse.
Olinger, who had been across the street, heard the gunfire and hurried back.
Billy appeared at an upstairs window carrying Olinger's own shotgun and fired, killing him.
Billy then escaped from Lincoln.
Garrett eventually tracked him to Fort Sumner, where he shot and killed Billy on July 14, 1881.
Billy was approximately twenty-one years old.
Standing on the Famous Staircase
The courthouse is now a museum, and we were able to walk through both floors.
There are photographs, documents, artifacts, and exhibits describing the remarkable events associated with the building.
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| Billy Shot Bell on these Stairs |
It is steep, narrow, and rather awkwardly constructed, with steps that seem unusually short—particularly for someone with my rather large feet.
Standing there, I could imagine the confusion and panic of those few moments in April 1881.
We also visited the upstairs room and the window associated with Olinger's death.
From that window, the view toward the street and surrounding buildings remains remarkably similar to what Billy would have seen.
There is something extraordinary about being able to stand in the actual location of a famous historical event.
Reading about it is one thing.
Standing where it happened is something else entirely.
Monday Afternoon: Fort Stanton and Its Remarkable History
After completing our tour of Lincoln, we returned to the car and drove approximately twenty minutes to Fort Stanton.
Fort Stanton is one of the more unusual historic military installations in New Mexico because its history extends far beyond the frontier Army.
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| Fort Stanton |
The fort was established in 1855 and named for Captain Henry W. Stanton, who had been killed during a military engagement involving the Apache.
It was constructed in the Rio Bonito Valley, within the homeland of the Mescalero Apache people.
Its original military purpose was to establish a permanent American Army presence and support campaigns intended to control the region.
Unlike many New Mexico forts constructed primarily from adobe, Fort Stanton incorporated substantial stone buildings.
That construction has helped preserve numerous structures into the present day.
A Frontier Military Post
During its early years, Fort Stanton served as an important base of military operations in southeastern New Mexico.
The fort became involved in the complex and frequently violent relationship between the U.S. military and the Mescalero Apache.
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| Fort Stanton |
During the Civil War, Confederate forces briefly occupied the installation before withdrawing.
The Army eventually returned, and Fort Stanton continued operating as a military post until the late nineteenth century.
But the end of its Army service was only the beginning of another chapter.
A Tuberculosis Hospital
In 1899, the federal government repurposed Fort Stanton as a tuberculosis sanatorium serving merchant sailors.
At the time, tuberculosis was one of the world's deadliest diseases, and the dry climate of the American Southwest was believed to provide therapeutic benefits for patients.
Thousands of sailors received treatment at Fort Stanton during the decades that followed.
The institution was unusual because it combined the isolation of a remote New Mexico valley with a federal medical mission associated with the maritime services.
Imagine being a sailor accustomed to the oceans and great ports of the world, only to find yourself sent to an isolated military installation in the mountains of New Mexico for months or even years of treatment.
But an even more unexpected chapter began during World War II.
The German Sailors of the SS Columbus
One of the most fascinating exhibits at Fort Stanton concerns the German crew of the ocean liner SS Columbus.
The Columbus was a large German passenger ship operating in the Atlantic when World War II began in Europe in September 1939.
In December 1939, with British warships threatening capture, the crew deliberately scuttled the vessel off the American coast rather than allow it to fall into British hands.
The German sailors were rescued and eventually came into American custody.
Many were subsequently sent to Fort Stanton, where a special detention camp was established.
They remained in the remote New Mexico valley for years.
The sailors established gardens, recreational facilities, and other amenities that made the camp resemble a small European settlement in the American Southwest.
Standing at Fort Stanton, I found myself wondering what these men must have thought.
Only months earlier, some had been serving aboard one of Germany's great ocean liners, traveling between international ports.
Now they were confined in the mountains of New Mexico, thousands of miles from home, with little certainty about their futures.
As the war progressed, the site also held other German, Italian, and Japanese detainees.
The contrast between the sailors' former lives and the isolation of Fort Stanton must have been extraordinary.
Of all the unexpected historical connections we encountered on this trip, the story of the Columbus crew was among the most intriguing.
We spent considerable time examining the exhibits and walking through the grounds.
Fort Stanton is one of those places where successive generations have left their marks upon the same buildings.
A frontier Army post became a medical institution, then a wartime detention facility, and eventually a historic site.
Each chapter tells a different part of the American story.
Monday Evening: Dinner in Capitan
By the time we returned to Lincoln, it was midafternoon.
We took a short rest at the hotel before heading to the nearby town of Capitan for dinner.
Monday dining options in Lincoln are limited, so we had been advised that Smokey's Restaurant in Capitan would be our best choice.
The restaurant turned out to be quite good.
I ordered a green chile cheeseburger topped with strips of roasted chile, which was excellent.
Jeanne selected a Mexican dish.
While we were there, the hostess mentioned that we might see Grandma sitting in the corner.
Sure enough, an elderly woman was seated nearby.
We were told that she spoke only Spanish, and although we didn't approach her, it was a charming glimpse into a family-operated restaurant where generations still appeared to be part of everyday life.
After dinner, we returned to Lincoln and took another evening walk through town.
By this point, I believe we had walked the entire length of Lincoln four or five times.
But it was never boring.
Each walk revealed something different—a building we had overlooked, a historical marker we hadn't read, or simply another opportunity to imagine life there 150 years earlier.
The quiet streets were especially evocative after the museums had closed and the daytime visitors had departed.
It was difficult to reconcile the peaceful village around us with the violence that had once made its name famous throughout the country.
Tuesday: One Last Walk Through Lincoln
Our final morning in Lincoln began with breakfast at the Wortley Hotel.
We were served quiche and enjoyed a relaxed start to the day.
Before departing, we decided to take one final walk through the town.
We passed the courthouse again, along with the Tunstall Store and other historic buildings that had become so familiar during our short stay.
There was something appealing about Lincoln's simplicity.
It is a tiny place with one main street, a handful of businesses, and relatively little modern development.
Yet its historical importance is enormous.
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| The Torreón |
The Lincoln County War was never simply about Billy the Kid.
It was a conflict shaped by business competition, government contracts, political corruption, ethnic and cultural tensions, and the challenges of establishing law and order in a rapidly changing territory.
Billy became the most famous character in the story, but men and women such as John Tunstall, Alexander and Susan McSween, Lawrence Murphy, James Dolan, John Chisum, and Pat Garrett were equally important to understanding what happened.
Walking through the actual places where these people lived and fought gave me a much deeper appreciation of their history.
Eventually, it was time to leave.
We said goodbye to Lincoln and began the drive home.
Ruidoso and the Journey Back to El Paso
Our first stop was Ruidoso, where the owner of the Wortley Hotel had recommended the Village Buttery for lunch.
It was an excellent suggestion.
The food was good, the staff friendly, and the restaurant provided a pleasant final stop before our drive to El Paso.
From Ruidoso, we continued south toward the airport.
The road gradually straightened, the speed limits increased, and the scenery opened into the broad desert landscapes of southern New Mexico.
We stopped for gas and arrived at the rental car return around 3:00 p.m.
The return process was uneventful, and we made our way into the terminal, checked our luggage, and passed through security.
Around 5:00 p.m., we purchased a couple of small breakfast items from Starbucks.
We called it dinner.
Our flight departed on time and arrived in San Diego as scheduled.
One final surprise awaited us at baggage claim.
I have traveled through many airports over the years, but I cannot remember ever seeing checked luggage arrive as quickly as it did that evening.
By the time we reached the carousel, our bags were already coming down the chute.
An astonishing display of airport efficiency.
We collected our luggage, retrieved the car, and about an hour later were home.
Reflections: Walking Through the Past
Looking back, this trip was especially rewarding because it connected so many different layers of history.
In Mesilla, we revisited Jeanne's past through the Taylor family home while simultaneously uncovering new evidence about my great-great-grandfather Saturnino Barrientos.
The discovery of his elaborate champagne supper for Captain Giles Hawley was particularly exciting. It revealed a side of Barrientos that I had not previously encountered and suggested new possibilities for researching his commercial life before the Civil War.
At New Mexico State University, we examined archival material that brought us closer to understanding his military service, his court-martial, and the extraordinary circumstances under which his life was spared.
At Fort Craig and Valverde, we stood near the places where Barrientos had fought and where the fate of New Mexico was contested during the Civil War.
In White Oaks, we found the graves of Susan McSween and Deputy James Bell, two people whose lives were profoundly affected by the violence of the Lincoln County War. Susan's earlier experience of the Battle of Gettysburg made her life story all the more remarkable.
In Lincoln, we walked through the Tunstall Store, climbed the courthouse staircase, and stood at the window from which Billy the Kid fired the shots that killed Bob Olinger.
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| Lincoln New Mexico |
And at Fort Stanton, we discovered that a nineteenth-century frontier military post could also be connected to tuberculosis treatment, German ocean liners, and World War II internment.
These are the experiences that make historical travel so satisfying.
Museums, books, and archival records provide the facts, but visiting the places themselves adds another dimension.
The distance between Fort Craig and Valverde, the isolation of White Oaks, the narrow staircase in the Lincoln courthouse, and the quiet courtyard of an old Mesilla home cannot be fully appreciated on a printed page.
For someone who has spent decades researching family history, there is something especially meaningful about visiting a place where an ancestor once lived, worked, or served.
I have researched Saturnino Barrientos for years, but this trip made his world a little more tangible.
The streets of Mesilla were his streets. The Rio Grande Valley was his home. The events of the Civil War shaped his life and, through him, the lives of generations that followed.
We returned home with photographs, documents, books, memories, and several new historical questions worth pursuing.
And, of course, we enjoyed some excellent New Mexican food along the way.
A most excellent trip.
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