The old Army post of Fort Stanton, in south central New Mexico, is just north of the popular Ruidoso ski resort, Ski Apache, and nine miles west of the town of Lincoln where Billy (the Kid) Bonney began his outlaw career.

In 1878 a range and trade war developed in Lincoln between Jimmy Dolan and Englishman John Henry Tunstall, both of whom aspired to control mercantile trade in Lincoln County. One of Dolan's allies was Sheriff William Brady who, though generally honest, often selectively enforced the law to the advantage of his friends. Tunstall was a patrician Englishman who abhorred violence and sought legal remedies for his business conflicts with Dolan.

In December 1877, Tunstall's foreman, Dick Brewer, hired Billy as a ranch hand. Billy developed an admiration and respect for Tunstall. Billy saw Tunstall as a man of affluence, education, manners and stature in the community and apparently came to think of him as a sort of mentor. Eighteen-year-old Billy had a father figure whose gentlemanly manners he sought to emulate. Billy was a handsome teen, outgoing and popular with the girls. He spoke fluent Spanish and loved to dance. His favorite tune to dance to was "Turkey in the Straw."

Friends recalled that he was an excellent shot with handgun or rifle. On one occasion when a drunk tried to shoot him from behind, Billy turned, drew his pistol and shot his assailant three times in the chin, a tight pattern "that you could cover with a half-dollar," according to one eyewitness to the shooting.

On February 18, 1877, while riding to Lincoln with a small group of his employees, Tunstall was ambushed and murdered by a posse of Dolan cowboys. Billy vowed revenge and tensions between the two groups escalated. Sheriff Brady held Billy in jail for a few days and confiscated his favorite rifle.

On April 1, Billy and five friends hid in the Tunstall corral on the main street of Lincoln. Sheriff Brady and five deputies walked down the street past the Tunstall store on their way from the courthouse. As they passed the Tunstall corral, Billy and friends rose, leveled their Winchesters and opened fire. The storm of bullets felled the sheriff and one of his deputies.

Billy ran out to the sheriff to retrieve his rifle but was wounded in the leg and retreated. Billy's group, known as the Regulators, left town, riding into the hills where the Fort Stanton ride is held.

Gunfights raged back and forth between the Dolan faction and the Regulators, including a five-day battle for control of Lincoln. Numerous deaths were recorded on both sides. Although Billy was not a strategic leader, he was a natural tactical leader when caught in a tight place.

Indicted for Brady's murder, Billy spent the next three years running and rustling cattle. He was eventually captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett, tried and sentenced to hang.

On April 28, 1881, Billy managed a dramatic escape from his cell in Lincoln, killing two of his guards in the process. He rode west toward Fort Stanton and then north into the Capitan foothills where one of the loops of the AERC National Championship was held in 2000. Garrett pursued the Kid and caught up with him at Fort Sumner where he shot and killed him on the night of July 14, 1881. The Kid was 21 years old.

When you ride the trails at Fort Stanton, you will find the terrain little changed from the time of Billy the Kid. Indeed few changes have occurred in Lincoln -- a paved road, gas station and convenience store. As you drive through Lincoln, you will pass over the spot where Billy shot Sheriff Brady.

When you ride Fort Stanton, remember, we ride historic trails.

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