Lincoln State Monument

Lincoln State Monument was established in 1937. Properties comprising the monument are spread throughout the tiny hamlet of Lincoln, New Mexico. In fact, seventeen of the forty-eight structures in town are protected as part of the monument, and all of the town (including the remaining privately-owned structures) are part of the Lincoln National Historic District that extends along U.S. Route 380 for convert|10|mi|km.

Lincoln looks much as it did during the Lincoln County War (1878-1881) when its single street was peopled with characters like Billy the Kid, John Chisum and Lawrence G. Murphy. Nestled in a beautiful valley between the Capitan and Sacramento Mountains of southcentral New Mexico, Lincoln was the scene of Billy the Kid's most famous escape in April 1881. Billy had been sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead and was being held prisoner in the Old Lincoln County Courthouse. Somehow he got hold of a six-shooter, killed the two deputies who were guarding him (Bell and Olinger), then stole a horse and rode out of town--only to be tracked down in Fort Sumner and shot dead two months later by Sheriff Pat Garrett. Although Billy the Kid was the most famous character in Lincoln during its violent heyday, he had only a supporting role in the larger story of the Lincoln County War. The "war" was a vicious struggle between two competing economic factions for control of lucrative government contracts and local resources. The two factions, Murphy-Dolan and Tunstall-McSween, fought a series of escalating battles with such murderous ferocity that the repercussions were felt as far away as the state capital Santa Fe and even in Washington, D.C.

Visitors may tour the Old Lincoln County Courthouse and the Tunstall Store. The Montano Store features a photographic display documenting the history of the local Hispanic community. The church, La Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (Roman Catholic), was built in 1887. The Torreon, a convert|20|ft|m|sing=on-high round stone tower originally built near the center of town in the 1860s, served as a refuge during attacks by Mescalero Apaches.

If you plan to visit: Lincoln State Monument is located on U.S. Route 380 about convert|12|mi|km east of Capitan and convert|57|mi|km west of Roswell. For more information call 505.653.4372 or visit www.nmmonuments.org. New Mexico State Monuments are a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, State of New Mexico.

External links

* [http://www.nmmonuments.org/inst.php?inst=7 Lincoln State Monument] on New Mexico State Monuments