Over 40 years ago, I ate at La Posta Mexican Restaurant in Mesilla, NM. The restaurant is in an adobe building that was built in 1840 as a hotel and the hotel was frequented by Billy the Kid. The restaurant was proud of that history and had a display of pictures and newspaper articles about Billy. I think the restaurant is still in business. It had excellent food.
I'd love to see a video on Quantrill's Raiders. Maybe a series on them and how they were integrated into the Civil War, Bleeding Kansas, and all the troubles of Missouri.
In 1950 there was a fella that tracked down several of the children of quantrells bunch and bragged he would have the real story by the first of May.......the expected date came and went.....he was never heard of again
And of course, Pat Garrett himself died violently later on in 1908. Still a mystery about who killed him and the circumstances of his death. Violent men for violent times, the lines between the good guys and bad guys were very blurry in the "Wild West." Awesome as usual, THG!
Pat Garrett owed money. A professional assassin named Jim Miller may have murdered Garrett. But anyone who Garrett owed money too may have done it themselves.
Excellent work as always! I grew up in Las Vegas NM and as a child in the 1950s, I remember long time residents pointing out various locations in town that had some connection or association with Billy the kid. Your video brought back a lot of those memories. Many thanks!
Pat Garrett was himself murdered between El Paso and Mesilla (Las Cruces) New Mexico, possibly on the orders of Albert Fall. Which would be another great episode for the History Guy, if you have not covered the notorious Fall already - the man behind one of the greatest political scandals in U.S. history - Teapot Dome.
You are my favorite TH-camr! I’m 66 and have been a history buff since my teens. I thank you for your sharing of your knowledge in a way that is both accurate and exquisitely presented. I have been binge watching past episodes since I found you last week!
I loved this episode! I'm from Pittsburgh, PA and I am pretty knowledgeable about its history, Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by tales from the "Old West". It was always fascinating how that part of the nation was still FRONTEER when "we" in the "Old East" already had electric trolleys, lights and telephones. While cattle rustling and train robberies were going on in the West, "we" already were dealing with the "Black Hand" (precursor to the American Mafia). Two different worlds in the SAME country!
Billy the Kid being left handed is a myth based on that tin-type of him holding the rifle by the barrel. Tin-type prints actually produce a reverse image. If you look close, you can see the loading port of the Winchester rifle appears to be on the left side. In reality, no lever action Winchester was ever made with a left side loading port. If you plug the picture into an image handling app and 'mirror image' it, you'll see the loading port is actually on the right side, where it belongs. And Billy's pistol is hanging on his right side.
Happy to hear Pecos mentioned. Lived there when born and graduated from there. Most people confuse it with Pecos Texas but that Pecos lays at southern end of the Pecos river while Pecos, New Mexico is at the rivers head waters and is a very old village.
I’m born and raised in San Angelo, Tx. and have never heard this full account of these men. I appreciate your insight into the past lives and history of the world we live in!
Another very interesting history talk. One thing I like about these is the range of topics from Old West Desperados, Chickens, Phillips Screwdrivers, etc. if it’s history it is worth talking about. As an aside, the movie “Old Henry” made for an interesting twist on the Billy the Kid post being “killed” by Pat Garret story. One of the wildest parts of the Wild West is the number of different stories supposedly describing the same incident. I suppose that is why that time period is so interesting because it is almost impossible to separate fact from myth. Keep up the great work. I have yet to find one of your videos uninteresting. It is amazing how much some little vignettes of history can have such profound effects. I think I am a Fanboy:)
I remember hearing old men claim how they came face-to-face with Billy the Kid, or others. Eventually I got old enough to realize they were in an entirely different part of the country per the time of claims. It was easier too get away with tall tale back then. For 8-to-10-year-old boys it sparked imaginations and interest in history.
Still pretty ez today. Look at all the morons that believe a pedophile criminal resident of the White House. EDIT: Ever watch the young try to count change at the store?😂
Yeah, I remember reading about all the folks who supposedly attended Woodstock would number over a quarter of a million instead of the few thousand that showed up. People want to be part of something historic so they 'stretch the truth a bit'
@@davidmcmahon4633 Yea, except your number are off, way off! By all accounts, the actual attendance at Woodstock was between 400,000 and 500,000 so all of those people you just called liars could have all been telling the truth! All one has to do is to look at the actual footage and see that your claim of "a few thousand" was bogus!
The THG title told me there should be a lot of good photos. Photography was a wonderful invention for the Wild West. This was a fun video. My fave was “a man named Jack Burke” 11:20 🍹🧢🤳🏼📸
One character that deserves to be remembered, if only as the partial inspiration for a Billy Joel song... From a town known as Wheeling, West Virginia / Rode a boy with a six gun in his hand / And his daring life of crime / Made him a legend in his time / East and west of the Rio Grande
That Billy Joel song concludes with a biographical tie-in to the compose: "From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island, rode a boy with a six-pack in his hand....". Good song, but I prefer Ry Cooder's version of a different song about Billy the Kid, featuring bluesy mandolin and Stratocaster slide guitar. I printed the full lyrics elsewhere in the comments, but it begins "I'll sing you a true song of Billy the Kid/I'll sing you the record of days that he did/way out in New Mexico, a long time ago/when a man's only friend was his own 44......". The slide guitar solo is absolutely sublime! Worth noting that Ry did the soundtrack music for several Walter Hill westerns such as the Long Riders, and other movies like Southern Comfort, The Border, and Paris Texas.
@@goodun2974 Actually, in the liner notes to the live album Songs From the Attic, Joel says "Billy" is not a reference to him. "An exercise in cowboy movie impressionism. Totally inaccurate historically, the themes are pure east coast suburban romanticism. Elmer Bernstein shot in hot blood by the infamous Newman brothers, Alfred and Lionel, avenging the murder of Aaron Copeland. (By the way, "Billy" in this case is not me, myself and I. He still tends bar in Oyster Bay.)" BTW, the live version is THE definitive version. Phenomenal.
@@stratfanstl, interesting; I had assumed the Oyster Bay reference was about Billy J himself since he grew up on Long Island ( I grew up in Southern New England and sometimes fished the waters of Plum Gut and Peconic Bay). Anyway, the song was of course obviously impressionistic and certainly didn't follow Billy the kid's actual history. I like early Billy Joel (I even have Cold Spring Harbor on vinyl) But I didn't follow him when he became a big pop star in these days I am much more into roots rock which is why I prefer the Rye Cooter song which is based on an old folk song recorded by Marty Robbins, Woody Guthrie and many others. Texan Joe Ely has his own song about Billy the Kid ( I've seen him play with a band and with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Guy Clark), as do Billy Dean, Charlie Daniels, Tom Petty, Dylan and others. Ry's song is particularly sublime, with a very short slide solo that speaks volumes.
@@goodun2974 (smile) If you surf on TH-cam, it is impossible to find a bad live performance from Billy Joel and band between 1975 and about 1983. Highly recommend Songs in the Attic. Not a bad performance on that album. I'll check into the Ry Cooder song. I'm very familiar with his reputation but not that familiar with his material.
I live in Amarillo, so I have heard many of the old stories from the rough times when the region was less "civilized ". It's really nice to see that this stuff hasn't been forgotten.
I was thinking last night; I think most people have heard about and remember the Mayflower. But I also remember hearing about the Speedwell, the ship that started sinking(?) on the Pilgrims' voyage. But beyond that, I know nothing about either of the two ships. When was each commissioned? What types of ships were they, aside from the obvious answer of "wooden sailing vessels"? What were the fates for both ships? (I don't even remember if the Speedwell completely sank on its way back to England, or if it was merely taking on water.) Seems like this would be a good video.
According to my information the Mayflower was a cargo fluyt. This was a popular ship type of the time because it had decent cargo capacity and took a relatively small crew to operate. The Speedwell was a pinnace which was not an ideal ship for transatlantic voyages.
When the Mayflour was broken up at the end of her useful life parts of her were used in the construction if a barn in England. Which is still standing.
I find it interesting every time he mentions stories written in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. My dad was a sports writer for that paper for 40 years. He retired about 5 or 6 years ago. I forget though how long that paper had been around.
I see people making suggestions for future episodes in this comment thread. Lots of material with Frederich Law Olmsted. Also, Robert’s Rules of Order - created by an Army officer named Roberts, perhaps Army Corps of Engineers, responsible at least in part for the Galveston Seawall following the Great Hurricane .
You like Pirate stories, I love true west stories. This is one of your postings I really enjoyed. (Being an "arstsy guy" I would love a posting of Russell!
One thing jumps out at me here. You mention the regulators and how they died by the sword, but keep in mind that most of the socalled lawmen were criminals themselves. Pat garret the ambush killer lived by the sword and he died by the sword
A corollary by a random thug on the street in the old City of Heroes MMORPG that I thought was fun - "Those who live by the sword, get shot by those who don't" Great bit of history as usual. Have you ever done a history of the Yellow Kid? The first newspaper comic strip sensation?
According to family legend told to me by my grandfather, I am related to Dirty Dave even though the last name is spelled differently (many people being illiterate spellings were often phonetic). Anyway, the story comes down from my great grandfather and his brother who both lived in Kansas at the time Dave was active there as an outlaw. While I can't definitively prove it everything I have found about Dave's early life makes it very likely that he was a distant cousin. It has been quite interesting to speculate about, if nothing else.
I always enjoy your outstanding presentations! I’ve been told that my Great Grandfather, Demetrio Rivera, was reputedly the best (or one of the best) barbers in Las Vegas, NM during those wild times. I’d dearly love to find out (though it’s probably impossible) if he ever shaved or cut the hair of any of those infamous characters.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannelHow about a little research on the Brushy Bill that was in Lincoln around the time Albert Jennings Fountain disappeared. Pat Garrett had several run ins with him. Could that be the Brushy Bill that claimed to be Billy the Kid back in the 1950s?
Brushy Bill was not Billy the kid. Brushy sides in 1950 which would have made him 90 years old. He looked more like 70. His niece had the family Bible that showed him being born about 20 years after Billy the kid. Pat
@@robertschumann7737 there was a coroner’s jury following the shooting, and people who definitely knew Billy agreed it was his body. The Brushy Bill story requires a wide conspiracy.
PBS had a most interesting documentary focused on B. the K., made something more than a decade ago. Great deal of the violence was feuding between Irish and English factions, which between them, controlled about half of what is now Arizona.
Garrett was an unsavory character himself... And Wallace was compromised by the Santa Fe Ring... from whose pov this history is written. If you dig a little deeper into the Kid's band of guerrillas, there's another view of this history... This is just one example of what later generations accept as history being written by the winners...
I once considered trying my hand at writing a book where the main character is , like Forrest Gump, present during several major events during the Old West, but then I remembered David Rudabaugh.
Dan Simmons wrote a book called The Black Hills, following a Lakota man from the battle of Little Big Horn to the sculpting of Mount Rushmore. He encounters many significant events and people through his long life. Typical of Simmons' work, there are mystical elements, although nowhere near as fantastical as his science fiction works. Wonderful book!
Portales Springs Is across the road in about a 10th of a mile from my grandmother's house. My brothers used to go visit Billy the kids cave but they wouldn't let me go because of the snakes and I am a girl. What a fun video I'm gonna play It for my mother.
I grew up in the '60's with a facination of the old west from watching television shows (gunsmoke for one) and believed everything I saw. It was only after adulthood and reading about the old west did I find out that the old west really wasn't much different that now. Just men who used violence to get what they wanted and those who tried to stop them with many of them one whisker from being criminal themselves. This story , well told, is what the old west was. A violent time by often hard folks who did what they wanted often without the law to back them up. There were really no gunfights starting with a fast draw or any kind of chivalry shown by anyone as it was kill or be killed. And mix in alcohol, gambling and greed in the search for power and things often exploded into violence (quite often killing bystanders). So, not really so much different than now. Just less law. That was why it was the "wild" west.
In all the years I've read about & studied the gunmen of the old west, this is the first time I've heard a story of Dave Rudabaugh dying in Victor, Colorado. The version of him being shot by multiple assailants in a cantina in Mexico, & then beheaded by the townspeople, has been universally told in all the prior stories I've found. In that story, his killers' actions were favorably regarded for eliminating an unwanted element from the town, & his beheading meant to serve as a warning to other outlaws to keep out of the area, lest the same fate befall them.
What about the murder of John Tunstall, the kid’s friend and employer. Had he not been murdered maybe none of this would have happened and Billy the Kid would not had been remembered in history.
If you run out of American outlaws, you should look into Australian bushrangers. From Black Caesar to Frank Gardiner to Bold Ben Hall to Captain Thunderbolt to Captain Moonlight to Ned Kelly, there are plenty of stories there.
@wakeup6910. Profound, defense attorneys should use that for all their cases because none of them were there. With that logic we should also throw out history too because no one was there either.
You don't know that. You weren't there. Maybe he wasn't a bad guy in the beginning but then he took things a bit further than he should. History isn't always black and white. There's a Grey line there. Enjoy the young guns movies but remember Hollywood is a long way from real life. Also, ask yourself why wasn't Tom Pickett mentioned in these stories? Why was Dirty Dave Rudebaugh's nickname changed to Arkansas Dave? All for entertainment. So far as Tunstall goes... he wasn't as good of a man as he was made out to be in the movies.
Pat Garrett’s revolver, with which he killed Billy the Kid, sold at auction on August 21, 2021 for $6, 030,330 the highest price in history for a firearm. The Colt Single Action Army revolver, chambered in .44-40 with a 7.5” barrel, was originally owned by Billy Wilson, who surrender it when he was arrested by Pat Garrett, who then used it as his own. The provenance of the weapon is documented meticulously through each of its several owners.
I grew up about 50 miles from Fort Summer, where Billy was killed. Oddly, we never heard anything about it except for the movies and books. I guess it is just political correctness but, the saying went, "I killed 21 men, not including Indians and Mexicans." Billy is supposed to have gotten it from the gang member that got his head cut off. Pat Garret would be shot and killed himself. A land owner that was a having a tiff with Garret over land claimed he shot him in self-defense but, other people say Garret was assassinated by a mad dog killer called, "Deacon Jim." Whom would be hung in Montana. History Guy, you might look into doing something on Pete Maxwell, the rancher that owned the house where Billy was killed. He at one time was the biggest landowner in the US. He owned land from N.M. to TX to CO. He basically sold it off because it was to much to manage and keep people off of. So I was told..
Keep in mind that the nicknames for Billy and Pat were Little and Big Monte for their prediliction for running games of Monte in local watering holes. Prior to the Lincoln County War they were friendly associates if not actual friends.
I would argue that "Billy the Kid" was not as murderous and crooked as some of the so-called local upstanding "ranchers" like Oliver Lee and Albert Fall, a lawyer and rancher who ended up ruined by the Teapot Dome Scandal. The death of Albert Jennings Fountain was never solved and Pat Garrett's own death is tied to Oliver Lee by more than one researcher.
@@ZER0ZER0SE7EN This is a stab in the dark, but being a Retired Navy 1st Class machinist mate. I have to ask. Is your internet name/tag, a reference to a military background? Such as an Enginemen Senior Chief?
Over 40 years ago, I ate at La Posta Mexican Restaurant in Mesilla, NM. The restaurant is in an adobe building that was built in 1840 as a hotel and the hotel was frequented by Billy the Kid. The restaurant was proud of that history and had a display of pictures and newspaper articles about Billy. I think the restaurant is still in business. It had excellent food.
I'd love to see a video on Quantrill's Raiders. Maybe a series on them and how they were integrated into the Civil War, Bleeding Kansas, and all the troubles of Missouri.
Even Quantrill was afraid of Bloody Bill Anderson
Perhaps in combination with one about Jesse James
In 1950 there was a fella that tracked down several of the children of quantrells bunch and bragged he would have the real story by the first of May.......the expected date came and went.....he was never heard of again
I'm an old Texas Panhandle native. Heard these types of stories all my life. Thanks Guy.
And of course, Pat Garrett himself died violently later on in 1908. Still a mystery about who killed him and the circumstances of his death. Violent men for violent times, the lines between the good guys and bad guys were very blurry in the "Wild West." Awesome as usual, THG!
Pat Garrett owed money. A professional assassin named Jim Miller may have murdered Garrett. But anyone who Garrett owed money too may have done it themselves.
@@Idahoguy10157Killer Miller or Deacon Miller was a bad, bad dude. If anyone wants to fall down a rabbithole google that guy.
Excellent work as always! I grew up in Las Vegas NM and as a child in the 1950s, I remember long time residents pointing out various locations in town that had some connection or association with Billy the kid. Your video brought back a lot of those memories. Many thanks!
So much history has to be sorted out from tall tales and imperfect memories. You do a great job of sorting.
Pat Garrett was himself murdered between El Paso and Mesilla (Las Cruces) New Mexico, possibly on the orders of Albert Fall. Which would be another great episode for the History Guy, if you have not covered the notorious Fall already - the man behind one of the greatest political scandals in U.S. history - Teapot Dome.
The original "fall guy."
You are my favorite TH-camr! I’m 66 and have been a history buff since my teens. I thank you for your sharing of your knowledge in a way that is both accurate and exquisitely presented. I have been binge watching past episodes since I found you last week!
Good morning from Ft Worth TX History Guy and everyone watching...
G'day and Good evening from Brisbane Australia, onya mate.
Top of the mornin to ya, Indiana here!
I loved this episode! I'm from Pittsburgh, PA and I am pretty knowledgeable about its history, Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by tales from the "Old West". It was always fascinating how that part of the nation was still FRONTEER when "we" in the "Old East" already had electric trolleys, lights and telephones. While cattle rustling and train robberies were going on in the West, "we" already were dealing with the "Black Hand" (precursor to the American Mafia). Two different worlds in the SAME country!
Billy the Kid being left handed is a myth based on that tin-type of him holding the rifle by the barrel. Tin-type prints actually produce a reverse image. If you look close, you can see the loading port of the Winchester rifle appears to be on the left side. In reality, no lever action Winchester was ever made with a left side loading port.
If you plug the picture into an image handling app and 'mirror image' it, you'll see the loading port is actually on the right side, where it belongs. And Billy's pistol is hanging on his right side.
Superb as usual! Thank you for your dedication to knowing and presenting history to us. It's a joy!!
Happy to hear Pecos mentioned. Lived there when born and graduated from there. Most people confuse it with Pecos Texas but that Pecos lays at southern end of the Pecos river while Pecos, New Mexico is at the rivers head waters and is a very old village.
Very appropriate attire for today's video History Guy. Loved it, was like having a wise poker dealer telling us the story.
I’m born and raised in San Angelo, Tx. and have never heard this full account of these men. I appreciate your insight into the past lives and history of the world we live in!
Another very interesting history talk. One thing I like about these is the range of topics from Old West Desperados, Chickens, Phillips Screwdrivers, etc. if it’s history it is worth talking about.
As an aside, the movie “Old Henry” made for an interesting twist on the Billy the Kid post being “killed” by Pat Garret story.
One of the wildest parts of the Wild West is the number of different stories supposedly describing the same incident. I suppose that is why that time period is so interesting because it is almost impossible to separate fact from myth.
Keep up the great work. I have yet to find one of your videos uninteresting. It is amazing how much some little vignettes of history can have such profound effects.
I think I am a Fanboy:)
"When the facts become legend, print the legend".
I remember hearing old men claim how they came face-to-face with Billy the Kid, or others. Eventually I got old enough to realize they were in an entirely different part of the country per the time of claims. It was easier too get away with tall tale back then. For 8-to-10-year-old boys it sparked imaginations and interest in history.
Still pretty ez today. Look at all the morons that believe a pedophile criminal resident of the White House.
EDIT: Ever watch the young try to count change at the store?😂
Yeah, I remember reading about all the folks who supposedly attended Woodstock would number over a quarter of a million instead of the few thousand that showed up. People want to be part of something historic so they 'stretch the truth a bit'
@@davidmcmahon4633 Yea, except your number are off, way off! By all accounts, the actual attendance at Woodstock was between 400,000 and 500,000 so all of those people you just called liars could have all been telling the truth! All one has to do is to look at the actual footage and see that your claim of "a few thousand" was bogus!
@@davidmcmahon4633, the LANDOWNER was TOLD “There will only be 3,000-4,000 people there.” Not the appropriate HALF A MILLION that actually showed up!
Buenos días de Guatemala 🇬🇹, this was a very interesting video 😊👍
The THG title told me there should be a lot of good photos. Photography was a wonderful invention for the Wild West. This was a fun video. My fave was “a man named Jack Burke” 11:20 🍹🧢🤳🏼📸
One character that deserves to be remembered, if only as the partial inspiration for a Billy Joel song... From a town known as Wheeling, West Virginia / Rode a boy with a six gun in his hand / And his daring life of crime / Made him a legend in his time / East and west of the Rio Grande
That Billy Joel song concludes with a biographical tie-in to the compose: "From a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island, rode a boy with a six-pack in his hand....". Good song, but I prefer Ry Cooder's version of a different song about Billy the Kid, featuring bluesy mandolin and Stratocaster slide guitar. I printed the full lyrics elsewhere in the comments, but it begins "I'll sing you a true song of Billy the Kid/I'll sing you the record of days that he did/way out in New Mexico, a long time ago/when a man's only friend was his own 44......". The slide guitar solo is absolutely sublime! Worth noting that Ry did the soundtrack music for several Walter Hill westerns such as the Long Riders, and other movies like Southern Comfort, The Border, and Paris Texas.
@@goodun2974 Actually, in the liner notes to the live album Songs From the Attic, Joel says "Billy" is not a reference to him. "An exercise in cowboy movie impressionism. Totally inaccurate historically, the themes are pure east coast suburban romanticism. Elmer Bernstein shot in hot blood by the infamous Newman brothers, Alfred and Lionel, avenging the murder of Aaron Copeland. (By the way, "Billy" in this case is not me, myself and I. He still tends bar in Oyster Bay.)" BTW, the live version is THE definitive version. Phenomenal.
@@stratfanstl, interesting; I had assumed the Oyster Bay reference was about Billy J himself since he grew up on Long Island ( I grew up in Southern New England and sometimes fished the waters of Plum Gut and Peconic Bay). Anyway, the song was of course obviously impressionistic and certainly didn't follow Billy the kid's actual history. I like early Billy Joel (I even have Cold Spring Harbor on vinyl) But I didn't follow him when he became a big pop star in these days I am much more into roots rock which is why I prefer the Rye Cooter song which is based on an old folk song recorded by Marty Robbins, Woody Guthrie and many others. Texan Joe Ely has his own song about Billy the Kid ( I've seen him play with a band and with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Guy Clark), as do Billy Dean, Charlie Daniels, Tom Petty, Dylan and others. Ry's song is particularly sublime, with a very short slide solo that speaks volumes.
@@goodun2974 (smile) If you surf on TH-cam, it is impossible to find a bad live performance from Billy Joel and band between 1975 and about 1983. Highly recommend Songs in the Attic. Not a bad performance on that album. I'll check into the Ry Cooder song. I'm very familiar with his reputation but not that familiar with his material.
It amazes me what stories catch they eye of you and your team. Always well done. Always interesting. Thank you.
I live in Amarillo, so I have heard many of the old stories from the rough times when the region was less "civilized ". It's really nice to see that this stuff hasn't been forgotten.
Thanks!
Thank you!
A terrific retelling of the deaths of "Billy's" Gang. thanks for clearing it all up.
Forgiveness matters. Such a forgotten ideal in a world going mad at times.
At least in this piece of forgotten history, you weren't kidding one bit!
If you are ever in central NM, spend a day visiting the sites and tourist traps, and his grave.
Fascinating.... informative too as no story has been portrayed in more and different ways than that of 'Billy the Kid's by Hollywood 😊
I was thinking last night; I think most people have heard about and remember the Mayflower. But I also remember hearing about the Speedwell, the ship that started sinking(?) on the Pilgrims' voyage.
But beyond that, I know nothing about either of the two ships. When was each commissioned? What types of ships were they, aside from the obvious answer of "wooden sailing vessels"? What were the fates for both ships? (I don't even remember if the Speedwell completely sank on its way back to England, or if it was merely taking on water.)
Seems like this would be a good video.
According to my information the Mayflower was a cargo fluyt. This was a popular ship type of the time because it had decent cargo capacity and took a relatively small crew to operate.
The Speedwell was a pinnace which was not an ideal ship for transatlantic voyages.
When the Mayflour was broken up at the end of her useful life parts of her were used in the construction if a barn in England. Which is still standing.
Always some good history stories with THG
Thanks for the great story History Guy!
Another great episode! Thank-you
Another great one! Sorry to hear about Mrs. history guy.❤
Since we're talking about the Lincoln County Wars, the story of Buckshot Roberts and the Gunfight at Blazer's Mill ought to be more widely told.
Very nice gold bow tie and gold/black vest.
Another AWESOME video! Thank you History Guy!!
I find it interesting every time he mentions stories written in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. My dad was a sports writer for that paper for 40 years. He retired about 5 or 6 years ago. I forget though how long that paper had been around.
I see people making suggestions for future episodes in this comment thread. Lots of material with Frederich Law Olmsted. Also, Robert’s Rules of Order - created by an Army officer named Roberts, perhaps Army Corps of Engineers, responsible at least in part for the Galveston Seawall following the Great Hurricane .
You are awesome! Thanks for such a great channel.
You like Pirate stories, I love true west stories. This is one of your postings I really enjoyed. (Being an "arstsy guy" I would love a posting of Russell!
I appreciate you and thank you for making content.
l really liked this excellent wild west and Billy The Kid and his gang......Thank THG🎀 👍
Old Flying Shoe🇺🇸
Really like the art and photo treatments.
Billy the Kid was never killed by Pat Garrett, he works part time, shelving books, at my town's local library.
Is the working with Elvis?
I will forever be amazed that the Governor, Lew Wallace wrote Ben-Hur in 1880!
th-cam.com/video/WuNCCVXV9cw/w-d-xo.html
One thing jumps out at me here. You mention the regulators and how they died by the sword, but keep in mind that most of the socalled lawmen were criminals themselves. Pat garret the ambush killer lived by the sword and he died by the sword
A corollary by a random thug on the street in the old City of Heroes MMORPG that I thought was fun - "Those who live by the sword, get shot by those who don't"
Great bit of history as usual.
Have you ever done a history of the Yellow Kid? The first newspaper comic strip sensation?
Lol-I loved City of Heroes
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel It still exists on private servers. Check out City of Heroes Rebirth and City of Heroes Unity
According to family legend told to me by my grandfather, I am related to Dirty Dave even though the last name is spelled differently (many people being illiterate spellings were often phonetic). Anyway, the story comes down from my great grandfather and his brother who both lived in Kansas at the time Dave was active there as an outlaw. While I can't definitively prove it everything I have found about Dave's early life makes it very likely that he was a distant cousin. It has been quite interesting to speculate about, if nothing else.
I always enjoy your outstanding presentations! I’ve been told that my Great Grandfather, Demetrio Rivera, was reputedly the best (or one of the best) barbers in Las Vegas, NM during those wild times. I’d dearly love to find out (though it’s probably impossible) if he ever shaved or cut the hair of any of those infamous characters.
Awesome content as usual!! Tks!!
Very nice. I wonder if you could do a video about Joshua Lawrence Chaimberlain
Governor and former Union Civil War General, Lew Wallace. Also the author of "Ben-Hur".
th-cam.com/video/WuNCCVXV9cw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=VaBt1EFlV7RH3E86
@@TheHistoryGuyChannelHow about a little research on the Brushy Bill that was in Lincoln around the time Albert Jennings Fountain disappeared. Pat Garrett had several run ins with him. Could that be the Brushy Bill that claimed to be Billy the Kid back in the 1950s?
Brushy Bill was not Billy the kid. Brushy sides in 1950 which would have made him 90 years old. He looked more like 70. His niece had the family Bible that showed him being born about 20 years after Billy the kid. Pat
@@robertschumann7737 there was a coroner’s jury following the shooting, and people who definitely knew Billy agreed it was his body. The Brushy Bill story requires a wide conspiracy.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannelyes. Thank you.
Great videos. They are like mini Ken Burns documentaries.
Do you happen to know the name of the drawing on the screen at 2:20?
PBS had a most interesting documentary focused on B. the K., made something more than a decade ago. Great deal of the violence was feuding between Irish and English factions, which between them, controlled about half of what is now Arizona.
Garrett was an unsavory character himself... And Wallace was compromised by the Santa Fe Ring... from whose pov this history is written.
If you dig a little deeper into the Kid's band of guerrillas, there's another view of this history...
This is just one example of what later generations accept as history being written by the winners...
"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend"... from " The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".
History guy I love your music!!!!@!!!
Now I have the soundtrack to "Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid" in my head.
I once considered trying my hand at writing a book where the main character is , like Forrest Gump, present during several major events during the Old West, but then I remembered David Rudabaugh.
Dan Simmons wrote a book called The Black Hills, following a Lakota man from the battle of Little Big Horn to the sculpting of Mount Rushmore. He encounters many significant events and people through his long life. Typical of Simmons' work, there are mystical elements, although nowhere near as fantastical as his science fiction works. Wonderful book!
I visited his grave earlier this year, interesting place.
Fun fact: For those that don't know, "sandíllas" is a Spanish word for "watermelons."
Please do the Tunguska Event ! 🙏
Love your vids
Excellent episode ❤
Catchy music! Any more info about it?
Well done as always Doc 😅😊
Excellent as always
As always a great story.
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally!
Portales Springs Is across the road in about a 10th of a mile from my grandmother's house. My brothers used to go visit Billy the kids cave but they wouldn't let me go because of the snakes and I am a girl. What a fun video I'm gonna play It for my mother.
I grew up in the '60's with a facination of the old west from watching television shows (gunsmoke for one) and believed everything I saw. It was only after adulthood and reading about the old west did I find out that the old west really wasn't much different that now. Just men who used violence to get what they wanted and those who tried to stop them with many of them one whisker from being criminal themselves. This story , well told, is what the old west was. A violent time by often hard folks who did what they wanted often without the law to back them up. There were really no gunfights starting with a fast draw or any kind of chivalry shown by anyone as it was kill or be killed. And mix in alcohol, gambling and greed in the search for power and things often exploded into violence (quite often killing bystanders). So, not really so much different than now. Just less law. That was why it was the "wild" west.
Clint Eastwood's film "Unforgiven" probably comes closer to the truth than all the other Western movies.
totally agree. @@goodun2974
In all the years I've read about & studied the gunmen of the old west, this is the first time I've heard a story of Dave Rudabaugh dying in Victor, Colorado. The version of him being shot by multiple assailants in a cantina in Mexico, & then beheaded by the townspeople, has been universally told in all the prior stories I've found. In that story, his killers' actions were favorably regarded for eliminating an unwanted element from the town, & his beheading meant to serve as a warning to other outlaws to keep out of the area, lest the same fate befall them.
what do you think of the picture that some say is billy and some of his guys playing croquet
I think it looks like him.
What about the murder of John Tunstall, the kid’s friend and employer. Had he not been murdered maybe none of this would have happened and Billy the Kid would not had been remembered in history.
If not this something else would have happened to Tunstall since he was pursuing legal action against the "The House"
@@giantgeoff”The House” was corrupt as hell and part of the Santa Fe Ring
I read that Billy was a Brooklyn NY native!🤔🗽🌁🏙️
If you run out of American outlaws, you should look into Australian bushrangers. From Black Caesar to Frank Gardiner to Bold Ben Hall to Captain Thunderbolt to Captain Moonlight to Ned Kelly, there are plenty of stories there.
I miss the history guy on screen, but love the videos none the less.
Have you ever done an episode about soapy Smith?
The history guy does have an episode about soapy Smith.
I'd love to see THG cover the Meeker Massacre.
Billy the Kid wasn’t the bad guy in the Lincoln County War…
Was you there?
@wakeup6910. Profound, defense attorneys should use that for all their cases because none of them were there. With that logic we should also throw out history too because no one was there either.
@@sharpright6887
K
By today's definition, Billy, and pretty much every member of the gang, would be considered a serial killer.
You don't know that. You weren't there. Maybe he wasn't a bad guy in the beginning but then he took things a bit further than he should. History isn't always black and white. There's a Grey line there. Enjoy the young guns movies but remember Hollywood is a long way from real life. Also, ask yourself why wasn't Tom Pickett mentioned in these stories? Why was Dirty Dave Rudebaugh's nickname changed to Arkansas Dave? All for entertainment. So far as Tunstall goes... he wasn't as good of a man as he was made out to be in the movies.
No mention, of Bushy Bill?
Good evening
Pat Garrett’s revolver, with which he killed Billy the Kid, sold at auction on August 21, 2021 for $6, 030,330 the highest price in history for a firearm.
The Colt Single Action Army revolver, chambered in .44-40 with a 7.5” barrel, was originally owned by Billy Wilson, who surrender it when he was arrested by Pat Garrett, who then used it as his own. The provenance of the weapon is documented meticulously through each of its several owners.
My favourite Bad Man was "Mysterious" Dave Mathers; who, like all the worst Bad Men, fought on both sides of the law.
I grew up about 50 miles from Fort Summer, where Billy was killed. Oddly, we never heard anything about it except for the movies and books.
I guess it is just political correctness but, the saying went, "I killed 21 men, not including Indians and Mexicans." Billy is supposed to have gotten it from the gang member that got his head cut off.
Pat Garret would be shot and killed himself. A land owner that was a having a tiff with Garret over land claimed he shot him in self-defense but, other people say Garret was assassinated by a mad dog killer called, "Deacon Jim." Whom would be hung in Montana.
History Guy, you might look into doing something on Pete Maxwell, the rancher that owned the house where Billy was killed.
He at one time was the biggest landowner in the US. He owned land from N.M. to TX to CO. He basically sold it off because it was to much to manage and keep people off of. So I was told..
I like the Young Gun movies. What do you think of Brushy Bill.
It's a surprisingly short period of time but certainly full of some, more than colourful characters. Definitely more grey than black and white.
Bill & Ted could definitely help solve some of these lost facts, or perhaps a quick call to Doc Brown, lol
The story as told by the winners. The loosers had a different version with things left out by the winners.
Those stories are coming out now.
and to this day, Billy the Kid has two (count'em, 2) official graves
Caitlin Doughty of the Ask A Mortician channel did a video covering that particular controversy.
When asked what History would say of him, British General John Burgoyne replied, "History, sir, will LIE!" Borgoyne knew what he was about. Bob Bailey
Keep in mind that the nicknames for Billy and Pat were Little and Big Monte for their prediliction for running games of Monte in local watering holes. Prior to the Lincoln County War they were friendly associates if not actual friends.
My mother's Mom while a little girl she saw 👀 Jessie James body lying in state.
I would argue that "Billy the Kid" was not as murderous and crooked as some of the so-called local upstanding "ranchers" like Oliver Lee and Albert Fall, a lawyer and rancher who ended up ruined by the Teapot Dome Scandal. The death of Albert Jennings Fountain was never solved and Pat Garrett's own death is tied to Oliver Lee by more than one researcher.
It's not unusual for both sides to be the bad guys.
Were you a contestant on "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"?
thanks
"Yoo hoo"
"???"
"I'll make you famous!"
I’m very much inclined to believe that Billy lived out his days in Hico, Tx as Brushy Bill Robert’s until the 1950’s.
Not a chance in hell this is true. A poor old man wanted attention. 🙄
@@mikefranklin1253 not a chance in heck it can be disproven either, sorry to say but history is almost one would dare to even say never corrected.
Alas, El Chevito (spl) is put to rest.
A good story even if there were no pirates.
These characters were "land lubber" pirates.
@@ZER0ZER0SE7EN
This is a stab in the dark, but being a Retired Navy 1st Class machinist mate. I have to ask.
Is your internet name/tag, a reference to a military background?
Such as an Enginemen Senior Chief?
@@bobd9193 No, I've never been in the military. Only a California civilian. It's just a James Bond ref.