The Rock House at Stinking Springs
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ธ.ค. 2021
- Originally uploaded back in June of 2021. I fixed the vertical sideways view to a better proper landscape view.
Billy The Kid and his gang were captured here on Dec. 23rd, 1881.
I spent nearly 3 hours trying to find this spot in 97 degree weather in NM because my map was marked wrong lol ( found two rattlesnake skins and a coyote skull in the process though).
One edit I want to make to the commentary: Billy and his gang did not stay at this site for a few days. They originally went to the Wilcox Brazil ranch after being ambushed in Sumner and then went to the rock house for one night.
Of course. It's a piece of history. Someone had to tear it down.
Yeah, somehow, a horse got shot and collapsed in the doorway, trapping Billy and them inside. In the morning, Garrett cooked up a breakfast that smelled really good and Billy yelled out to that affect that he was starving and it smelled good. Garrett told him, if they surrender and come out, they too can have some breakfast. Somehow they cleared the horse out and Billy surrendered. Billy said he felt tricked because he thought it was a large posse outside, but turned out to be just Garrett and another guy (if I recall right). He was then taken to Las Vegas to await trial which was clear down in Mesilla (Las Cruces). After he was found guilty in Mesilla, Garrett took him all the way across White Sands, over the Sacramento Mountains back to Lincoln, where he was to hang by the neck until dead. That was a long trip around NM. However, Billy ended up escaping after shooting Deputy Bell and Bob Olinger in Lincoln. Garret finally caught back up with him and killed Billy at Fort Sumner, just west of Portales, NM a couple months later.
I am very happy to find your video. You did a fine job telling the story. I'm mostly impressed that you found the exact location because of how little remains. Your microphone captured the sound of Eastern New Mexico perfectly.
Hey Thankyou so much! I appreciate that
Interesting video! Regarding the Kid & his gang at Stinking Springs, there is a story based on research by Dave Sederwall, a deputy sheriff in Lincoln County that the Kid buried some counterfeit money and a colt pistol while the gang was hiding in the stone hut! On of the gang members, Billy Wilson was in fact wanted for counterfeiting! Sederwall goes on to state that in 1910, a young boy was digging in the remains of the hut and found a rusted colt pistol! Some collector of wild west memorabilia now owns the pistol!
I didn't know that! Very interesting. The only things I found were a coyote skull and two rattlesnake skins laying around lol
Is it difficult to get to that spot? I know approximately where it is and I'm curious if there is the potential to get in trouble for wandering around there?
The site is on private property and I had to get permission to see it. The people who own it are very nice though.
The spot is kind of hard to see unless you know exactly where it is. It took me nearly 3 hours to find it lol
@@tedbrogan1 Thanks for the fast reply!!! 3 hours?!! That had to suck, but worth it once you found it. I have a drone, so that MIGHT help I guess. How did you figure out how to get permission?
@@twobikesandadrone It especially sucked because it was 97 degrees out!
I was able to search and find contact info but I unfortunately can't give in out in this comment section as the owners might see it and get pissed with me. If YT still had the personal messaging feature I would talk to you further there
What I don't understand is what happened to the rest of the rock house ??
I heard it was torn down at some point in the early 1900s due to no one using it anymore and the rocks were used to build something else
@@tedbrogan1 No concern about history then, and Billy probably still had a lot of people who just would have considered him a common criminal in those days, and not the legend Hollywood and others made him into later.