Lincoln — The Salt Witch's Curse

Your journey begins in the heart of the Lincoln Historic District, designated a National Historic District in 1966. This vast 1.5 km² area features over 40 19th-century buildings, witnesses to the fury of the Lincoln County War (1878-1881). As a deputy sheriff, you must understand how this conflict, pitting rival economic factions against each other, shaped Lincoln's destiny. The adobe architectures, typical of the American Southwest in the 1870s-1880s, whisper stories of this tumultuous period, annually attracting thousands of tourists eager to explore this authentic piece of the Wild West.

The Lincoln County Courthouse, built in 1874 as John Chisum's home before being converted into a courthouse in 1880, is your next stop. It was here, in 1881, that Billy the Kid was sentenced to hang, an event that forever marked the locality. The walls of this edifice, now a museum managed by New Mexico State Monuments since 1971, witnessed key scenes of the Lincoln County War. Explore every corner to unearth clues left by the protagonists of this bloody era and understand the legacy of the Billy the Kid Trail.

Continue your investigation to the Tunstall-McSween Store, a 2-story adobe building of approximately 200 m², erected in 1874 by John Tunstall. The murder of this English rancher on February 18, 1878, was the true spark of the Lincoln County War. After 1878, Alexander McSween became the owner of the premises, which was the scene of a dramatic siege in July 1878. Now an integral part of the Lincoln Historic Site museum complex, the store reveals the secrets of the rivalries that tore apart the small town of Lincoln, New Mexico, and the reasons for this local civil war.

The Torreon, a cylindrical adobe fort 9 meters high and 7 meters in diameter, with 60 cm thick walls, transports you to 1909, the year it was built for defense against Apache attacks. Restored in 1940 as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey, it symbolizes Lincoln's transition to an era of peace after the Civil War. Observe its fortifications and imagine the sentinels watching over the valley. This monument, although post-dating the Lincoln County War, embodies the resilience of New Mexico's heritage in the face of external threats.

Your journey concludes at the Anderson-Freeman Visitor Center, the former Wortley Hotel, built in 1880-1881 by Lawrence Murphy. This 2-story adobe building housed Sheriff Pat Garrett after Billy the Kid's escape in 1881 and was a crucial meeting place during the Lincoln County War. Renovated in 1970, it now serves as a visitor center for the historic site. You will have unraveled the mysteries of Lincoln, New Mexico, and understood how its history, enshrined as a National Historic Landmark 1966, continues to influence the legend of the Wild West. You carry with you the echo of gunfights, the breath of legends, and the memory of an era where justice was a matter of courage.