Lincoln Historic Site

The story of the American West was never more real than in Lincoln, New Mexico. On what President Hayes once called "the most dangerous street in America," the dramatic clashes between the town's businessmen, outlaws, and lawmen came to be known as the Lincoln County War. 

Now, people from across the world are drawn to Lincoln Historic Site, which recounts the stories of Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, John Tunstall, and many more. Preserved as it was in 1880, the town offers visitors plenty to explore, from the Lincoln County Courthouse and the “Convento,” which was the first courthouse, to the Tunstall Mercantile, with its original merchandise. Go inside the San Juan Chapel, a frontier church, or cross the street to see the Torreón, a rock defensive tower which was the first structure constructed in the village. Here is a tale fueled by ambition, greed, corruption, violence, and the uncanny ability of William H. Bonney to escape from jail. Billy the Kid remains an enigma as he continues to elude his modern pursuers — historians.

Visitors are invited to learn the gnarly details of the story in the site's museum, explore 17 of the town's historic structures, and trace the story from its hopeful beginning to dramatic ending.