Near Fort Sumner in De Baca County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Old Fort Sumner and “Billy the Kid’s” Grave
Fort Sumner was established in 1862 to guard the Navajo and Apaches on the Bosque Redondo reservation. It was discontinued as a military post in 1868 and the buildings and site sold to Lucien B. Maxwell. William "Billy the Kid" Bonney was killed here by Sheriff Pat Garrett the night of July 14, 1881. Bonney is buried in the nearby cemetery.
Erected by New Mexico Historic Preservation Division. (Marker Number 368.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical date for this entry is July 14, 1881.
Location. 34° 24.248′ N, 104° 11.598′ W. Marker is near Fort Sumner, New Mexico, in De Baca County. Marker is on Billy the Kid Road (State Road 272) south of State Road 212, on the right when traveling south. The marker is in front of the Old Fort Sumner Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3501 Billy the Kid Rd, Fort Sumner NM 88119, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 15 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell (within shouting distance of this marker); Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation (approx. 3½ miles away); Fort Sumner (approx. 4.2 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Sumner (approx. 6.1 miles away); Sumner Lake State Park (approx. 14.8 miles away).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . The Teenage Outlaw of the Southwest. “In legend, Billy the Kid has been described as a vicious and ruthless killer, an outlaw who died at the age of twenty-one, not before raising havoc in the New Mexico Territory. It was said he took the lives of twenty-one men, one for each year of his life, the first one when he was just twelve years old. He was a rebel without a cause who killed without reason, other then to see his victims kick. These and many more accusations of callous acts are examples of the myth of Billy the Kid. In real form, the Kid was not the cold-blooded killer he has been portrayed as, but a young man who lived in a violent dog-eat-dog world, where knowing how to use a gun was the difference between life and death.” (Submitted on April 13, 2011.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. This page has been viewed 37,699 times since then and 248 times this year. Last updated on May 14, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. Photos: 1. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. 2. submitted on May 14, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 3. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. 4. submitted on April 13, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. 6. submitted on January 16, 2015, by Gene Essman, Sr of Littleton, Colorado. 7, 8, 9. submitted on March 27, 2009, by Ron Pounds of Whittier, California. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.