The Coalition Projects
The Grave Monument
The Coalition partnered with the Village of Fort Sumner, Mayor Louie Gallegos, the Fort Sumner Chamber of Commerce, city commissioners, and Boulder Designs to install a permanent stone monument at the gravesite of Billy the Kid.
Replacing a deteriorated wooden marker, the monument tells the remarkable history of the famous gravesite and provides visitors with historical context about one of the most visited locations in the American West. This project reflects the Coalition's ongoing commitment to preserving authentic Western history and ensuring that significant historic sites are protected and interpreted for future generations.
The Ellis House Project
The Billy the Kid Historical Coalition was proud to place a permanent historical marker at the Ellis House in Lincoln, New Mexico.
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The Ellis House is part of the landscape where the history of Lincoln and Billy the Kid actually happened. Places like this matter because they give us something the books cannot.
By permanently marking the Ellis House, we helped ensure that visitors understand its place in Lincoln’s history and that its story will not quietly disappear with time.
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One more piece of Lincoln’s history preserved. One more story that won’t be forgotten.
Jose Chavez Project
For more than half a century, the grave of José Chávez y Chávez sat without a proper marker.
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A member of the Lincoln County Regulators and one of the most fascinating figures connected to Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War, Chávez lived a remarkable life. Yet the place where he was buried remained largely forgotten.
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The Billy the Kid's Historical Coalition changed that.
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James Carlyle Project
For years, the grave of James Carlyle remained without a proper marker.
Carlyle was a central figure in one of the strangest and most tragic episodes of the Lincoln County War. His death became part of the tangled story surrounding Billy the Kid, the Regulators, and the events at White Oaks.
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The Billy the Kid Historical Coalition believed his resting place deserved to be remembered.
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After researching the site and helping bring attention back to Carlyle’s story, the Coalition worked to place a permanent marker at his grave so that future visitors would know exactly why his story matters.
The White Oaks Project
Once a booming mining town in the mountains of New Mexico, White Oaks was very different in Billy the Kid’s time than the quiet place that remains today.
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The Billy the Kid Historical Coalition set out to rebuild that lost landscape through research.
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Using old newspapers, historic maps, county tax records, and other surviving documents, we worked to identify businesses, homes, streets, landmarks, and property owners to reconstruct White Oaks as it appeared during the years Billy the Kid moved through the area.
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Marking Stinking Springs
The Billy the Kid Historical Coalition is proud to have helped place a new permanent marker at Stinking Springs, one of the most important surviving sites connected to Billy the Kid and his final days as a fugitive.
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The new marker helps preserve the location and gives visitors a lasting way to identify and understand the site.
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Projects like this matter because historic places can disappear quietly. Signs deteriorate, locations are forgotten, and stories slowly lose their connection to the ground where they actually happened.
By marking Stinking Springs, we are helping make sure this piece of history remains visible and protected for generations to come.
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"Windy" Cahill Project
The Coalition was able to place a headstone for Francis “Windy” Cahill. Cahill’s grave was marked by a lone boulder planted in the hard Arizona dirt on August 19th, 1877.
Tom Pickett Project
We are thrilled to announce that the grave of Tom Pickett, a known associate of Billy the Kid, will finally be marked with a permanent headstone! Billy the Kid’s Historical Coalition is dedicated to promoting and preserving the legacy of all things Billy the Kid, we have raised the funds necessary to give Tom Pickett the recognition he deserves.
Coyote Spring Project
Coyote Springs served as a hideout and holding station for Billy the Kid. Through hundreds of hours of research, we managed to rediscover the location and excavate the site.