Fort Sumner, NM / Bosque Redondo and Billy The Kid

Anyone who knows me also knows that I am an Old West fanatic! I've been facinated with that period in history ever since I was a kid. My favorite figure from those days was notorious outlaw Billy The Kid. So on our journey back from New Mexico we seized the opportunity to take a detour and visit Old Fort Sumner, where The Kid is buried!
When we arrived we found another memorial had been erected nearby to a lesser known but even more tragic event in our history. The Bosque Redondo Memorial. Fort Sumner was originally the center of a million acre reservation created to contain The Navajo and Mescalero Apache peoples. Several thousand Natives were forced to take "The Long Walk" to resettle there. Centered along the Pecos River, the intent was to "tame" the Natives and convert them to farming. Bad water, failed crops, and insufficent food supplies made Bosque Redondo a living hell for its inhabitants. The Memorial stands today to those who suffered there.
In the Fort Sumner Cemetery lies the grave of William H. Bonney aka Billy The Kid. A notorious cattle rustler and known killer, this young man was said to have killed a man for every year of his life. He was 21 years old. Shot by sheriff Pat Garrett, The Kid was laid to rest here with his two friends, Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdrie. The inscription on there monument simply reads "PALS".
I am so thankful to Christina and The Crew for putting up with my obsession and taking this side trip with me. Bosque Redondo was a sobering and eye opening experience, and seeing The Kid's grave has been a bucket list item my entire life.

We filmed some audio commentary for this video, but due to the wind that day, most of it was unusable.

Visit The Bosque Redondo Memorial website to learn more: https://www.bosqueredondomemorial.com/index.htm

Laid Back Guitars by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100181
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Видео Fort Sumner, NM / Bosque Redondo and Billy The Kid канала Anthony Martinez