How does Billy the Kid tie into New Mexico's cattle industry? Farm and Ranch Museum exhibit explains.

Leah Romero, Las Cruces Sun-News
·3 min read

LAS CRUCES – The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum is soon opening a special exhibit, “Riding Herd with Billy the Kid: The Rise of the Cattle Industry in New Mexico.”

The exhibit covers roughly a decade in the latter 1800s when the cattle industry started booming in New Mexico. Meanwhile, the state’s most notorious outlaw, also known as William H. Bonney, was making a name for himself.

According to Craig Massey, public information officer for the Las Cruces museum, the exhibit begins with the 1886 cattle drive which took place in eastern New Mexico along what is now known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail. It concludes with the Lincoln County War, a fight over control of the cattle industry, during the late 1870s.

More: 'Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience' coming to New Mexico

“Riding Herd with Billy the Kid: The Rise of the Cattle Industry in New Mexico,” a new exhibit at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, covers roughly a decade in the latter 1800s. This Billy the Kid statue was sculpted by Bob Diven and is on display as part of the exhibit. Pictured Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.
“Riding Herd with Billy the Kid: The Rise of the Cattle Industry in New Mexico,” a new exhibit at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, covers roughly a decade in the latter 1800s. This Billy the Kid statue was sculpted by Bob Diven and is on display as part of the exhibit. Pictured Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

“Early on, we saw this exhibit as a way to tell the very important story of the cattle industry in New Mexico,” said Leah Tookey, history curator for the museum. “Because Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War are two of the most interesting parts of New Mexico history, and both are connected to the cattle industry, we decided to use those stories to tell the bigger cattle industry story.”

Panels of Billy the Kid are scattered throughout the displays to help visitors connect the larger industry happenings with the hired gun’s movements.

Large cattle heads are mounted on exhibit walls and a life-sized sculpture of Billy the Kid created by local artist Bob Diven stands at the front, ushering visitors through the exhibit. Artifacts are also presented, including period guns, running irons used by cattle rustlers, Doña Ana County Sheriff Pat Garrett’s branding iron and the rifle scabbard belonging to John W. Poe — a lawman who was with Garrett when he shot and killed Billy the Kid in 1881.

Various other personalities pop up in the telling of the story, such as John Tunstall, Alexander and Susan McSween, John Chisum and Charles Goodnight. Maps, videos and more guide visitors through this portion of New Mexico’s history, and interactive portions are included for kids. An interactive map is also available on the museum’s website, www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org.

“Riding Herd with Billy the Kid: The Rise of the Cattle Industry in New Mexico,” a new exhibit at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, covers roughly a decade in the latter 1800s. This antique wagon is part of the display. Pictured Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.
“Riding Herd with Billy the Kid: The Rise of the Cattle Industry in New Mexico,” a new exhibit at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, covers roughly a decade in the latter 1800s. This antique wagon is part of the display. Pictured Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

New Mexico museum's Billy the Kid exhibit delayed by COVID

Massey explained that the exhibit was originally scheduled to open in July 2020. The museum reopened to the public permanently in February 2021, but only livestock, custodial and front desk staff were allowed onsite. Exhibit staff were not able to return until summer 2021 to complete work on displays.

This new exhibit sits on a platform in one of the museum’s display rooms covering about 2,700 square feet. Other portions of the room house exhibits covering agricultural beginnings in the state, colonial homes, farm life and modes of transportation used throughout the years. The horse-drawn hearse likely used to carry Garrett’s body after he was killed in 1908 is included in the display, on loan from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office.

More: Healing Wings project helps residents process COVID-19 grief through art

Massey said the finishing touches for the exhibit are being completed this week, but visitors can already meander through the new displays. He said a formal opening event is tough to schedule due to COVID-19, but a reception with a guest speaker may be announced in February.

The Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum is at 4100 Dripping Springs Road and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Farm & Ranch exhibit ties Billy the Kid to New Mexico cattle industry