Puerto de Luna, Oct. 1991 - Several hundred people turned out here today at a village made forever for it's links to Billy the Kid. They were here to participate of the unveiling of a state historical marker for the Alexander Grzelachowski store, wherer Bily the Kid tastedhis last Christmas meal. Television News affiliate in Albuquerque and the PBS station recorded the future events. A reporter and photographer for the Santa Rosa News also were present. State Senator Pete Campos, in high good spirits, mixed affably with the crowd. Young boys passed out red ribbons that declared, " Real Life is Drug Free!" The boys were ruqunners for Anna Lucero who was here to launch Governor and Alice King's Red Ribbon Campaign War on Drugs. Bob Boze Bell, who wrote and illustrated an article on the Kid for the August issue of Arizona Highways, was here from Phoenix, busy takinh both video and still photo's.
The gracious host, who did not seem at all put upon by the crush of people and the excitement were Victor and Otilia Flores, who own the property that once was the Grzelachowski's.
The marker became the tenth state historical marker to be sponsored by The Blly the Kid Outlaw Gang Inc.
At the center of the day's festivities was the building that Aleaxnder Grzelachowski erected roughly at about the same time Lawerence G Murphy put up his store in Lincoln. Constructed from stone, the walls of the building are a good three to four feet thick . There is a porch with pillars like that of the Tunstall store.
One of the pillars has a hole in it that is claimed to be a bulet hole put there by Billy the Kid. Three doorways lead inside from the porch, and over each there is an ornamental gable.
Inside, there are the old high ceilings and heavily worn floorboards. Originally, each room had a fireplace; the mantel pieces were long ago sold. The southern doorway leads into what is known to have been the saloon. Whereas the rest of the rooms are square in shape, the saloon is a long oblong.
The building is complete except for Grzelachowski's warehouse. Beneath the warehouse, there was a basement. It has since been filled in with earth to keep the Flores' cattle from falling into it. Mrs Flores' says the basement walls were filled with carved initials. Apparently, a small jail was once located behind the building.
It, too is no longer standing.
Before the speeches, there came an attention-grabbing re-enactment of the Christmas Day when Pat Garrett arrived at Grzelachowski's with a wagon load of prisoners who had surrendered to him at Stinking Springs, namely Tom Pickett, David Rudabaugh, Billy Wilson and Billy the Kid. Only the wild turkey with all the trimmings that Grzelachwoski served up that day was missing.
Tis correspondent along with Gary Allen and Billy Cox had come from Carrizozo to be in the re-enactment. Our instructions were to show up looking seedy. We had left off shaving since Wednesday, and, the night before the ceremonies, we slept in our clothes out behind Grzelachwoski's store. Gary was picked to be Rudabaugh. I was dubbed Pickett. Cox, about whom more follows, was the Kid. Just before the event, Rudy Sanchez, who runs a video store in Santa Rosa, materialized as Billy Wilson.
By the bridge that spans the Pecos, we were placed in handuffs, waist chains, and foot shackles supplied by the real-life sheriff of Lincoln County, James McSwane, who had the role of Pat Garrett. Cox and Allen were chained together just as their historical counterparts had been. Wagoners Jimmie Johnson and Victor Flores started the horses moving, and the wheels of the wagon soon were rolling along the remnant of the original trail that led up to Grzelachowski's.
The wagon was closely guarded by a mounted and armed posse. Besides McSwane, the posse consisted of Bob Louge from Taos, Severa Adame from Stinking Springs, Paul Moore from Ft. Sumner, Gino Lujan from Santa Rosa and Joe Bowlin, the organizer of the day's events.
As the wagon came into view of the onlookers, Johnny Eastwood who always takes the part of Segura, emerged from the crowd and ran along side, shouting, " Are they treating you alright, Billy?" When the wagon had gone a little further, Rudy Sanchez alias Billy Wilson rolled out of the wagon, handcuffs, foot shackles, and all, in a scene-stealing mock escape attempt. As the wagon arrived in front of Grzelachwoski's, a voice shouted, "Hey, Billy, are you really a Robin Hood?" Someone else immediately let out, "I'm for lynching him right here and now!"
At the store McSwane alias Garrett turned us over to the real-life sheriff of Guadalupe County, Joe Robert Chavez. An enthusiastic participant, Chavez had driven to Albuquerque that morning to pick up period clothing before heading here.
As simple as the re-enactment was staged, the crowd got into it. The whole half an hour or so had the feeling of a familiar liturgical celebration. Immediately afterward, people came forward to have their picture taken with Billy and his outlaws.
Maryln Bowlin, founder of BTKOG, fairly beamed. In her view, the people who had come to Puerto de Luna had witnessed both a re-enactment of history and history in the making. She pointed out that any such presentation in the future would probably not have two impersonators so perfect of Garrett and the Kid as James McSwane and Billy Cox.
McSwane, as mentioned, is the elected Sheriff of Lincoln County. As such, he is the successor of Jack Gylam and "Ham" Mills, Saturnino Baca, and William Brady, John Copeland and George Peppin, George Kimball and Pat Garrett, John Poe and George Curry. He has twice won the BTKOG look alike contest.
Billy Cox has become something of a New Mexico Phenomenon as a latter-day Billy the Kid. While he is proud of his two wins at the annual BTKOG look alike contests, Cox lives Billy the Kid everyday not just at contest time. Certain parallels between the Kid and himself intrigue Billy. They both lost their mothers while boys, they have a shared Irish ancestry, and then there is the William H. in both their names Cox has roamed New Mexico to be where Billy was and to recreate in his own life some of the Kid's experiences. People respond warmly to both Billy Cox and to the other Billy they see when Cox shows his face. Everybody gets into the Billy fantasy real easy and spontaneously around Cox.
Billy has learned how "to play it right." He explained this concept in an interview with Bonny Celine of Albuquerque(who feels that Cox is living everyone's dream). "i'll walk into a saloon, and everybody will say, "there he is, that's him, thats Billy!" I do it right. It's psychological. It's Not like I walk in there, BAM, BAM, BAM, and some guy says, "who do you think you are?" 'I'm Billy the Kid.' No, I just walk in there and people know, hey, it's Billy."
That's what people kept sayin today. And Maryln is right that it will be a long time, if ever again, before and elected sheriff of Lincoln County who looks like Pat Garrett and an itinerant young man who lives and looks like Billy the Kid will meet up to re-enact the past.
The crowd dispersed from around the Grzelachowski store to regroup at the platform seet up for the speakers. the roster of those who addressed the crowd included designated oldtimer Frank Padilla; Senator Campos; Guadalupe County Extension Agent Gino Lujan: Travel Writer for the New Mexico State Tourism Department, Mike Pitel; and historian Francis C. Kajencki.
Kajencki has written everything in print there is about Grzelachowski. Anyone really into Billy and the individuals who peopled his life feels such a gratitude to Kajencki that is difficult to restrain the urge to kneel down and kiss his hand. The author has worked quietly behind the scenes for ten years to get recognition for the Grzelachowski store and to inspire efforts to preserve it. Today was like a dream come true, and Kajencki practically floated on air. For anyone interested, he had copies available of his new book, Poles in the 19th Century Southwest.
Speeches done, memberships in the Outlaw Gang were presented to Sheriffs McSwane and Chavez. Members of the Outlaw Gang who were present were invited to come forward for picture taking. Among those present was a current Outlaw Gang president Janean Grissom.
The celebrators broke up to stroll toward the community hall across from Our Lady of Refuge for lunch. A quartet of fiddlers broke into a serenade.
For Billy and his outlaws, the day ended when they bedded down for the night in the Grzelachowski store, guests of the Flores'. All were hopeful the place was haunted so that they would get the chance to talk to Padre polaco, or maybe even Billy himself. Either the store isn't haunted, or a tired bunch of cowboys slept through everything the ghosts had to offer.
Come to the Grzelachowski open house and listen to how the Wild West was really won!
The Alexander Grzelachowski Territorial House was built around 1870. Grzelachowski's home and store were a hub of activity for San Miguel County (now Guadalupe County) and surrounding area and often visited by some of the most famous characters of western history.
On Christmas Eve 1880, William H. Bonney, alias "Billy the Kid," in the custody of Sheriff Pat Garrett, was served his last Christmas dinner, while being transported for trial.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, the Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang will perform a re-enactment of the arrest.
In a cooperative effort with the New Mexico Historical Division, Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools and the historical Preservation Society, oral histories will be taken during the storytelling times at the event.
Many events are planned for old and young alike. See family photographs, old guns and relies and demonstrations of quilting, wood carving and real cowboys. Take a hay ride in a horse pulled wagon, and bring your children for the fishing contest to be held at the pond under the orchard trees behind the old house. Hear the old-time fiddlers, baladas and cordillos.
A $100 cash prize will be awarded to the best western costume so put on your cowboy hats, sombreros, bonnets and boots.
The evening will close with a star-lit dance near the river.
The Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang, headed by Joe Bowlin of Taiban, N.M., will stage Sheriff Pat Garrett's capture of Billy the Kid and three cronies and their arrival in bitterly cold weather at the home of Territorial merchant, Alexander Grzelachowski, on Dec. 25, 1880.
Billy the Kid look-alike Billy Cox plays the role of the famous outlaw.
Alexander Grzlechowski (Gre-ze-la-hof-ski), who came to New Mexico Territory with Bishop Jean Lamy in 1851, became the leading citizen of Puerto de Luna, where he ran a thriving merchandizing business. He traded extensively with cattle baron John Chisum and engaged top lawyers like Thomas Catron, who became one of the first two U.S. Senators from New Mexico in 1912. Grzelachowski knew Billy th Kid and Sheriff Pat Garrett well. They often stopped in Puerto de Luna to visit the Pole.
The Alexander Grzelachowski house is located in Puerto de Luna, 10 miles south of Santa Rosa on Highway 91.
(A note from Mike Pitel of the New Mexico Department of Tourism: "Andrea Marquez and the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, and the residents of the vilage of Puerto de LUna are extremely pleased with the recent Billy the Kid re-enactments at the Grzelachowski Poen House in late September. There were more than 500 people who came to the day-long festivities, double the number who came during the historical marker dedication a year ago. Please thank the outlaw gang for playing an integral part in that annual event.
Also thank the outlaw gang again for helping to make the recent dedication of Texico Welcome Center successful as well. There were more people who attended the Texico dedication than the Santa Fe dedication the following week; better news coverage at Texico, too.)
