John Henry Tunstall
John Henry Tunstall was very kind to Billy the Kid when he first arrived in Lincoln County. He gave Billy a job, a brand new rifle, and a fresh start at life. Tunstall was a 24 year old Englishman who had recently arrived in Lincoln County and had high ambitions. Shortly after his arrival, he established his own ranch on the Rio Feliz river and opened a successful mercantile store in Lincoln which was in direct competition to the Murphy and Dolan store which had long enjoyed having the monopoly over Lincoln's local economy.
Tunstall's decision to challenge Jimmy Dolan's monopoly cost him his life. On February 18, 1878 Tunstall was brutally murdered while herding some of hs horses back into Lincoln from his ranch. Tunstall was killed by a posse of deputized outlaws in cold blood. It has always been rumored that Jimmy Dolan was somehow involved in Tunstall's murder.
The exact details will always be debated, but Billy and several other Tunstall employees observed this ruthless murder and swore vengeance against Tunstall's killers triggering the violence that has come to be known as the Lincoln County War.
Hundreds of people visit this roadside historical marker each year on Highway 70
near Glencoe, New Mexico. Many people are surprised to learn that this marker is not at the actual historic site.
Join the BTKOG in July 2009 as we take you to the authentic site
up in the mountains where this historic event actually happened.
The Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang takes a tour to a nearby historically significant site each year during it's annual campout and membership meeting held each July. In 2009 the BTKOG will be taking a tour up to the actual location of John Tunstall's murder. This site is very hard to locate, but is well worth the visit. The BTKOG will be reading first hand accounts of the killing and holding a historical discussion at the site. Come join us and step back in time and walk where the legends walked.....
Tunstall Canyon Tour (2009)
White Oaks Tour (2008)
Blazer's Mill Tour (2007)
