Lincoln County War

1800’s

7th and 8th grade Social Studies students

New Mexico History and United States History classes

Mr. Eric Stovall – NMS

BELL RINGER

• WHAT WERE THE SPECIFIC causes and events leading up to

THE LINCOLN COUNTY WAR IN NEW MEXICO in the 1800’s?

• Cite textual evidence when answering this question

• Remember to write in complete sentences

• Include all ideas when answering this question

• Use complete sentences when answering this bell ringer question to the best of your ability

HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862

THE MINING INDUSTRY

stagecoach

TERRITORIAL GROWTH

• New Mexico population tripled between 1850 and 1900.

• People from eastern states came to the new territory.

• Many people moved to New Mexico.

a. Texans

b. European- German, Irish, French, and Italians.

Posse- a group of men asked by a sheriff to help with law enforcement.

Outlaws• “Black Jack” Ketchum Gang- Thomas Ketchum known for train robbery.

• “Billy the Kid”. He took revenge on Tunstall’s death that leads to Lincoln County war.

• Santa Fe Ring- they are corrupt business men that controlled large part of the Lincoln county territory.

• Las Gorras Blancas- or also known as White caps.300 members rode at night , often cutting barbed wires fences, destroying railroad tracks and bridges. They hide their identity to avoid arrest.

“Billy the Kid”

Ketchum Gang

Lincoln County

Businessmen and landowners• Lawrence G. Murphy- Irish immigrant and businessman. He owned a

general store in the town of Lincoln. He controlled much of the local economy and local politics.

• John Henry Tunstall- bought a ranch and opened a store and hired many cowboys to work in his ranch.

• Thomas B. Catron- a land grant lawyer, and suspected the leader of Santa Fe Ring. Became the largest landowner in the entire United Sates.

• Lucien Maxwell- The largest landowner in the US in 1870. He occupied most of the lands in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.

Elfego Baca

Law enforcers• Sheriff Brady- In 1878, Brady and his posse shot and killed William Tunstall,

this leads to the Lincoln County War.

• Lew Wallace- appointed as a new governor by president Rutherford Hayes. Became the governor during the Lincoln county war.

• Patrick Garett- He found Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner on July14,1881. He is claimed to have killed the notorious outlaw.

• Sheriff Elfego Baca- Well-known for capturing outlaws.

• Franklin Tolby- a minister who had spoken out against the company of Maxwell land Grant Company.

• Lincoln county war- Lincoln county is in southern New Mexico. It was the largest county in the entire United States in the 1800’s. War broke out when Tunstall was killed by Sheriff Brady.

• Colfax County war- it was a struggle between the Maxwell Land Grant Company and the local settlers.