Ollie Reed's Trail Tales: Living like an outlaw

Fourth-graders share their imaginary journey with those re-creating the 1881 journey along the Billy the Kid Trail

By Ollie Reed Jr.
Tribune Columnist
May 27, 2005

FORT SUMNER - It was a wind-burned, tired and saddle-sore bunch that rode into the De Baca County Fairgrounds after seven days and 125 miles on the Billy the Kid Trail.

Twenty-five riders, ages 15 to 70, set out from Lincoln on April 28 to follow, as best they could, the trail the Kid took when he shot his way out of jail in Lincoln in 1881 and rode hellbent for leather to his eventual doom in Fort Sumner.

Now, on May 4, they were at the end of their ride.

Waiting for them in the shade of the fairground barn were 80 fourth-graders from Capitan and Fort Sumner, cheering the riders as if they were movie cowboy heroes or the cavalry come to the rescue.

The kids, following a curriculum created by Coda Omness, curator of education at the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs, had been studying the ride - everything from the physiology of a horse, to the geography of the trail, to how much stuff could be carried horseback.

They were full of questions for the riders:

"Did you see Indians?"

"No."

"Where did you go to the bathroom?"

"Behind rocks and trees, in arroyos, over the next hill. Cowboys rode one way, cowgirls the other."

"Did anything embarrassing happen?"

"One time a tumbleweed got stuck in a horse's tail and scared it so it ran around in circles with its rider."

"Did any horses get hurt?"

"Yes, a few. But not bad, and they're all better now. Horses are tougher than people."

"Did you see any Indians?"

"Uh, no."

 

Several of the riders kept journals of the ride so that the kids could read what the experience had been like.

Robin Simmons' Fort Sumner fourth-graders kept journals, too, imaginary journals that followed the Billy the Kid Trail day for day but written as if the ride were being made in 1881 - like the Kid's - instead of 2005.

How did the kids' imaginary 1881 ride compare to the actual 2005 Billy the Kid ride? How much was different, how much similar?

Below, some of the fourth-graders' entries are matched up against the journal notes made by one of the 2005 trail riders, 15-year-old Anna Garliss, a Santa Rosa High School student.

At the risk of losing some of the raw charm of the fourth-graders' writing, some spellings have been fixed and some punctuation added to ensure clarity.

The fourth-graders' entries are included in their entirety, but Anna's entries have been abridged for the sake of space.



Thursday, April 28, 2005 - first day of the ride

Anna Garliss, 15, rider: "We ate breakfast provided by Wally (ride cook Wally Roberts) at 6, saddled our horses and left at 7.

"We rode through an old, rocky creek bottom and into the mountains. A few of the horses had some trouble going over the rocks and a lot of them were antsy. My horse was excited and wanted to go fast for about the first half hour.

"Around 10, Kim (trail boss Kim Chesser) stopped to show us this rock house that Ignacio Salazar had lived in. The old house now looked like just a few stacks of rocks. Some people say that was where Billy stopped to have his friend cut the shackles off his wrists.

"We are staying in the Capitan Gap tonight. It's getting cold and extremely windy. All we have is a few horse trailers and vehicles to sleep in. It will be cold."



Day 1, 1881

LaNay Crenshaw, Fort Sumner fourth-grader: "This morning was very sunny. There was a rattlesnake underneath my horse, so I had to kill it. I had the snake and some beans for breakfast.

"When I was done eating, I packed up my stuff, and I headed out. I rode a ways until I came upon a river. I had to jump off my horse, grab him by the reins, pull him through the river. When we crossed the river my horse, Twister, slipped and fell. It was hard to get him up but I did it.

"When I got on the river bank I spotted a coyote. I took out my gun very slowly, and I shot it. I decided to eat lunch, so I had some jerky and water.

"After lunch I went to the Capitan Mountains. Then I set up camp. When I was just about to go to sleep, I saw a bear; it was a black bear, and it was huge."



Friday, April 29, 2005, second day

Garliss: "All night the wind blew hard. Around 1 (a.m.) the cold got to me even under my sleeping bag. I couldn't wait for the morning to come. Soon it was 5:30 and everyone was getting up. We ate breakfast at 6:30 and by 8 we were on the trail.

"We spent the morning getting out of the mountains on a beautiful trail. We even came across a mountain lion track.

"After lunch we were out of the mountains and rode at a fast trot or a slow lope. At about 3:30 (p.m.), we rode into our next camp. My right leg has a sore spot on it from rubbing the saddle underneath my knee.

"The girls will be sleeping in a bunkhouse tonight. It has a bed, a few couches and mattresses."



Day 2, 1881

Hailey Dimitroff, Fort Sumner fourth-grader: "I took off again and I kept riding. I stopped at the Liakos Ranch house. I ate some pi?on nuts and hardened bread and kept on going. In the late afternoon, I stopped at a creek and filled my canteen and let my horse drink. Then I got back on and rode on. It started raining cats and dogs. I was freezing. I stopped at a ranch house for the night."



Saturday, April 30, 2005, third day

Garliss: "It rained a little last night. I was glad to have had the bunkhouse to stay warm in. I finally got a good night of sleep.

"It was cold and overcast when we started out. By lunch time, the sky had cleared and it turned into a nice day. We only traveled about 18 miles, so we took it slow. We never went faster than a walk. It was a good way to recover from the rough ride yesterday.

"We got into camp at the S&H Ranch at about 2:30 (p.m.). There, we put a lot of horses into the same pen. Many of them had never been penned together. It was interesting to watch them establish a hierarchy. Pardner quickly became the dominant horse. He's tough and will not let any horse get the best of him."



Day 3, 1881

Anna Hernandez, Fort Sumner fourth-grader: "On day three, I stopped at the Bogle Ranch house. It snowed that day and there was cold wind from the south. There were very few animals to kill and eat.

"There were no plants with food, so my horse and I were very hungry. My horse felt very ill but in a little while he felt better. That day was long and dull. My horse had a sore foot. He saw a javelina and got scared so he bucked, and I fell off that time.

"I saw some other people and they were hauling a wagon full of salt and checking the water. I did not sleep well the night before."



Sunday, May 1, 2005, fourth day

Garliss: "Everyone got on their horses around 7:30 (a.m.) and Kim said a short Sunday morning prayer.

"We had another short day, so we took it easy. It was a good ride with some great views. We found two rattlesnakes along the way. Dickie (ride wrangler Dickie McIntosh) got off and killed the first one by whacking it with his rope a few times. Kim did the same to the second one.

"The rancher raises goats and sheep so we saw some of those, too. In the beginning of the day, we heard a goat from a hillside. When we looked up, we saw a new kid alone on the hill crying for its mother. We were concerned for the helpless kid but decided to press on and hope its mother would come back for it. The longer we stayed there, the more likely we would scare the mother off.

"Moonshine likes to jump over rocks and cacti. That made the day a bit more exciting. We got into camp around 4:30 (p.m.) at the Merritt's ranch."



Day 4, 1881

Ricardo Gamez, Fort Sumner fourth-grader: "The next day I was riding and I came into the Reynolds' place and it was a very boring day and very long. On the trail I found the Yeso Hills and rested there. I took the saddle off my horse and let him roll in the dirt, and I took a 20 minute nap and I woke up around noon so I put my saddle on my horse and rode off. On the way, I saw a skunk and it sprayed me so I took a bath in tomato juice. And then I rode off."



Monday, May 2, 2005, fifth day

Garliss: "It didn't rain hard, but it was misty all day. I was glad to have my saddle slicker on.

"The first half of the day was fast. Only nine of us braved it. Kim brought along two saddled horses for people who would be joining us after lunch. Kim tied up their reins and turned the horses loose to follow us. Sometimes they would stray away and someone would have to chase them down and head them off. That was fun.

"At lunch, we gained most of the usual riders. From there, Charlie Overton led us to his ranch. There, we all got a nice place to sleep. I'm staying in their four-bedroom bunkhouse that has carpeting, heating, lights and even a kitchen and clean, well-working bathroom. I even had a real bed in my own room. I've never appreciated being in a nice house so much before."



Day 5, 1881

Lindsey Terrell, Fort Sumner fourth-grader: "On the fifth day, I stopped at the Overton Ranch house. It was a hot and sunny day. I found a river to water my horse and to fill my canteen. I saw some people herding cattle. I started to daydream about a cold bath and some milk and biscuits and some nice clothes.

"I stopped at a place to sit down and eat some lunch. I had a deer for lunch. On my way I saw some ranch hands. My horse bucked me off because a bear scared him.

"I slept good the night before. I felt tired and sick because it was hot outside. My horse had a sore foot and (I) hurt myself, so I had to sit down and rest and doctor my horse. And my horse was all ready to travel on, and I tried not to hurt myself again."



Tuesday, May 3, 2005, sixth day

Garliss: "The day was cold and foggy, but it didn't rain. The cool weather is nice for the horses and us. We haven't needed much water or gotten sunburned. Our skin does get chapped by the wind though.

"I rode Scarecrow (ride founder Rex Buchman's 2-year-old colt). He was kind of hard to handle at first but after a while he became more manageable. When we stopped to water our horses, I walked Scarecrow up to the water trough (tank) and he walked right into it. He just stood there with his two front feet in the water. I stepped off onto the ground. Soon, Scarecrow put all four feet in the (tank) and I was able to turn him around and lead him out.

"After that, we rode until we got into camp about 5 (p.m.). We are staying at Tex and Jan Elliott's West Camp. The girls get to stay in the bunkhouse. There is no electricity, but there is warm water and the house has thick adobe walls with a little wood stove inside.

"Wally fired up the wood stove and it was nice and warm when we went inside around 9."



Day 6, 1881

Scott Ballard, Fort Sumner fourth-grader: "I got up and started a fire with the wood I gathered last night. I fed and watered my horse.I ate meat and hardtack. I filled my canteen and saddled my horse.

"I saw wild flowers and fish in the creek. Around noon I got off to eat lunch and water my horse. I decided to take a nap. I didn't dream much.

"It was about mid afternoon when I woke up. It was a hot day so I took off my overshirt. Around midnight I got stiff, but I rode a while longer. Then I put hobbles on my horse. And then went to bed."



Wednesday, May 4, 2005, seventh day

Garliss: "By morning, the fire had gone out in the wood stove and the house was cold. We ate breakfast at 6 (a.m.) and left at 7. After about an hour and a half, we stopped at a beautiful place called Buffalo Springs with big green trees and remains of old rock houses.

"A few of the riders were picked up (in trucks and trailers) there because the next part of the ride was hard. We rode at a fast trot or lope through miles of mesquite bushes and cactus. My horse quickly worked up a sweat. After 12 miles of that, we finally made it to Fort Sumner.

"When we crossed the Pecos River, we played in the water, trotting and loping across as people took pictures. . . . (Then) we all rode to the fairgrounds and were done with the ride."



Day 7, 1881

Mario Carroll, Fort Sumner fourth-grader:

"I went to Fort Sumner that morning but right there my horse saw a rattlesnake, and my horse started to tumble and I scraped my knee and it was bleeding bad. It was all over the ground.

"And then I got up and started to ride again. And then I got off and started walking with my horse, and I met a guy. And I got my horse and started to ride again and that's when I fell again and again and again, and it started to hurt my body muss macksimuss."