Billy The Kid's Grave and Visitor Center — Attraction in Fort Sumner

This was one of my top 5 bucket list items, I’m sure like many other Billy the Kid obsessed people! It’s a lot smaller cemetery than I thought it would be, but most of the names of people buried there you should definitely know! I probably spent more time than most people do there just because of the fact that i am obsessed with everything Billy the Kid! Only 4 miles out of town, definitely worth it if you’re in the area!!

Not sure if you’re supposed to take a semi there, but there were no signs and I was empty and went early in the morning of a weekday and figured wouldn’t hurt anything with them having a gravel lot vs paved! As a 30 year truck driver that’s been in 48 states it’s always nice when there is a point of interest or historical place that actually is accessible!! Whoever runs this, thank you for allowing me to check off something I’ve wanted to see since I was probably 5 years old and saw my first Billy the Kid movie with...

Very cool place to stop and see! Very off the beaten path, I decided to skip the main highway on my way to Dallas from Santa Fe, and had to stop when i saw the signs saying Billy the Kid's gravesite ahead. Billy the Kid Drive was a scenic road and the whole experience was worth going out of my way a few miles. I am a big fan of the Young Guns movies, so when I saw the gravestone marked "Pals" it nearly brought me to tears. The story of why BtK gravestone is in shackles at his feet is super interesting, too. The other gravesites in the cemetary were of interest, as well, including a man BtK shot and killed. I just wish the Chamber of Commerce, which was in a building there at the site, was open to get more information and a bottle of water (it's hot & dry there!). It looked like I could go see the historic Fort Sumner there, too, but I didn't have time to explore, as I had to get back on the road, but definitely will if I ever get back...

Peaceful. Fascinating historical site. Sad that it's not better maintained and a bigger attraction than it appears to be. Beautiful setting for a bad guys final resting place. One of the more interesting things that I saw was a wooden marker for Joe Grant's grave. It reads "JOE GRANT ShOT JAN 10 1880 BY WM BONNEY" carved into a heavy piece of wood. It looked to be either extremely well preserved or possibly a restoration/recreation. Either way it felt somehow authentic, like looking back in time of the early west. I hope to find out who Joe Grant was and how he came to rest in the same cemetery as his killer. There is also a marker with detailed information on what was arguably the most historically significant person's grave in that cemetery. The largest single landowner in the history of the US... at least up to that time. He was also apparently a very generous and well...