Billy the Kid & the Cantinas
In April 1881 Billy the Kid was tried in Mesilla. The town, a crossroads of stage and trade routes, was known in those years for its cantinas and festivals.
Discover Billy the Kid & the Cantinas
Billy the Kid went to trial in Mesilla in April 1881 for the murder of Sheriff William Brady. After two days of testimony he was found guilty, the only conviction secured in the Lincoln County War, and Judge Warren Bristol sentenced him to hang. (Wikipedia)
His lawyer was Albert J. Fountain, who lost the case. Fountain had moved to Mesilla in 1873, founded the bilingual Mesilla Valley Independent newspaper in 1877, and started the Mesilla Dramatic Society and the Mesilla Valley Opera House, today’s Fountain Theatre. (Wikipedia)
During the Wild West era Mesilla was known for its cantinas and festivals and attracted figures such as Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett and Pancho Villa. It stood at the crossroads of the Butterfield Stagecoach and the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. (Wikipedia)
The Fountain Theatre was rebuilt in 1905 and is the oldest motion picture theater in New Mexico, run today by the Mesilla Valley Film Society. (Wikipedia)
Mesilla magic: The plaza, the basilica and the valley
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