Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
FORT SUMNER — The Chamber of Commerce board of directors has initiated a new interpretive signage project, which will offer historical background information for several graves within the Old Fort Military Cemetery.
The cemetery garners thousands of tourists each year and is touted as one of the most visited cemeteries in the United States.
The initiative is partially funded by a Nuestro Vecinos grant from Plateau. Signage will highlight the graves of Henry McCarty (alias Billy the Kid) and his pals Tom O'Folliard and Charlie Bowdre.
Also to be noted is the grave of Jesus Silva, one of Billy the Kid's pallbearers, as well as a marker containing an explanation of the formation of the cemetery and underscoring the area's military presence during the 1860s.
Fort Sumner Concrete and Monuments was chosen to fulfill the directive with permanent markers, engraved by Derek Blea. The company installed the first stone on April 16. The stone tells the infamous story of Joe “Texas Red” Grant, who fell victim to the pistol of Billy the Kid following an argument in the Beaver Smith Saloon in Fort Sumner.
Billy famously left Grant's gun with an empty chamber, feigning admiration for Grant to get access to his pistol. When Billy walked away, Grant tried to shoot him in the back. But after hearing the firing pin strike the empty chamber, the Kid drew and shot Grant three times, killing him.
