Historical Marker
Lincoln County Regulators, The
In 1878, a group of men which included William H. Bonney, aka “Billy the Kid,” organized a militia of “Regulators” to counter what they deemed as ineffective and corrupt law enforcement in Lincoln County. On March 9, 1878, a posse of Regulators led by Dick Brewer killed William Morton and Frank Baker in nearby Blackwater Canyon when they allegedly tried to escape after being arrested for the murder of John Tunstall.
During World War II, New Mexico was the site of several top-secret military installations, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where the atomic bomb was developed. The laboratory is still one of the largest employers in the state and conducts research in fields such as nuclear energy and national security.