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The
Hubbard Museum of the American West, located in Ruidoso
Downs, New Mexico, is truly a place where history comes to
life. Not just another museum, it is a monument to times and
places that are not quite as far off as you may think. It is
a place where the American West cannot only be experienced,
but where the visitor can actually pass through different
portals of time. Journey from a time when there were only
Native American people here right up into our modern world.
Inside the Museum, there is
Western Art, Cowboy artifacts of all kinds, from saddles and riatas to guns to boots, chaps spurs, etc. The Museum also
contains one of the largest collections of wagons and
various transportation vehicles used in the West from
frontier times to the present.
There is the Race Horse Hall of
Fame in one section of the Museum, devoted to some of the
legendary horses, riders and owners who have made history at
nearby Ruidoso Downs Racetrack. The Hall of Fame documents
both the early days of racing at Ruidoso Downs, and the
careers of horses that have become legend, not just at the
Downs, but around the world. Also, the state-of-the-art Hall
of Fame Racing Game is fun for virtually everyone,
regardless of age. Mount up, wait for the starting gate to
open, and you are off! It is an interactive game that allows
the participant to not only ride the winning horse across
the finish line, but to watch themselves do it on a special
screen!
The kids are never forgotten at the Hubbard Museum. There
is an entire “Kid’s Corral,” where some of the little – and
not so little – buckaroos can dress up, mount life-size,
stationary horses and throw a lariat over the horns of a
nearby steer.
From one little girl’s love of horses, a great collection
was born. The late Anne C. Stradling began her own
collection of horse-related items when, as a very young
girl, she hung a bit and worn-out old stirrup on the wall of
the family barn in New Jersey. From that humble beginning, a
magnificent collection of over 10,000 artifacts eventually
came into existence.
With her health failing in 1989,
Anne approached R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard, seeking a
permanent home for her massive collection. The following
spring, in 1990, her superlative collection was unveiled at
the Hubbard Museum
Additionally, just 40 minutes
away, is Historic Lincoln, an affiliate of the Hubbard
Museum operated in conjunction with the State of New Mexico.
Absolutely the best-preserved western town in the Southwest,
Lincoln is the place where the legendary Lincoln County War
exploded across the countryside back in 1878. It is also the
place where the war’s most famous participant rose to
legendary status.
The name Billy the Kid echoes
across time – and oceans – to the point where his is one of
the best-known names in the world. In Lincoln, the visitor
can discover the true story and identity of Billy the Kid, a
young man whose disposition was inevitably described as
“sunny,” but who killed at least four men. Two of the Kid’s
victims were his guards in the Lincoln County courthouse,
where he awaited execution. To this day, there is a bullet
hole in the wall there from one of the Kid’s guns, and that
particular bullet went through one of his guards before it
hit the wall.
The visitor can begin their tour
of Lincoln at the Visitors Center and Gift shop where all
manner of interesting items and books about the period and
area can be purchased. There are five buildings, as well as
numerous sites, that are open to the public in Lincoln,
where history truly comes to life
The Old Lincoln County Courthouse
itself, like many of the buildings in Lincoln, is a place
that Billy the Kid would recognize instantly should he ride
into Lincoln today. Walk where the legends walked in
Lincoln. Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, “Black Jack” Pershing,
and many others strode its dangerous street back in the 19th
century.
Tours of Lincoln with Hubbard
Museum historian Drew Gomber can be scheduled in advance and
given a 20% discount on groups of 10 or more. Gomber is a
well-known figure on the History and Discovery Channels and
is considered to be one of the leading authorities on Billy
the Kid and the Lincoln County War.
Come to the Hubbard Museum of the
American West and see how exciting history really can be!
For more information, call
505-378-4142,
or check out our
website at
http://www.hubbardmuseum.org/
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