Billy The Kid Casino

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Pat Garrett didn't just kill Billy the Kid, he also became the leading expert on the outlaw's life.

Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico/Wikimedia CommonsSheriff Pat Garrett (second from right) in 1887 in Roswell, New Mexico.

In a small town in northern New Mexico, a man hid in a bedroom with a loaded pistol. Two men entered, and upon sensing the presence of the man already there, one shouted “Quien es? Quien es?” (“who is it?”) while reaching for his gun.

He was orphaned as a teen. Little is known about Billy the Kid’s early days, but he was most likely born Henry McCarty in the Irish slums of New York City sometime in late 1859. 11 reviews of Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Billy the Kid Casino 'The thing I love about going to the horse races is that it really forces me to RELAX. I know I'm going to spend the day just chilling, and I don't have to feel guilty about it. Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for Billy The Kid Casino at 1461 E Highway 70, Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346. Search for other Casinos in Ruidoso Downs on The Real Yellow Pages®.

The first man beat him to it, drawing his revolver and shooting twice, the echo reverberating into the desert night. The other man fell down dead without a word.

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This is the alleged final meeting of Billy the Kid with the man who shot him, detailed by that very man: Pat Garrett.

Born on June 5th, 1850 in Alabama, Pat Garrett was raised on a Louisiana plantation. With the death of his parents in his teens, the debt against his family plantation, and the Civil War forever altering his lifestyle, Garrett fled west to start a new life.

He worked as a buffalo hunter in Texas towards the end of the 1870s but retired when he shot and killed a fellow hunter (his explosive anger and hair-trigger violence would become a motif in his life). Pat Garrett then pulled up stakes for New Mexico, first rancher, then as a bartender in Fort Sumner, then as the sheriff of Lincoln County. It was here that he would first meet Billy the Kid, and where he would meet him for the last time.

Billy the Kid was born William Henry McCarty, Jr., in New York City, nine years after Pat Garrett. Billy’s mother moved the family from Kansas, where they had resettled, to Colorado after the loss of his father. Ultimately, they moved to New Mexico where he and his brother got a taste for the outlaw life.

Billy traveled the American Southwest and northern Mexico, stealing and pillaging with various gangs.

FRANK ABRAMS VIA AP/Wikimedia CommonsA rare photo from 1880 believed to be of Billy the Kid (second from left) and Pat Garrett (far right).

He and Garrett became acquainted while the latter was tending bar, and they formed a fast friendship–even allegedly earning the nicknames “Big Casino” (Pat Garrett) and “Little Casino” (Billy the Kid).

Their drinking buddy relationship didn’t flourish outside the rough-and-tumble oasis of a saloon. In 1880, when Garrett was elected sheriff, his highest priority was to capture the very man he had befriended: Billy the Kid.

Garrett made good in 1881, capturing Billy in a brief skirmish outside Stinking Spring, New Mexico. Before Billy could stand trial, he escaped.

Pat Garrett hunted Billy the Kid down in July of the same year, working with Peter Maxwell, a host of Billy’s who betrayed him to the sheriff in the bedroom scene.

Wikimedia CommonsBilly the Kid (left) playing croquet in New Mexico in 1878.

Billy The Kid Casino And Racetrack

The stories of the two entwined Wild Westerners don’t end there. Garrett took the unique step of writing Billy’s biography, The Authentic Life of Billy The Kid, effectively becoming the “authority” on the life of the man he killed. He contended that he wrote it to:

“…dissever “the Kid’s” memory from that of meaner villains, whose deeds have been attributed to him. I will strive to do justice to his character, give him credit for all the virtues he possessed — and he was by no means devoid of virtue — but shall not spare deserved opprobrium for his heinous offenses against humanity and the laws.”

Pat Garrett lived until 1908, working as a Texas Ranger, a businessman, and a part of the first Roosevelt administration before dying by violence himself. But he would always be best known as the man who killed Billy the Kid.

After learning about Pat Garrett, check out these photos that depict the real Wild West. Then, read about Buford Pusser, the man who got revenge on the people who killed his wife.

Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Billy the Kid Casino

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Ruidoso New Mexico Casino

26225 Highway 70 West, Ruidoso, New Mexico

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Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino offers live horse racing Fridays through Mondays starting in May and running through Labor Day. Known as the home of the World's Richest Quarter Horse Race, the All American Futurity, Ruidoso Downs races thoroughbreds and quarter horses all summer long. General admission is free and kids are welcome. In addition to horse racing action during the summer, Billy the Kid Casino offers gaming year round with slot machines, video poker, Blackjack and Keno. Simulcast racing from tracks around the country run in Billy's Sports Book. And don't miss the live entertainment and great food specials in Billy's Sports Bar and Grill.

Billy The Kid Casino Hours Of Operation

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