Towns of Lincoln County

Lincoln County is often associated with such legendary figures as outlaw Billy the Kid, Smokey the Bear, and renowned painter Peter Hurd. Named after Pres. Abraham Lincoln in 1869, the new county saw itself through many struggles, including the Lincoln County War, during which cattle barons and landowners bitterly fought over government beef contracts and farmland. At that time, Lincoln was the largest county in the United States and is now home to modern mountain towns such as Carrizozo, Capitan, Ruidoso, and the locally famous ghost town White Oaks, which had been a gold rush boomtown. Lincoln County also contains the beautiful Hondo Valley settlements and ranching communities such as Tinnie, Picacho, San Patricio, Hondo, and Glencoe. From the rolling hills of the Hondo Valley, to the bloody streets of Lincoln, all the way to the forested mountains of Capitan, this retrospective explores the area’s rich history.