Billy the Kid and the Norton Morgan Company

January 17, 2012

Last week on PBS television they had a documentary on Billy the Kid.  He was born in New Mexico.   His parents died before he was 20 so he was pretty much on his own.    The first thing he did leaving New Mexico was go west to Fort Grant in Arizona.   At that time  the Willcox Commercial (known then as the Norton-Morgan Store) had a store up by Fort Grant and Bonita, Arizona.     Billy the Kid shot the first of his lifetime total of 31 people at the Commercial in Bonita.     Billy the Kid came into the Commercial at Bonita and another man, sort of a bully, started pushing him around and when he got him down the kid managed to get his gun out of his holster and he shot the man dead.    He was afraid he would get the law after him for killing a man so he ran to Aravipa Canyon and stayed at an Indian cave house while the soldiers were looking for him.    They couldn’t find him.   He stayed at the Indian place for several days.    I stayed there a little while once so I stayed where Billy the Kid laid.  

Years ago, my scribe and Marty, my other daughter would go camping and hiking in Aravipa Canyon but they didn’t stay where he stayed. But that is another story.     My scribe will maybe someday write the story of Marty and Peggy hiking in Aravipa canyon.  http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/arolrsmain/aravaipa.html

When they stopped hunting Billy the Kid, he went back to New Mexico and stayed there the rest of his life.   Billy the Kid was a part of the Lincoln county war of that time.   It was somewhat between the English and the Irish.    They had their war back in the old country and when they moved to the new country in New Mexico they still wanted to fight each other.  Billy the Kid was an Irishman.   The kid also sided with the small Mexican farmers of New Mexico who were fighting the big ranchers who were trying to take their land.    Billy the Kid was considered by many people, like the Robin Hood of New Mexico.   But he was a national outlaw by then and anyone in law was considered a hero if they could capture Billy the Kid.    Pat Garret was the one who captured him I think.    Anyway he was featured in papers all over the world that he was finally captured Billy the Kid.   

I will tell you that my son and family just arrived back from New Mexico.   They played in the snow all weekend.    They said they had a good time.    I stayed by my new fireplace in the store and kept warm.   I watched the painter going great guns painting on the outside of the store.  When they are done I will take a picture so you will know what I have been up to.    

This is Dick Seidel from Aravipa Canyon and Railroad Avenue in Willcox,   Arizona.