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.