Preservation: Saving the Sheriff
By: TW Editors 07/01/2007
Saving the Sheriff
On February 28, 1908, famed lawman Pat Garrett was gunned down just off a road outside Las Cruces, New Mexico. The killer of Billy the Kid died as a result of a land dispute—although the man who shot him, Wayne Brazel, was acquitted on a claim of self-defense. About 30 years later, Garrett’s youngest son Jarvis put a marker at the death site: a rock with a cross on it surrounded by cement, in which “P. Garrett” and “Feb 1908” were scrawled.
Jump ahead nearly 100 years. A developer plans a huge project that could more than double the size of Las Cruces over the next 20 years. It would also obliterate the Garrett memorial. But local citizens and Old West buffs have come to the rescue, forcing the developer to preserve the site. Details are sketchy, and the agreement is tentative. Still, it looks like a historic spot will be saved for posterity—and visitors will get the chance to see a son’s simple monument to his father. friendsofpatgarrett.com
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