New Mexico Office of the State Historian : Lincoln County

Lincoln County

Lincoln County, named after President Abraham Lincoln, was at one time the largest county in the United States, encompassing almost one-fourth of the state. The village of Lincoln (first called Las Placitas, then Bonita) was the first county seat, but, in 1909 it was moved to Carrizozo after the railroad arrived there, which led to the general decline of Lincoln.

The area is noted for the famed 1870s Lincoln County War and for its first courthouse, which is famous for being the site where Billy the Kid was jailed and subsequently escaped. Mescalero, Apache, and Hispanic history, in addition to great fishing, skiing, quarter horse racing, casinos, museums, the Valley of Fires recreation center, Smokey Bear Museum and State Park and gorgeous mountain vistas make the county a year round recreation haven and the basis of its economy.