It is not surprising that New Mexico was the site of some of the last Indian wars. New Mexico was a frontier region for much of its history. It had been a frontier under Spanish rule. It had been a frontier under Mexican rule. It was a frontier long after joining the United States in 1912.

At the same time life in New Mexico changed. From the Santa Fe trade to bringing new ideas into New Mexico. Among this changes were the election of lawmakers and trial by jury. This section here I will tell you about the lack of law and order on the New Mexico frontier.

The most famous case of lawlessness in New Mexico occurred in Lincoln County during the late 1800's. At that time Lincoln County covered nearly one-fifth of the entire territory. It was the largest county in the United States. Before the Loncoln County fighting ended, people from two ossposing sides had died. This so-called Lincoln County War began in 1878. It dragged on until 1881.

The trouble in Lincoln County had its origins in the aftermath of the Civil War. A man named Lawrence G. Murphy laid the groundwork for it. During the war Murphy served with the New Mexico Volunteers. After the war he opened a store in Lincoln. He soon controlled the economic life of the county. He owned the area's ONLY store. He farmed and raised cattle. He arranged for most of the wagon trains that traveled to Lincoln. He set the prices of goods, prices that were way to high.

So powerful was Murphy that he determined who owned land and who could find jobs. He even determined who could stay in the county. Murphy was not present in Lincoln County during most of the trouble. Poor health forced him to see treatment in Santa Fe. It forced him in 1876 to sell his business interests in Lincoln.

The two men who bought out Murphy were James Dolan and John H. Riley. These men wanted to control the economic life of Lincoln just as Murphy had. They would lead one of the two groups that fought in the lincoln County War.

On the other side were newcomers to the area. Their leader was Alexander A. McSween. McSween arrived in Lincoln in 1875. A lawyer, he was soon handling lawsuits, most of them against Murphy. Many of the lawsuits against Murphy were brought by John S. Chisum, a famous cattleman. chisum disliked Murphy. Chisum believed Murphy was dishonest.

Murphy's power in Lincoln County with stood the lawsuits. But then McSween broadened his economic interests. He invested in a cattle ranch. By late August 1877 McSween was ready to open a bank. He planned to start a new store as well. This new store would challenge the store that Dolan and Riley owned.

Some of the money that backed McSween may have come from Chisum. Other money clearly came from John Henry Tunstall. A wealthy Englishman, Tunstall had arrived in Lincoln in Novemeber 1876. He formed a partnership with McSween that would take effect in May 1878. Tunstall's aim was to become a great cattle rancher.

Lawlessness Continues	NM Rivers
NM Water	NM Plants and Animals
New Mexico Land Surface	New Mexico Land
Lincoln County Conflict Begins	Home