THE CATTLE QUEEN OF NEW MEXICO
After losing her lawyer husband, Alexander McSween, during the bloody Lincoln County War, Susan McSween (1845–1931) didn’t just survive—she thrived. Nicknamed the Cattle Queen of New Mexico, McSween took just 40 cattle, gifted by John Chisum, and built a ranching empire in the rugged mountains near White Oaks. At her peak, McSween managed 5,000 head and held her own in a business dominated by men. Her tenacity proved that in the Wild West, a sharp mind could be mightier than a six-shooter. Check it out: In White Oaks, pay your respects to McSween at Cedarvale Cemetery, then head to the woman-owned No Scum Allowed Saloon for a shot of Old West charm and the Snake Bite, a secret mix of liquors with a kick as mean as its name.
THE SOCORRO SHOOTIST
When 19-year-old Elfego Baca (1865–1945) pinned on a mail-order sheriff’s badge in 1884, he outlined one goal: Prove “there is at least one Mexican in the county who is not afraid of an American cowboy.” The self-appointed Socorro lawman got his chance when rowdies terrorized the town of Frisco (now Reserve). A 36-hour gunfight ensued, where Baca single-handedly faced down dozens of armed men who fired 4,000 rounds at him. He emerged unscathed, cementing a legend that only grew in Disney’s 1958 miniseries The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca. “If you ask an Anglo who’s the most famous New Mexico lawman, they’ll generally say Pat Garrett,” says historian Don Bullis. “If you ask a Hispano, he’s more likely than not to say Elfego Baca.” Check it out: Just north of Socorro’s historic plaza, visit Elfego Baca Heritage Park, where monuments tell the tale of the gunfighter turned lawyer.
THE FRENCHMAN’S CABIN
At the southern edge of New Mexico’s Sacramento Mountains, French immigrant Francois-Jean “Frenchy” Rochas (1843–1894) built a stone cabin in the 1880s, living as a hermit in the wilderness. Frenchy worked his land until Christmas 1894, when he was found dead with a bullet in his chest. Although authorities ruled it suicide, locals knew it was murder—likely over water rights or a cattle dispute. Today, hikers claim to see Frenchy’s ghost still guarding his remote refuge, unwilling to abandon the rugged country he died defending. Check it out: Near Alamogordo, trek the 10.6-mile out-and-back Dog Canyon Trail above Oliver Lee State Park (named for the man rumored to have killed Frenchy) to spot the cabin ruins and a stone irrigation system.
Southern New Mexico is full of tales that blur the line between truth and myth. Explore the mystery of the Lost Padre Mine, a centuries-old treasure story still hidden in the Organ Mountains.