Billy the Kid in Santa Fe

Historical facts and fanciful legends swirl around Billy the Kid's early days... and around the City at the End of the Santa Fe Trail in his youth. ~ What did young Billy find in New Mexico Territory's Wild West capital of the 1870s? ~ How did Santa Fe's frontier character and its Hispanic culture shape his early development? ~ Who did Billy encounter? What roles play would they play later in his brief life? ~ How did this future desperado spend his days and nights in Santa Fe... ice skating?... playing baseball?... telling ghost stories? ~ What remains today of the sites and sights that met this storied youngster's eyes? Young Billy, Old Santa Fe, the first book of the Lynn Michelsohn's non-Fiction, trilogy, Billy the Kid in Santa Fe, also includes... - over 40 historical and modern photographs, drawings, and maps - two appendices - an extensive bibliography - a comprehensive index - 240 pages in paperback Recommended for Western History buffs, Billy the Kid aficionados, and anyone who loves Santa Fe! *** Please note: This book, previously published as Young Billy, contains only minor revisions of that edition. ***

Billy the Kid's three-month incarceration in New Mexico Territory's capital city during the winter of 1881-1882 provides a framework for exploring life, especially lawless life, at “The End of the Santa Fe Trail” in this second standalone volume of the author's non-fiction trilogy, “Billy the Kid in Santa Fe”. Billy spent part of his carefree youth in Santa Fe learning Spanish while playing with companions in its ancient streets and singing for tips around its bustling Plaza. Now, seven years later, the legendary young man sits alone, chained and abandoned, in Santa Fe's grim lock-up. Jailmates like "Dirty Dave," "Bull Shit Jack," and "Slap Jack Bill" offer interesting diversions but little solace. Hiring a lawyer seems impossible. Governor Lew Wallace, who once promised Billy a pardon, won't even respond to his increasingly desperate letters. Is a quick murder trial, leading to a short rope and a long drop, the boyish outlaw's only escape? - Follow Billy's diverse bids for freedom throughout his long cold months in Santa Fe's adobe calaboose. - Discover, with Billy, the changes to this ancient city since he left it seven years earlier as a bright-eyed youngster, his whole life ahead of him. - Track day-to-day events in this frontier settlement during a year when the railroad, two Presidents, a UFO, and Billy the Kid all came to town. “A Confining Winter” gives you a glimpse of life in the Old West through the eyes of its intriguing characters, including the most famous of all, Billy the Kid!