Billy the Kid was born in 1859 in New York City under the name Henry McCarty, though he would later be known by many names, including William Bonney. His childhood was far from easy, marked by loss and uncertainty after his father’s absence and his mother’s death when he was still very young. Left without family support, he turned to odd jobs and, eventually, petty theft just to get by. What began as small crimes of survival would set him on a road that no one could have predicted, a path that transformed an ordinary boy into one of the most legendary figures of the Old West.
As the Lincoln County War broke out in New Mexico during the late 1870s, Billy’s skill with a gun and his daring nature thrust him into the center of the conflict. He gained a reputation for his lightning-fast draw and uncanny aim, making him both feared by enemies and admired by those who stood with him. To some, he was a cold-blooded outlaw with countless killings to his name; to others, he was a spirited fighter standing up against injustice and corruption in a lawless land. His reputation grew quickly, feeding the newspapers that carried tales of his boldness across the frontier.
The end of his short life came in 1881 when Sheriff Pat Garrett finally caught up with him at Fort Sumner and shot him dead at only twenty-one years old. His death brought closure to the hunt but not to the legend, which only grew stronger as time passed.