Old Silver City Cemetery

Catherine Antrim, as her 1874 obituary spells her, died of tuberculosis in Silver City on September 16, 1874, about forty-five, after four months in bed. Her funeral left the family's house on Main Street the next day, and her sons Henry, about fourteen, and Joe helped dig her grave. Henry, on his own after her death, was later known as Billy the Kid. John Bullard, the town founder also listed here, was killed in 1871 fighting Apaches, and a 1908 account says his was the first grave dug in Silver City.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Old Silver City Cemetery "Memory Lane" Established ca. 1882 In this pioneer cemetery, still in use today, lie the remains of early settlers, merchants, miners, politicians and railroad men who contributed to the development of southwestern New Mexico. Among those buried here are Kathrine Antrim (1829-1874), mother of Billy the Kid; Ben V. Lilly (1853-1936), renowned hunter and guide for Theodore Roosevelt; John Bullard (1841-1871), town founder; and Leonidas S. Lytle (1846-1924) Medal of Honor recipient in 1875.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Santa Rita Copper Mine — 12 mi
  The copper pit east of Silver City that swallowed the town it was named for, beneath a spire of volcanic rock long said to look like a nun at prayer.
• City of Rocks State Park — 21 mi
  Pinnacles of volcanic tuff up to forty feet high standing in the grassland between Deming and Silver City, worn out of an eruption 34.9 million years ago.

More markers nearby

• Anita Scott Coleman — 1.5 mi
• Silver City — 1.6 mi
• Pinos Altos — 5.5 mi
• Fort Bayard - 1866-1900 / Fort Bayard National Cemetery — 6.0 mi