HM 53 — "LINCOLN COUNTY DAY"

HOUSE MEMORIAL 53 56TH LEGISLATURE- STATE OF NEWMEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 2024 INTRODUCED BY Harlan Vincent 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL DECLARING FEBRUARY 7, 2024 "LINCOLN COUNTY DAY" IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

145 WHEREAS, Hollywood has made millions of dollars based on films set in the beauty, adventure and drama of the historical American west;

and e t 17 WHEREAS, the actual history of Lincoln county, New Mexico, w l n d 18 rivals and outshines the best script Hollywood has ever = = 19 a l produced;

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, being central to the original territory occupied a t m m 21 by the Mescalero bands of the Apache people and representing d r e 22 the western edge of the Comanche territory, the mountains and c e s k 23 canyons of Lincoln county stood witness as Apaches and e a n b 24 Comanches and succeeding waves of Spanish, Mexican and Anglo-Anglo-American u [ American settlers competed, often violently, for land and .228151.1 water;

and WHEREAS, on February 18, 1878, the murder of one ringleader, John Tunstall, by a posse deputized by Sheriff William Brady, and the subsequent revenge killing of Sheriff HM 53 Brady on April 1, 1878, began the infamous Lincoln County Page 1 War;

and WHEREAS, many of the individuals in the Lincoln County War e t 17 were known alternatively to have worn a sheriff's badge or to w l n d 18 have been cattle rustlers and murderers at various points in = = 19 a l their careers;

and i a e r 20 WHEREAS, during the Capitan Gap fire in the spring of a t m m 21 1950, a bear cub was rescued by firefighters and became known d r e 22 as "Smokey Bear", Lincoln county's most famous native son;

and c e s k 23 WHEREAS, Smokey Bear became a national symbol for forest e a n b 24 fire prevention and the subject of the popular song "Smokey the u [ Bear";

and .228151.1 - 2 - WHEREAS, Smokey Bear lived at the national zoo in Washington, D.C., for twenty-six years, was visited by thousands of schoolchildren and received so much fan mail that the United States postal service gave Smokey his own zip code, and he is now buried at Smokey Bear historical park in Capitan, New Mexico;

and WHEREAS, Lincoln county offers numerous opportunities for hiking, backpacking and skiing within dramatic mountain HM 53 Page 2 landscapes typified by Capitan peak and Sierra Blanca mountain;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Lincoln county e t 17 be recognized as having one of the most colorful and intriguing w l n d 18 histories in America, epitomizing the legend of the "Wild West" = = 19 a l and being a beautiful and exciting place to live and visit;

and i a e r 20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that February 7, 2024 be declared a t m m 21 "Lincoln County Day" in the house of representatives;

and d r e 22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be c e s k 23 transmitted to the Lincoln county board of county e a n b 24 commissioners.

uHM [53 -Page 3 -25 .228151.1