Albuquerque was a settlement established in 1857 by Samuel McCracken and Henry Hastings in what they thought was Wilson County. Its population grew, and following the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the town boasted a mercantile store, saloon, blacksmith shop, cotton gin, and an elementary school. Its

U.S. post office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

opened in 1870. Albuquerque, which was actually found to be in Gonzales County, is today a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

History

Henry Hastings and Samuel McCracken, two brothers-in-law from Mississippi, were the town's first residents, settling the area "located on the Clear Fork of Sandies Creek" in 1857. The town was originally thought to be in Wilson County, but was found to actually be in Gonzales County by a 1914 resurvey of county lines. Official recognition of Albuquerque occurred in 1870 with the opening of the post office. The McCracken family established a boarding house and blacksmith shop, and the town also had a store and saloon. An elementary school operated during the 1870s and into the 1880s. The name of the town came about from the return to the area of several members of the

New Mexico Campaign The New Mexico campaign was a military operation of the trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War from February to April 1862 in which Confederate Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley invaded the northern New Mexico Territory in ...

, which had been led by General

Henry Hopkins Sibley Henry Hopkins Sibley (May 25, 1816 – August 23, 1886) was a career officer in the United States Army, who commanded a Confederate cavalry brigade in the Civil War. In 1862, he attempted to forge a supply route from California, in defiance ...

, following the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

John Wesley Hardin's killings

The area was the site of two killings by the outlaw

John Wesley Hardin John Wesley Hardin (May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895) was an American Old West outlaw, gunfighter, and controversial folk icon. Hardin often got into trouble with the law from an early age. He killed his first man at the age of 15, claiming he ...

. The first of Hardin's fatal actions in town was the killing of a black Texas Special Policeman, Private Parramore Green. The killing occurred in October 1871 when Green, and a Private John Lackey, confronted Hardin at the mercantile store in Albuquerque with the intent to arrest him. In the ensuing gunfight, Green was killed, and Lackey was left seriously wounded. Hardin made good his escape and soon left the area, joining a cattle drive going up the

Chisholm Trail The Chisholm Trail ( ) was a stock trail and wagon route used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in southern Texas, across the Red River into Indian Territory, and northward to rail stops in Kansas. The trail cons ...

. The second fatality in town at the hands of Hardin was the murder that occurred on May 17, 1873, when Hardin and Jim Taylor ambushed

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Jack Helm (sometimes Helms) in the town square. Helm had recently moved to the area to perfect his 'cotton-worm destruction' machine, which he had invented and patented. He was living at the McCracken boarding house, and found himself unarmed when approached by Hardin, having left his guns in his room while working on his invention at the blacksmith shop. Helm and Hardin had been adversaries in the ongoing

Sutton–Taylor feud The Sutton–Taylor feud began as a county law enforcement issue between relatives of a Texas state law agent, Creed Taylor, and a local law enforcement officer, William Sutton, in DeWitt County, Texas. The feud cost at least 35 lives and eventu ...

for several years at this point. While being distracted by Hardin, Jim Taylor crept up on Helm from behind and attempted to shoot him, but his revolver misfired. As the startled Helm turned, Taylor managed to get off a shot, striking Helm in the chest. Helm rushed Taylor, but Hardin shattered Helm's arm with a shotgun blast. Helm then fled into the blacksmith shop. While Hardin held the townspeople at gunpoint, Taylor chased down Helm and unloaded the remaining five bullets into his head. As Hardin and Taylor mounted their horses and prepared to ride away, witnesses reportedly heard them boast that they had accomplished what they had set out to do.

Decline and abandonment

Albuquerque's decline was attributed to the lack of railroad access as well as the growth of nearby Union Valley, which was just two miles south of Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Post Office closed for good in 1883, just 13 years after opening. The town itself was completely abandoned by 1912, and is today a Texas ghost town.

History

John Wesley Hardin's killings

Decline and abandonment

References

Further reading