Hello from Phoenix, AZ!
I arrived here safe & sound on Saturday night after a two day trip that involved an overnight in Las Vegas, NM, a few attempts to see Route 66, a pukey little puppy in Winslow, AZ and a short-lived moment next to Sunset Viewpoint along I-17. My doggy and I took her Auntie to Phoenix Sky Harbor last night which was probably the hardest part of the relocation but I’m here now and that’s what matters.
I was originally going to write this post about how fun it was getting to drive along part of Route 66 but seeing as New Mexico has neglected their part of the historic road and Arizona kept taking us back onto I-40 I have something else to share with y’all that has occupied my entire Monday.
When we started planning my relocation it was an obvious choice to stop for the night in Las Vegas, NM due to what little history I knew they harbored but I am a very lucky lady to have a friend that surprised me with a room at The Plaza Hotel. After a little bit of research I was excited beyond words to stay at such a history-filled place!
On our way to our room, literally a couple doors down, I spotted this! I couldn’t believe my eyes! I knew the hotel had some famous people as previous guests from No Country For Old Men stars and directors to cast members of The Homesman but SIMON PEGG?
For those of you that don’t know, I like to think of myself and my best friend (my doggy’s Auntie) as our own version of Simon Pegg & Nick Frost. I mean this pretty seriously as our friendship is very tied-to-the-hip and we’re a pretty great BrOTP! Yes, I consider myself the Nick Frost and no, it’s not just because he makes the sexiest damn Santa Claus I’ve ever seen. Anyways…..
The universe knew I needed a little win and when I walked out of my hotel room to check out the bar (which was closed 45 minutes early) I noticed this little photo across the hall from my doorway….
I immediately called Bullshit! (Where is my Kurt Russell gif, dammit?) Every bone in my body refuses to believe that Doc Holliday would ever pose for a photograph with the likes of Jesse James. Billy the Kid is doubtful, but way more likely. I’ll admit that before today’s research I had little to no knowledge of Charlie Bowdre.
So let’s put on our deerstalkers and investigate!
I spent the day putting together a timeline for the 3 most recognizable names claimed to be featured in this photograph. I focused mainly on Doc Holliday as he’s the one I’m absolutely convinced is NOT in this photo.
John Henry “Doc” Holliday arrived in Las Vegas, NM a few days before Christmas in 1878 with “Big Nose” Kate Horony. Plenty of sources state that Doc’s journey to Las Vegas was made in an attempt to relieve him of his tuberculosis symptoms. The hot springs were, shortly, beneficial to the dentist. In March of 1879 Doc was helping Bat Masterson on behalf of the Santa Fe Railroad in the Royal Gorge War. After Bat and his small army were forced to surrender their roundhouse on June 12 1879, Doc returned to Las Vegas. This is where Doc’s timeline get’s a little hazy. Legends of America claims that Doc opened his Holliday Saloon on July 19th, 1879 where he’s said to have shot Mike Gordon. But Wikipedia, which sources Legends of America, says that Holliday opened his clapboard saloon the day after the shooting of Mike Gordon. Wyatt Earp arrived in Las Vegas in October of 1879, possibly working for Wells Fargo, before moving on to Prescott, AZ along with Doc and Kate.
So we know Doc WAS in Las Vegas, but what about Jesse James and Billy the Kid?
According to the research I was able to do, we know very little about Jesse James in late 1878 to late 1879. There’s almost nothing about him on his own Wikipedia page for this time frame but we do know that his wife gave birth to still-born twins in February 1878 and then gave birth to a surviving daughter, Mary Susan James, on June 17th 1879 in Nashville, TN. So between those times he must have been in the South to have fathered Mary Susan. The closest thing I could find to a “reliable” source regarding Jesse’s whereabouts is this site that says Jesse rented room 14 under the name R.H. Howard but we know his alias was actually Thomas Howard. (In fact, nothing but this Hotel claims Jesse used the alias R.H. Howard according to a Google search.) This source also calls Bob Ford a “nemesis” which is untrue considering how few people Jesse trusted, Bob being one of those rare men. I’m not sure if Jesse ever went to Las Vegas at all. It’s possible, but I find it unlikely considering the births.
Lastly, Billy the Kid. We know that Billy was in Lincoln, NM in the later months of 1878. That’s not to say he couldn’t have taken a trip north to Las Vegas, but why would he considering the Lincoln County War and it’s aftermath? There’s also the post-wedding photo of Billy from 1878. We also know that he was jailed in Lincoln, NM in March 1879 through June of that same year. Why would an outlaw make this journey to Las Vegas? He was quoted in the Las Vegas Optic on January 10th of 1880 but by that time, Doc was long gone to Arizona. This quote can be found in the link at the start of this paragraph.
Let’s mention the most important thing regarding Doc Holliday that I’ve learned in my research; he put genuine effort into leaving behind as little as possible about his own life. A relative of his is credited with writing the “definitive Holliday biography” but the reader’s reviews still show that much of his life can only be shared as dates and times. (To be fair, Wyatt Earp was the exact opposite and went out of his way to manipulate how he was seen by future generations.)
But whether or not Karen Holliday Tanner’s book is as great as one would hope, we can also look at the fact that very few photos of Doc Holliday are considered genuine. There’s literally an entire section of his Wikipedia page dedicated to this fact. The same goes for Billy the Kid. Photographs go through extensive processes to be proven “real” and yet a Google Image search of Doc Holliday, Jesse James, or Billy the Kid do NOT include the photograph I saw in The Plaza Hotel.
So far I can not prove that three of the four men in this photograph were in Las Vegas at the same time, but, alas, I can’t prove they weren’t either. There isn’t a single part of me that believes Jesse was even in the area from late 1878 to late 1879. Even if this site says that Jesse asked Billy the Kid to join his gang. But let’s pretend they WERE, even for a day, why would someone like Doc, who did not wish to be documented, pose for a photo with such semi-notorious figures?
I ain’t buyin’ it.
But it was a damn nice hotel with plenty more to enjoy! (Just, ya know, be sure to get to the bar an hour early if you want a whiskey….)
