The pioneer spirit that existed in the 19th century was born in part of a deep hunger to own land. The stories told by explorers and missionaries just back from the west were filled with images of vast, open landscapes, abundant game, pristine rivers and lakes. Undoubtedly, these images fed the pioneers' hunger and provided intense motivation for them as they undertook the laborious journey westward.
By the early 1880s, the railroads arrived in New Mexico, and the New Mexico culture was formed. With the railroad came an increase in both trade and population. Though there were still military forts scattered around the state in a holdover from the battles with Indian tribes, much of the territory still lacked any effective law enforcement. This was a time of frontier justice and tough, iconoclastic characters such as Kit Carson and William "Billy the Kid" Bonney, who is buried in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
The legendary mystique of the Wild West Era can still be felt in modern-day Albuquerque where many aspects of the cowboy culture are alive and well. The cowboy hats and boots worn by locals are often more than a fashion statement; plenty of local folks work at ranches and farms in the area, some just a stone's throw from downtown. Albuquerque is one of the few cities where you can see horses and chickens right in central neighborhoods.
