May 9, 2009 Dansk tekst til venstre English text on the right Dagens baghave: Backyard of the Day: Shakespeare Ghost Town, Lordsburg, Hidalgo County, New Mexico Shakespeare Ghost Town is located off State Road 464 just south of Lordsburg, Hidalgo County, New Mexico   Nu kunne vi jo i princippet ha' sovet "helt" til klokken halv seks i morges, men i stedet kom vi op med hønsene, for Belles hane, Romeo, begyndte at skråle og gøre ved klokken kvart i fem. Og han føler sig tilsyneladende pligtskyldig at vække samtlige husstande mellem Bisbee og Douglas, for han holdt aldrig op igen, men fik i stedet hjælp af gæssene, der lød som en flok rollinger, der skændtes i frikvarteret. Da hestene besluttede sig til at tage del i koncerten, opgav vi, slæbte os ud af fjerene, slugte en portion havregrød og drog afsted mod New Mexico, som vi nåede klokken lidt over syv til morgen. Well, in theory we could have "slept in" till 5:30 this morning, but instead we got up with the chickens, because Belle's rooster, Romeo, began cock-a-doodle-dooing at 4:45 am. Apparently he feels obligated to awaken every household between Bisbee and Douglas, because he never stopped again, but was joined by the geese, who sounded like a bunch of kids squabbling in the school yard. When the horses decided to join the chorus we threw in the towel, dragged our butts out of bed, gobbled down some oatmeal, and set out for New Mexico, which we reached just past 7:00 am.     Vi kørte nordpå til Shakespeare, som er en lille spøgelsesby syd for Lordsburg, New Mexico. I vidste, det kun var et spørgsmål om tid, inden vi fandt en, gjorde I ikke? Shakespeare, som gennem tiderne også er blevet kaldt Mexican Springs, Grant og Ralston, var oprindelig vandingssted for indianere og trætte rejsende, der forfriskede sig ved den lille kilde, der engang lå her. I 1856 begyndte posten og diligencerne at standse her for at vande hestene, og en by begyndte at forme sig. We drove north to Shakespeare, which is a little ghost town south of Lordsburg, New Mexico. You knew it would only be a matter of time before we went ghosting, didn't you? Shakespeare, which has been variously known also as Mexican Springs, Grant, and Ralston, was originally a watering place for Indians and weary travelers, who refreshed themselves at the little spring once active here. In 1856 the mail and stagecoaches began stopping here to water the horses, and gradually a town began to form.       Hestesko ~ Horse shoes

Butterfield-diligencen kom hertil i 1858, men ophørte midlertidigt da borgerkrigen begyndte i 1861. I 1865, da krigen var slut, fandt man dette hus tomt og gjorde det til diligencestation. The Butterfield Stage came to town in 1858, but stopped temporarily when the civil war began in 1861. In 1865, when the war was over, this house was found empty and was made into a stage station.       Stationens forstue blev brugt til hængninger, da den havde en god solid loftbjælke, og da her ingen solide træer er. Henrettelserne foregik efter forgodtbefindende, da her heller hverken var sheriff eller fængsel. De sidste hængninger fandt sted i november 1881, da Sandy King og William "Russiske Bill" Tattenbaum begge blev hængt her. Sandy King og Russiske Bill var livslange lovbrydere, som havde mødt hinanden i Clanton-brødrenes bande, og kom til Shakespeare sammen. Sandy King var en drukkenbolt og noget af en løs kanon. En dag gik de to og lavede ballade oppe på hovedgaden, og Sandy King kom op at skændes med en forretningsdrivende og skød hans pegefinger af. King blev arresteret, mens Russiske Bill stjal en hest og stak af mod Deming. Han blev snart fanget og låst inde med Sandy King. Da byens folk besluttede at hænge Russiske Bill for hestetyveri, blev de enige om at de lige så godt kunne klynge Sandy King op samtidig "for at være en fandens plageånd", og siden han sikkert ville blive hængt før eller siden uanset, kunne man gøre det med det samme, og nøjes med at grave én stor grav i stedet for to. Mens rebene blev klargjort, tiggede og bad Russiske Bill for sit liv, mens Sandy King bad om et glas vand, for, som han sagde, "min hals er tør efter al den snak for at frelse mit liv." Sandy King fik et glas vand, og de to blev hængt klokken to om morgenen den 9. november 1881. De blev hængende fra loftsbjælken i Grant-husets forstue natten over, og da stationsmesteren blev spurgt den næste morgen, om det ikke havde generet ham at sove i bagrummet, mens der hang to døde mænd i forstuen, sagde han "Nej, nej, de var såmænd meget stille." The front room of the station was used for hangings, because it had a good solid support beam, and because no solid trees grow in the area. The executions took place on a whim, since there was no law in Shakespeare either. The last hangings took place in November 1881, when Sandy King and William "Russian Bill" Tattenbaum were hanged here. Sandy King and Russian Bill were lifelong outlaws, who had met in the Clanton Brothers' gang and had come to Shakespeare together. Sandy King was a drunkard and something of a loose cannon. One day the two were on the main street shooting off their guns and being obnoxious when Sandy King got into an argument with a shopkeeper and shot off his index finger. King was arrested, while Russian Bill stole a horse and headed for Deming. He was soon caught and locked up with Sandy King. When the town's vigilantes decided to hang Russian Bill for horse stealing, they figured they might as well hang Sandy King at the same time "for being a damned nuisance", and since he'd probably hang sooner or later anyway, it'd be easier to get it over with and only have to dig one large grave instead of two. While the ropes were readied, Russian Bill begged for his life, while Sandy King asked for a glass of water, because, as he stated, "my throat is dry after talking so much to save my life." Sandy King got his water, and the pair was hanged at 2:00 am on November 9, 1881. They remained hanging from the rafter in the Grant House front room overnight, and when the station keeper was asked the next morning whether it bothered him sleeping in the back room with two dead men hanging in the front room, he said "Oh, no, they were pretty quiet."

Da der blev fundet sølv her i 1870 strømmede omkring 3000 mennesker til byen, men sølvet syntes hurtigt at rande ud, og byen var som godt som forladt i 1873. I 1879 besluttede den engelske mineingeniør William George Boyle at prøve lykken igen. Han åbnede minerne og gav byen navnet Shakespeare. Adskillige hundrede mennesker flyttede hertil og blev boende til 1893, da minerne lukkede endnu engang. When silver was discovered here in 1870, about 3000 people flocked to the town, but the silver quickly seemed to peeter out, and the town was practically abandoned in 1873. In 1879 the English mining engineer William George Boyle decided to try his luck here. He opened the mines and named the town Shakespeare. Several hundred people moved to the town, and remained here until 1893, when the mines were closed yet again.     Det eneste overlevende af byens syv værtshuse er dette, som blev bygget til diligence stationen i 1870erne. This saloon, which was added on to the stage station in the 1870s, is the only surviving of the town's seven saloons.           Stratford Hotel blev bygget som kaserne under borgerkrigen, men i 1870, da byen blev overrendt af minearbejdere, blev det gjort til hotel. The Stratford Hotel was built during the civil war as soldiers' quarters, but in 1870 when the town was overrun by miners it was made into a hotel.   En morgen i 1879 skød Bean Belly Smith hotelmutterens søn Ross Woods lige her i hotellets spisestue, efter et skænderi over at Ross Woods havde fået det sidste æg. Velkommen til det vilde vesten! One morning in 1879, right here in the hotel dining room, Bean Belly Smith shot Ross Woods, son of the woman who kept the hotel, because Ross Woods had gotten the last egg. Welcome to the wild, wild west!

Hotelkøkkenet ~ The hotel kitchen                 Mineoverseerens hus og kontor ~ The mine superintendent's home and office     I smedjen ~ In the blacksmith shop

Dette hus er i dag det ældste i Shakespeare. Det var postkontor da post-diligencen i sin tid standsede her på vej mellem San Antonio og San Diego. Efter borgerkrigen blev huset brugt som beboelse, og der går mange historier om, at det spøger i denne bygning. This house is today the oldest house in Shakespeare. It was a mail station back when the mail used to stop here on its way between San Antonio and San Diego. After the civil war the house was used as a residence, and there are many stories of ghosts here.       Shakespeare fik en kort renaissance mellem 1907 og 1932, da minedriften startede igen for sidste gang. I 1935 blev byen købt af Frank og Rita Hill som ranch. De gjorde deres bedste for at bevare de gamle bygninger, og begyndte også at vise folk rundt. Deres datter Janaloo Hill, som døde i 2005, og svigersøn Manny Hough, har fortsat byens bevaring, og det var Manny, der viste os rundt og fortalte historier i dag. Shakespeare experienced a short renaissance between 1907 and 1932, when mining resumed for the last time. In 1935 the town was bought by Frank and Rita Hill as a ranch. They did their best to preserve the old buildings, and also started giving tours to curious passers-by. Their daughter Janaloo Hill, who died in 2005, and son-in-law Manny Hough, have continued the preservation work, and it was Manny who gave us a great tour today.         Fra probermesterens kontor ~ From the assayer's office

Stratford Hotel         Krudtdepot ~ Powder magazine

Fortsæt turen ~ Continue the trip More New Mexico Travel Information Here YESTERDAY A BIT LATER