On the next three question please read carefully and note any hidden
meaning's  if any, then answer.

#1-Which states did the Sante Fe Trail cut through when it first
"opened for business" in 1821?    (the term "cut through" has split
our team on this question)
                          

#2-Montana cowboys have big appetites, but there's something else out
there that's so hungry it takes three forks to feed it.  What is it?

(on this question I have found two possible answers, Flathead and
Missouri I will need reference as to why you pick one over the other)

#3-He's been called the noted desperado of the Southwest, whose deeds
of daring and blood have made his name a terror in New Mexico,
Arizona, and Mexico. Who is this desperado and who gave him this
title?

(Myself and my team mate's can not seem to agree on what the question
wonts for an answer,  Who named him the Desparado of the Southwest or
who named him Billy The Kid)

Dear pen222-ga;

Thank you for ruquesting my services and allowing me an opportunity to
answer your interesting questions.

Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was primarily a commercial
highway connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1821, Mexico
gained independence from Spain and trade barriers were removed. That
same year, William Becknell and four other men traveled from Franklin,
Missouri for a distance of 1,203 miles to open trading between the US
and Mexico in Santa Fe. Most of what is currently Missouri, including
the entire Santa Fe Trail route, became a state in August of 1821.
West of Missouri was Indian Territory (eastern Kansas), which the USA
had bought from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase, but these
were not as yet ?states?. So the question essentially is, ?which 1821
states? did the Trail cross?

New Mexico did not become a state until January 6, 1912.
Colorado did not become a state until August 1, 1876.
Oklahoma did not become a state until November 16, 1907.
Kansas did not become a state until January 29, 1861

Missouri on the other hand became a state on August 10, 1821. William
Becknell left Missouri destined for Santa Fe about three weeks later
on September 1, 1821 which technically means that the Santa Fe Trail
only ?cut through? one state (at that time). The term ?cut through? is
used here rather than the term ?cross? because the Trail did not cross
Missouri entirely, rather it only traversed a portion of that state.

THE INTERACTIVE SANTA FE TRAIL
http://history.cc.ukans.edu/heritage/research/sft/sft.html#history

WILLIAM MECHNELL & THE SANTA FE TRAIL
http://www.bicknell.net/sftrail.htm

===============================================

On question number 2, I tend to lean toward ?Missouri? as an answer
(sort of ) rather than Flathead (Flathead Indian Nations). Let me
explain:

First let?s discount the Flatheads. While they are a large population
of Indians, they could in fact have lived anywhere that the land would
have supported them. The Three Forks region was ideal, but not
absolutely instrumental in their survival.

Three Forks, Montana is the location of the headwaters of the Missouri
River though; something that geographically makes the area quite
unique. In 1805 Lewis and Clark discovered the site where the three
forks of the Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson rivers converge to form
the Missouri River. This river is 2,341 miles long and has a drainage
of 529,350 square miles, one-sixth of the entire United States. Today,
the basin is home to about 10 million people from 28 Native American
tribes, 10 states, and a small part of Canada ? easily making it one
of the ?hungriest? locations in North America.

THRE FORKS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ? HISTORY
http://www.threeforksmontana.com/explorethreeforks.html

THREE FORKS
http://travel.state.mt.us/categories/city.asp?SiteID=1&CityID=328

THE MISSOURI RIVER
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/geography/missouririver.htm


===============================================


This one is much tougher but the answer to part 1 of your third
question is indeed ?Billy The Kid?. The answer to part 2, "who named
him" may be more complex that it seems. Let's get started, taking into
account the way the question is worded and the well-known fact that no
one knows precisely where "The Kid's" name originated from:

Part two of the question asks: "who gave him this title?". I think the
trick here is to take what you have, a title (which is essentially a
quote that I will explain in a moment) and apply it to what "is"
known...

Pat Garret, the man (and former friend) who ultimately killed William
H. Bonney, better known as "Billy the Kid," on July 14, 1881, co-wrote
a book about his adventures in pursuit of the desperado with the help
of a ghostwriter entitled:

?The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, the Noted Desperado of the
Southwest, Whose Deeds of Daring & Blood Have Made His Name a Terror
in New Mexico, Arizona & Northern Mexico?

ONLINE VERSION
http://arthurwendover.com/arthurs/western3/billyk10.html

The book was published in 1882 and the question you are asking almost
quotes the "title" verbatim. While there are several unproven legends
as to how Billy The Kid got his name, and no one knows for certain
just how this came to be though it has been hotly debated and often
asked for over 100 years, it is quite clear that Pat Garret is man
responsible for the title of his own book and thereby naming Billy the
Kid ?a Terror in New Mexico, Arizona & Northern Mexico?, which I
believe is what this question refers to when it asks ??who gave him
THIS TITLE??


NEW MEXICO ? LAND OF ENCHANTMENT
http://www.umkc.edu/imc/nmexico.htm

HISTORIC TRAVELER
http://historictraveler.away.com/primedia/pol_soc/lincoln_new_mexico_2.adp

Pat Garret was not the one who named Billy ?The Kid?. In fact Garret
and Bonney were friends at one time and Garret actually nicknamed
Bonney ?Little Casino? (Bonney affectionately called him ?Big Casino?
in return). Garret was certainly aware later on that Billy was being
called ?The Kid? but he actually had nothing whatsoever to do with the
nickname's origin.

Knowing what I know about these Old West questions, here's where it
may get difficult (the interpretation of what tricky answer the
question is really seeking):

Its possible I suppose that the question may be a bit more complex
than first meets the eye. There?s no way to know who first called
Bonney ?Billy The Kid? ? in truth there were dozens of desperados in
those days, from New York to California, who called themselves ?The
Kid? and presumably many of them were also named Billy. What?s more
interesting though is who first called William H. Bonney, Jr., ?Billy
Bonney?. Let?s examine this further, shall we (it gets complicated so
stay with me here, ok)?

William H. Bonney was actually ?Henry McCarty?. He was believed to
have been the illegitimate son of ?Mr. Bonney? but took the surname of
his mother?s husband, Michael McCarty. According to Bonney?s family
friend Chauncey Truesdell, the outlaw?s first name was William
(nicknamed Billy) but some time later, after McCarty died and his
mother remarried a man named William Antrim, Billy began to be called
?Henry? (his middle name) since there were now two Williams in the
household.  Now let?s move forward:

We know that Billy the Kid went by a number of names in his infamous
career. At one time he called himself ?Kid Antrim? for example. That
ended on August 17, 1877 when Billy shot and killed his first man,
blacksmith named F.P. Cahill, in a Camp Grant Saloon. Billy fled
Arizona because he was now wanted for murder, and eventually arrived
in Lincoln County, New Mexico where he became known as Billy Bonney
(having adopted the original surname of his biological father,
Bonney). In time he developed a criminal partnership with a man named
John Mackie, a second rate saddle thief and cattle rustler and it is
at this point that he became simply, ?Billy The Kid?, but no one
really knows the origin of the name or who stuck it on him.

So, in summary, while I hold that the answer to your question is
probably ?Pat Garret? for naming Billy The Kid ?a Terror in New
Mexico, Arizona & Northern Mexico?, it is possible that the question
refers to how Billy The Kid got the name William H. Bonney. If this is
the case (again, which I doubt, but I just want to make sure) the
answer COULD be: Henry McCarty (because the kid named ?himself? Billy
Bonney)

ABOUT BILLY THE KID
http://www.aboutbillythekid.com/early_life.htm

BILLY THE KID
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/oct/papr/billykid.html

FRONTIER TIMES
http://www.frontiertimes.com/outlaws/billy_the_kid.html

Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any questions
about my research please post a clarification request prior to rating
the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final comments
and I look forward to working with you again in the near future. Thank
you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher


INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINES USED:

Google ://www.google.com




SEARCH TERMS USED:

SANTA FE TRAIL

THREE FORKS

BILLY THE KID

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 28 Nov 2004 16:55 PST

>>On question #2- There is a river in Montana the Flathead, the
Flathead has three forks the Middle Fork, The South Fork and the North
Fork (three forks feeding the river Flathead) could you please check
into the Flathead River and decide what river you think fits the
question.
.......

I still support the Missouri River as the answer. Upon looking at
information about the Flathead River I found nothing unique about its
size, demand or contribution to the environment that would be
extraordinary, relative to your question (i.e. ??so hungry it takes
three forks to feed it.?). In fact, in terms of significance, the
Flathead River is only considered a ?medium sized river?.

==============================

>> #3 The answer to this question we agree on Pat Garrett named Billy
The Kid, William Bonney, Henry McCarty (Desparado of the Southwest).
Which above name for the kid would you use?

.......

For the purposes of this question, I would use Billy the Kid simply
because that is how he is widely and infamously known. Again, there is
no evidence that Garrett gave Billy the Kid his nom de guerre, but
merely that he named him AS the ?noted desperado of the Southwest? or
?a terror?. I tend to believe the latter, that Garrett named Billy the
Kid ?a terror? because of the book's title, which specifically says
(about Bonney's name):

?The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid, the Noted Desperado of the
Southwest, Whose Deeds of Daring & Blood Have [MADE HIS NAME A TERROR]
in New Mexico, Arizona & Northern Mexico? ? [emphasis mine]

I believe this specific 1882 book and this specific title is what the
tricky question is acually referring to.

If you have any further questions be sure to use the REQUEST
CLARIFICATION feature so I will be notified. Otherwise I welcome your
final comments and your rating of my research.

Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 28 Nov 2004 17:04 PST

I should also point out an issue with your original question:

#3-He's been called the noted desperado of the Southwest, whose deeds
of daring and blood have made his name a terror in New Mexico,
Arizona, and Mexico. Who is this desperado and who gave him this
title?

Note that the question itself already reveals both "names": 
"desperado of the Southwest"
"a terror in New Mexico"

Having said that, there is no debate as to WHAT the person was called,
but merely WHO was called that and WHO so named him, so I wouldn't
suffer the point too much if I were you in trying to form an answer.

Clearly the book (and we KNOW it is THIS book because the question
actually reveals the book's title) was Pat Garrett's book, and the
book was definitely about Billy the Kid.

In my opinion, there is only one logical answer: Pat Garrett - Billy the Kid

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by pen222-ga on 28 Nov 2004 20:09 PST

The Flathead River is in fact being fed by three forks, The Middle
Fork, The South Fork, and The North Fork, what I need is solid
evidence (if possible) why the Missouri River is the correct answer
and the Flathead River is the incorrect answer.
Thank-You

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 29 Nov 2004 09:37 PST

After looking for anything that might change my mind about the
significance of the Flathead Riviser as opposed to the Missouri River,
nothing drove the point home better than this graphic courtesy of the
US DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY which depicts the vast
area that benefits directly from the Missouri River:

http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/images99/Buttons/webpagemaps.gif

You will find other such maps on the web site:
http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/Maps/index.html

If I were a betting man and my two choices were the Flathead or the
Missouri, I'd bet it all on the Missouri as the answer. The equatic
and fowl habitat is enormous not to mention the population of humans
who benefit directly from this water source.

In addition, this statement seems to confirm the "hungry" issue
relative to the question:

"Sediment "hungry" water released from the reservoirs degrades or cuts
the river bed below the dams lowering groundwater tables and
dewatering side channels, sloughs, and backwaters connected to the
channel. Deep reservoir releases lower water temperatures in reaches
below the dams. Both of these factors interfere with native fish
spawning and development."
USGS: 'THE MISSOURI RIVER STORY'
http://infolink.cr.usgs.gov/The_River/MORstory.htm
 
I don't know about you, but I'm convinced.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

Thank-You for all your the extra time you spent on these question.

Regarding Billy the Kid, this might be useful:

http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=406628

On question #1 The state of Missouri (thanks)

On question #2- There is a river in Montana the Flathead, the Flathead
has three forks the Middle Fork, The South Fork and the North Fork
(three forks feeding the river Flathead) could you please check into
the Flathead River and deside what river you think fits the question.

#3 The answer to this question we agree on Pat Garrett named
Billy The Kid, William Bonney, Henry McCarty (Desparado of the Southwest)
Which above name for the kid would you use?

I knew asking for you was the right move, it's nice to be so right
about something!  Thanks

Here's yet another possiblity...
http://www.clarkfork.org/basics/statistics.html