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Adelaide

Romantic interest of Bret Maverick in Clayton, New Mexico Territory, in 1876.[2] (November 24, 1854 – June 15, 1931)[2]

In April of 1876, Bret and Bart Maverick met Adelaide in Silverton, Colorado Territory. Her father a miner, she lived with him and her mother on the respectable side of town, and worked as a waitress in the Silverton Hotel's dining room. An attractive young lady of 22, she was often the target of questionable, or even lewd, characters that gravitated to the more notorious side of town nearby. Her parents took the opportunity to send her to live in a less corrupted environment with her uncle, Ami H. Young, who had just been hired as the foreman of the as-yet-to-be-built Dorsey Ranch, unofficially dubbed Clayton, east of Cimarron, New Mexico Territory. Unfortunately for Bret, who was becoming attracted to Adelaide, her parents sent her away just two days after he met her. But as Bret and Bart moved on from Silverton, Bret influenced the direction of their ride southeast into New Mexico Territory.[2] When they reached the Rio Grande, Bret took the trail north to Clayton, but Bart decided instead to visit Santa Fe. Bret arrived in Clayton four days later. Little is known what happened between him and Adelaide over the next few days in early May, but as he told Bart afterwards, it was "a long story."[1]

See: The Jeweled Gun