Introduction
We're Billy Roberts and Tim Roberts (no relation that we know of!) and we started Bad Hoss Map Company as a way of sharing our love of maps, history and storytelling. We've created maps, written a book, built a museum (grand opening in 2026), started the Bad Hoss History YouTube channel, have a Bad Hoss Maps Facebook page, and have too many other projects going on besides. Our love of maps, storytelling and history, particularly the history of the Old West, is a hobby that got out of control. As such, we work on various projects as we have the time.
Billy Roberts
Billy is the Chief Cartographer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and co-owner of Bad Hoss Map Company. Billy is a professional cartographer and data visualization expert with over 25 years of experience. Billy is also a trained graphic designer and avid consumer of history. Billy’s role is largely storytelling through visual content, such as maps and illustrations that are informative, aesthetically pleasing, and entertaining to a variety of audiences.
Tim Roberts
Tim earned his M.A. in Historic Preservation and Public History at the University of West Florida and has nearly 20 years of experience in the field of museum management and exhibit design. Tim has worked in both the public and private sectors, completing public history projects for clients including the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Smithsonian Institute, the Bureau of Indians Affairs, and more. Most recently, Tim served as the Manager of Lincoln and Fort Stanton Historic Sites in New Mexico and as the Deputy Director of New Mexico State Historic Site Division.
Bad Hoss Map Company
The inspiration for the Bad Hoss name comes from an artwork entitled "A Bad Hoss" painted by legendary Western artist Charles Marion Russell in 1904. "Hoss" is a common word for "horse" in the West, but also commonly serves a term describing the large stature, deeds, or personality of a man. A "bad hoss" then can refer just as readily to a difficult/tough/mean or otherwise larger than life horse or the man who rides him. The first map we created, which inspired this whole venture, mapped out the life and times of Billy the Kid, and subsequent projects have similarly focused on other such figures from America's legendary frontier past. Bad Hoss seemed a fitting name.