Situated where the High Plains meet the Rocky Mountains and where the Santa Fe Trail crosses the Cimarron River, the village of Cimarrón has a richly varied history. Spectacular rock columns, thick seams of coal, dinosaur footprints, pit houses, and petroglyphs echo an early geologic and human presence. Spanish explorers encountered area Native American settlements in the 1700s, and by the 1820s, mountain men roamed these Rockies while eastern merchants followed Indian trails to Santa Fe. By the 1860s, Cimarrón was the headquarters of a vast Mexican land grant managed by Lucien Maxwell and Kit Carson. A gristmill supplied local soldiers and Indians, and the discovery of gold attracted thousands. The Colfax County War erupted after speculators purchased the grant in 1870. When the railroad arrived in 1906, a "New Town" was built on the north side of the river. Today, through tourism and the Philmont Scout Ranch, the Cimarrón area offers a unique window into the history and growth of the West.

Here is the first comprehensive history of the Colfax County area of northeastern New Mexico. Best known today as the home of the Philmont Scout Ranch, where thousands of Boy Scouts from around the world gather every year, this beautiful country has a violent and varied past. Centering around the town of Cimarron, the region includes much of the vast Maxwell Land Grant, one of the largest pieces of land to be owned by one man in the history of the United States. Controversy over control of the land began in the sixteenth century with quarrels among rival American Indian tribes. Spanish and later American troops continued the bloodshed for centuries more. The culmination of the area’s history of violence was the notorious Colfax County War between homesteaders and landowners that began in 1875 and continued until the Supreme Court acted fifteen years later. A gold and silver rush lured prospectors to the Maxwell ranch and booming Elizabethtown in the 1860s. But by 1870 the supply of precious metals was almost exhausted, and today Elizabethtown is a ghost town. “An interesting and welltold account of an important area, Philmont deserves a place on the Western book shelf.”—Denver Post

An informal history of the first 50 years of the Philmont Rangers

The Cimarron country has it all! Indian, mountain man, and pioneer legends. Cowboy and ranching tales. Stagecoach and early railroad adventures. Gold fever! Heroes and villains. Hangings and outlaws. Corporate greed. Overwhelming individual generosity. Struggles and triumphs. This volume highlights some of the important places and events that occurred in the Cimarron country. Its history is a treasure trove of heroic examples and valuable lessons for all of us to learn. Dozens of rare historical photos and illustrations bring these stories to life.

The last train to leave Cimarron, New Mexico The story of the last train to leave Cimarron endevors to answer two questions: Why did the railroad industry pull out of Cimarron, New Mexico and when did the last train leave? To answer these questions the author summarizes the history of the Cimarron country, the various people who worked to develop its lands, natural resources and rail service. How did the tiny community of Ute Park develop and why did it not grow into the vacation and recreational community the railroad executives envisioned. Was a northern railroad through New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California , going to the Pacific possible and was it needed? In many places history is driven by economics, so to understand the railroad history of Cimarron we also looked at the development of the automobile, truck transportation, air travel, bus transportation, one speed long hall railroads, development of the electric diesel locomotive and the decline of steam driven trains. All of these things are part of the complete Cimarron rail road saga. Then, there is the story of the last train.