Cimarron, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce

06/13/2026

The Historic Chase Ranch is open for the season Wednesdays- Saturdays until August 29th. Visit www.chaseranch.org to schedule your tour. ❤️

Learn about the wild horses, fruit orchards, and the people that made the history of this place so rich!

“The Chase Ranch was founded in 1869 by Manley and Teresa Chase who purchased about 1000 acres from the Maxwell Land Grant. The ranch was operated by the Chase family until the death of Manley and Teresa’s great-granddaughter Gretchen Sammis, a 1986 inductee into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center.”

“Prior to her passing in 2012 at the age of 86, Gretchen Sammis established the Chase Ranch Foundation whose mission and purpose is to preserve the legacy of the Chase Ranch and to educate the public about cattle ranching and the heritage of the American western cowboy lifestyle.”

06/13/2026

Explore Cimarron, New Mexico this summer! Your adventure starts here...

⭐️ Camp beneath the stars in Cimarron Canyon
🎣 Cast a line in Cimarron River
🏛️ Discover Old West history
🛍️ Shop local businesses

Click the link in bio to learn about Cimarron!

06/13/2026

How many saloons were there in Cimarron during its Old West heyday?
Legend has it that Cimarron boasted as many as 17 saloons between the 1870s and the turn of the 20th century. Most of these establishments faded away by 1900. However, through a review of historical newspapers, maps and surviving documents, only nine can be definitively identified today.
Here are a few notable examples:
· The St. James Saloon, operated by Henry Lambert, remains the most well-documented.
· Stepp’s Saloon, located just north along the same street, was run by Lambert’s brother-in-law, Bob Stepp—his first wife’s brother.
· Charette’s Saloon, situated catty-corner across from the St. James, had a reputation as a rough-and-tumble establishment. Its proprietor, E. Charette, is buried in Cimarron Cemetery.
· The Sw****ka Saloon was built in “New Town,” north of present-day Highway 64, during a planned expansion of the community.
· The Calhoun Hotel & Saloon, one of the earliest hotels in Cimarron alongside the St. James, was known for its violence—though many of those stories have unfortunately been lost to time.
Like many frontier towns, Cimarron saw saloons come and go with changing times. If you’re aware of any others from the frontier era, please share their names and locations—I’d be glad to help document them.

List of known Hotels & Saloons in Cimarron:
St. James Hotel & Saloon
Charette’s Saloon
Brick House Saloon
Stepp’s Saloon
Sw****ka Hotel & Saloon
Saloon (name unknown) in the old Barlow & Sanderson Stage Office (just south of the St. James)
Calhoun Hotel & Saloon
Livingston Hotel & Saloon
Oxford Hotel & Saloon

Photo of the Sw****ka Hotel ca 1900-Courtesy Audrey Alper's collection.

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

Hey friends 👋🏼 just a weekly check in…. NO WE STILL DON’T HAVE A SET OPENING DATE YET. YOU WILL SEE THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT HERE FIRST…
we promise! Yes, you’ve seen vehicles and movement at the tavern. Because we are working HARD on site and behind the scenes doing everything we can to get our doors open to you all! We miss you!

Back to work 🔨 🧹🧽

06/12/2026

Looking forward to Celebrating USA’s 250th Birthday in Cimarron, NM!
Lets celebrate bigger than ever this year! 🎆
Whether you plan on joining our parade with a float, or just want to watch- we welcome you to be part of the fun! 🇺🇸✨

06/11/2026

“Built in 1864 by Lucien B Maxwell, the Aztec Grist Mill is in the southwest corner of Cimarron. It was built to provide ground grains for the Maxwell Ranch and the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation, as well as Santa Fe Trail Travelers. Today it is operated as a museum and houses working mill parts and life-size figures of local history.”
📸Tammy Malaney

*The museum is open 10am-4pm Monday-Saturday thru Labor Day.