A Facebook post shook social media with the announcement of the planned closing of the historic St. James Hotel in Cimarron on September 16.
This historic property has been sewn into the fabric of northern New Mexico for 152 years. The property was originally built in 1872 by Henry Lambert, the former personal chef to President Abraham Lincoln. He held this position until Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, when Lambert then traveled west in search of gold. He settled in Elizabethtown, New Mexico, where he opened a saloon and restaurant.
According to the Legends of America website, Elizabethtown, Cimarron, and the surrounding areas were owned by Lucien B. Maxwell. The Maxwell Land Grant is the largest ever recorded in the country. When the land grant was sold, Lambert was enticed to travel to Cimarron, where he later established the Lambert Inn in 1872, currently known as the St. James Hotel.
The area was a notorious hot spot for wild west outlaws, with non-existent law and order, due to its convenient location just off the Santa Fe Trail. The hotel was a common stopping place for Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill Cody, Doc Holliday, and Billy the Kid, to name a few.
The hotel and saloon quickly gained a reputation for violence, with 26 men reported to have been shot and killed over the years. Walking through the property, you can still see bullet holes in the bar’s ceiling from gunfights. When the property had a roof replacement in 1901, as many as 400 bullet holes were found in that ceiling.
The hotel is believed to be haunted by restless spirits who roam the property. Mediums and psychics have posted on social media, detailing their experiences staying at the St. James Hotel. Some common themes through the experiences are cold spots on the property and smells of cigar smoke or perfume.
Room 18 has been locked and closed to guests for years, due to the ill-tempered spirit who is believed to be Thomas James Wright. He was shot in the back after winning the rights to the hotel in a poker game. His spirit is known to push guests and make them feel unwelcomed.
We reached out to the St. James hotel owner several times to get details behind the closure and have received vague responses, including “it was time,” and “the owner was getting tired, so it was time.”
The permanent shutdown of this historical building is devastating to many residents and visitors alike. With the limited jobs in the Cimarron area, this will also have an economic impact on the overall economy. We will be keeping abreast of any developments of new ownership for the hotel in coming months.
