St. James Hotel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

St. James Hotel, located in historic Cimarron, New Mexico, is one of the best known paranormal hotspots in the world, and one of the most elegant. It is oft frequented by Michael Paoli, the hotel's most famous visitor to date.

[edit] History

The St. James was first built in 1872 by Henri (Later changed to Henry) Lambert, Personal Chef to President Abraham Lincoln, on the recommendation of Ulysses S. Grant, holding the position until the President's assassination in 1865. Henry then moved west, finally settling in Elizabeth town, New Mexico, Hoping to strike it rich. When he found little to no gold, he opened a restaurant and saloon. At this time, E-town, Cimarron, and much of the surrounding area was owned by Lucien B. Maxwell, and part of the Maxwell Land Grant, the largest grant at the time. Maxwell enticed Lambert to come to Cimarron, where upon he founded the Lambert Inn (Later to become the St. James.) The St. James was visited by many famous lawmen and outlaws in its day, and was the scene of many a murder. A favorite saying in the area became "It appears Lambert had himself another man for breakfast." and the usual question around Cimarron was "Who was killed at Lamberts last night?" A few of the well-known people who stayed at the St. James were: Wyatt Earp, His brother Morgan, and their Wives on their way to Tombstone, Arizona, Jesse James, who always stayed in room 14, Clay Allison, Black Jack Ketchum, Buffalo Bill Cody (Who took an entire village of Indians living nearby on the road with his show), and Annie Oakley. In 1901, when Henry Lambert's sons replaced the roof of the St. James, they found more than 400 bullet holes! A double layer of hard wood stopped anyone sleeping upstairs from being killed. Today, the dining room ceiling still holds over 20 bullet holes. The St. James fell into disrepair after the railroad came through, effectively killing the Santa Fe trail, and the gold in the area dwindled. From 1926 to 1985, the hotel passed from owner to owner, but in 1985, the hotel was restored to its former glory, and is now a great tourist attraction.