A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE

HISTORY OF CIMARRONCITA AND ITS LAND

Steeped in the Old West history of Colfax County, the wild town of Cimarron and the Santa Fe Trail, Cimarroncita nestles against and climbs up into the Sangre de Cristo range of the southern Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico at the heart of the Cimarron Canyon between Taos and Raton.

History tells us the land was first used by Ute Indians as their summer hunting grounds. Modern development of the late 1800's placed the land within the vast Maxwell Land Grant. As a 1900 turn-of-the-century tourist destination, lodging and dining facilities were constructed for patrons of the St. Louis Rocky Mountain and Pacific Railway Resort.

In 1930 the land and the historic buildings were acquired by Minnette Thompson where she established Cimarroncita Ranch Camp for Girls with its first season in summer 1931. “Minnit” married Frank Burk in 1936 and together they developed and operated "CRC." Some ten years later Sally Scurry started Cimarroncita Ranch Camp for Boys nearby. The camps flourished for 65 years until 1995.

In 2001 Minnette Burges, cousin and namesake of Cimarroncita founder Minnette Thompson Burk, with her husband and partner Alan Huerta, founded Cimarroncita Ranch LLC and acquired Cimarroncita with the goals of honoring the history and integrity of this elegant outpost, preserving the land and the buildings, reinventing the use and creating recreation opportunities for adults and families at Cimarroncita.

This historic ranch retreat offers outdoor adventure to families and adults through getaway packages, custom reunions, fly fishing and nature expeditions.

The Cimarroncita Archives house decades of memorabilia from Cimarroncita Ranch Camps, as well has other important historical materials of Northern New Mexico. The Archives are open to Cimarroncita guests and historians.