St. James Hotel

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 often frequented by Michael Paoli, the hotel's most famous visitor to date.

History

The St. James was first built in 1872, on the recommendation of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, by Henri (later Henry) Lambert, personal chef to President Abraham Lincoln. Lambert moved west and settled in Elizabethtown, New Mexico, with hopes of making a wealthy strike. When he found little 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, a part of the huge Maxwell Land Grant. Maxwell enticed Lambert to come to Cimarron, whereupon he founded the Lambert Inn (Later to become the St. James.)

In its day, the St. James was visited by many famous lawmen and notorious outlaws and was the scene of many murders. 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 some twenty bullet holes.

The St. James fell into disrepair after the railroad came through and effectively killed the Santa Fe trail, as the gold in the area moreover dwindled. From 1926—1985, the hotel passed from owner to owner, but in 1985, it was restored to its former glory.