The Old WestThe gold fever that gripped the Red River Valley in the late 1890’s attracted rainbow chasers from every part of the country. Most were lacking in mining experience, having abandoned careers as farmers, shopkeepers, school teachers, soldiers and every other occupation imaginable in their quest to take journalist Horace Greeley’s advice: "Go West, young man."
Among those who arrived in the high country valley in 1895 were the Oldham brothers, who came from the ranch country east and south of the Raton Pass. They had grown up on horseback and were familiar with the chores associated with raising cattle, but they did not care for the term "cowboy," preferring to be known as "cattlemen."
Wooly & Wild
Located where the High Plains meet the Rocky Mountains, a short 45-minute drive from Red River, is the legendary community of Cimarron, well-known as a wooly town of the American Frontier. The list of famous and infamous people who stayed at the fabled St. James Hotel reads like a "Who’s Who" of the Old West: William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, Phoebe "Annie Oakley" Mozee, Jesse and Frank James and shootist Clay Allison, whose bullet holes can still be seen in the ceiling of the bar. Legend also has it that New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace wrote several chapters of "Ben Hur" while in residence at the St. James.
Train robber and horse rancher Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchem was a familiar sight at social dances in Red River City and LaBelle, a mining town located 12 miles north of Red River. He and his brother owned a horse ranch somewhere in the high country. His outlaw career was cut short by a hangman’s noose in Clayton, New Mexico.
The Modern West
There is also a resurgence of interest in the Western culture, both past and present. Don’t miss the Cowboy Evenings, presented by Bobcat Pass Adventure Company. Enjoy horseback rides, chuckwagon cowboy grub - steak, beans, dutch oven-baked biscuits - and cowboy singing around the campfire under the stars. You’ll never forget it!
The Red River Riding Club was organized in 1988 to promote the different aspects of the horse culture in the Red River area. They have traditionally sponsored and conducted trail rides, clinics, rodeos and a variety of events, all in the effort to see that the horse remains a part of a changing world.
The RRRC is responsible for reviving the sport of rodeo in the high country and will again conduct the annual Cowboy’s New Year Rodeo on July 8-9 at the Red River Rodeo Grounds on the East Moreno Ranch. The event is sponsored by the Red River Chamber of Commerce and is an unforgettable experience. Take the whole family and enjoy this grass-root American sport in the splendid setting of a gorgeous mountain valley.
The 2nd Annual Cowboy Classic, set for August 10-13, is a celebration of western life and cowboy culture through music, cowboy poetry, food and demonstrations. Entertainers will include singer Don Edwards who recently appeared in the Robert Redford movie, "The Horse Whisperers," Cowboy Poet Waddie Mitchell from Elko, Nevada, Cimarron’s Rod Taylor and cowboys from around the Southwest.
Hokey and noisy? Yes, and it has been entertaining families for over 40 years. The Bank Robbery and Shootout at Frye’s Old Town occurs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon at 4 pm. Historically accurate? Who cares: it’s fun.
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