Santa Fe Ring
35-573: Franklin J. Tolby † Robert Clay Allison The Colfax County War was a range war that occurred from 1873 to 1888 between settlers and the new owners of the Maxwell Land Grant in Colfax County , in the U.S. state of New Mexico . The war started when the new landowners tried to remove the local settlers from the land they had just bought. The locals refused to leave, as they had settled much of their livelihood in
70-479: A card game, and also implicated in the suspected murder of another soldier on June 1. They were said to have been blackmailed in exchange for dropping the charges the family would have faced. With his family's reputation of violence and betrayal, Vega was an easy prime suspect and soon the townspeople, led by notorious gunfighter and advocate of the settlers Robert Clay Allison , formed a mob to hunt him down. After apprehending Cruz Vega, they tortured and hanged him by
105-467: A group of influential lawyers and politicians who controlled many Western states. The settlers did not like the incursion of the soldiers on to the land, and this caused a great deal of violence between the factions. Buffalo soldiers of the 9th U.S. Cavalry were among the units sent, and on one occasion, some of them had a shootout with a group of Texas cowboys in the St. James Hotel. Three soldiers died during
140-399: A pole. The Vega family mourned Cruz's death, and his uncle Francisco swore to avenge him by killing Allison. On November 1, Griego managed to trap and confront Allison in the saloon of the St. James Hotel. As Griego drew his pistol, Allison drew faster and shot Griego twice in the chest, killing him. Days later, Allison was charged with the murder but after an inquiry, the charge was dropped and
175-595: A shootout with company enforcers near his ranch in Stonewall, Colorado, in 1888. Killed in action Killed in action ( KIA ) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense , for example, says that those declared KIA did not need to have fired their weapons, but only to have been killed due to hostile attack. KIAs include those killed by friendly fire in
210-569: Is also used for combat related casualties which occur after medical evacuation. PKIA means presumed killed in action . This term is used when personnel are lost in battle, initially listed missing in action (MIA), but after not being found, are later presumed to have not survived. This is typical of naval battles or engagements on other hostile environments where recovering bodies is difficult. A very large number of soldiers killed in action went unidentified in World War I , like John Kipling ,
245-545: Is the Palisades Sill , with high cliffs surrounding the Cimarron River . Cimarron has a borderline cool semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk ) closely bordering on a subtropical highland climate , with summers featuring cool nights and warm days with frequent thunderstorms, and cold winters with occasional heavy snowfall. The lowest temperature recorded in the town was −35 °F (−37 °C). According to
280-868: The Boy Scouts of America . Philmont is located just four miles south of Cimarron. Other ranches also include the Chase Ranch (famous for its heart-shaped brand and allegedly the Marlboro Man 's place of origin), Ted Turner 's Vermejo Park Ranch , the CS Ranch, the Express UU Bar Ranch (formerly the property of Waite Phillips ), and the Clearview Ranch of the western singer/songwriter R.W. Hampton , as well as numerous other small ranches. The Elliott Barker State Wildlife Area,
315-498: The United States Census Bureau , the village of Cimarron has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km ), all land. As of the census of 2010, there were 1021 people, 382 households, and 255 families residing in the village. The population density was 479.5 inhabitants per square mile (185.1/km ). There were 449 housing units at an average density of 234.8 per square mile (90.7/km ). The racial makeup of
350-697: The Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest , and Cimarron Canyon State Park ., are also located within the Cimarron area. 17 miles and 28 miles to the northeast is Dawson, New Mexico , a ghost town with a population of over 9,000 near the early 20th century, and the Raton Municipal Airport , respectively. The village is a pioneer of the four-day school week (Monday–Thursday), which it originally implemented in
385-611: The Colfax County War. Soon the conflict started to dwindle down between the leaders of each party. Clay Allison was arrested in late 1876 by posse consisting of a sheriff, a captain and lieutenant with 45 U.S. cavalrymen. He later left the county in December of that year. The English owners of the Maxwell Land Grant Company foreclosed on the land by 1879, and the company was purchased by new owners from
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#1732790738814420-669: The Continental Tie and Lumber Company, located in Cimarron, NM, who made railroad ties and timber supports for nearby coal mines. Cimarron continues to thrive, in part due to its proximity to Philmont Scout Ranch , as well as summer tourism. As a tribute to many dedicated crew members, the USS Cimarron's key artifacts were donated to Cimarron, since it is the closest village to the Cimarron River Basin's Headwaters. The ship's bell now stands in front of
455-607: The Netherlands. Finally, in 1885, the lawn of the Colfax County Courthouse was the site of one of the last gun battles of the Colfax County War. A group led by George Curry was assaulted by a group of sheriff's deputies on the courthouse lawn. Curry's brother and one of his followers were killed in the gun battle. Curry pleaded guilty to unlawfully carrying firearms and was fined five dollars. The Dutch owners also faced financial instability and were sued by
490-649: The United States at the end of the Mexican–American War , an American pioneer named Lucien B. Maxwell moved to the area, married Beaubien's daughter, and became a part owner and manager of the vast land grant. Over the following decades, many more pioneer families arrived in the area, which was conveniently situated along branches of the Santa Fe Trail . Maxwell was very lenient to visiting settlers, allowing pioneers to settle and ranch on land within
525-601: The United States government in the early 1880s for making claims on land within the public domain in Colorado. On March 8, 1887, the company finally sent its plea to the United States Supreme Court . In its ruling five weeks later, the court confirmed the company's ownership of the land when it concluded “We are entirely satisfied that the Grant, as confirmed by the action of Congress, is a valid grant, that
560-485: The area, and animosity quickly developed between the two sides. Property developers working for the company complained that miners and farmers, who they believed were squatters , were disturbing and even harassing their work, presenting various obstacles to the company's production. Many of these settlers were white, Spanish, and Native American people who believed that the land was in the public domain or felt that they had been given Maxwell's unwritten permission to live on
595-500: The early 1970s, during a time of rising fuel and utility prices. Cimarron is home to the 1979 New Mexico High School Boys Basketball State Championship team. Cimarron is located on the land of what became known as the 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km ) Maxwell Land Grant . In 1842, Lucien B. Maxwell , a fur trapper, came to the Beaubien-Miranda Ranch in northern New Mexico and courted and married Luz Beaubien, one of
630-681: The eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains . The population was 792 at the 2020 census , making it the fourth most populous municipality in Colfax County. Cimarron sits on the Cimarron River , a tributary of the 900 mile-long Canadian River , whose headwaters are at the Eagle Nest Dam , with the main part of town lying along U.S. Route 64 . The village is surrounded on all sides by numerous ranches, including Philmont Scout Ranch , an extensive "high-adventure base" operated by
665-468: The grant, letting Ute and Jicarilla Indians to hunt game in the area, and even leasing claims on minerals to miners. In 1870, Maxwell sold the grant to a group of English financiers for a reported price of $ 1.35 million. The new owners formed the Maxwell Land Grant and Railway Company. Their arrival and purchase of the land immediately spurred controversy among the people already living in
700-459: The grant, which resulted in conflict and violence in 1875. The disputed territory began as a land grant from the Mexican provincial governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México to Charles H. Beaubien and Guadalupe Miranda in 1841, which included large portions of what is now Colfax County in northern New Mexico and Las Animas County in southern Colorado . In 1849, after the region was ceded to
735-472: The grant. A large meeting between the settlers occurred on March 30, 1873, in which they agreed to arm themselves to protect their homes and property if necessary. The event that triggered much of the war, was the murder of Reverend Franklin J. Tolby, a staunch ally of the settlers and squatters opposing the Maxwell Land Grant Company. He was found murdered in Cimarron Canyon on September 14, 1875. It
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#1732790738814770-413: The midst of combat, but not from incidents such as accidental vehicle crashes, murder or other non-hostile events or terrorism . KIA can be applied both to front-line combat troops and to naval, air and support troops. Furthermore, the term died of wounds ( DOW ) is used to denote personnel who reached a medical treatment facility before dying. The category died of wounds received in action ( DWRIA )
805-618: The owner's six daughters. He eventually inherited the ranch and built a mansion in 1858 on the future town site. Maxwell built the Aztec Mill in 1864. It is preserved as the Old Mill Museum, operated by the Cimarron Historical Society. The museum's collection includes working mill parts; Native American tools, weapons and pottery; Maxwell Land Grant paperwork and documents; and other materials. Cimarron
840-495: The peace, the attorney general of the New Mexico Territory , under directions from Governor Marsh Giddings , requested federal troops from Fort Union to help Sheriff Isaiah Rinehart restore order at Cimarron. No troops were sent at that time, but troubles continued at Cimarron that eventually required military intervention. The Maxwell Land Grant and Railway Company was also allied with the powerful Santa Fe Ring ,
875-410: The shooting was ruled as self-defense. Allison had also killed another gunman by the name of Chunk Colbert in Colfax County the previous year. Company gang members retaliated by conducting night-time raids on the settlers, destroying their property as well as murdering those who fought back. Because of the presence of a large lawless element at Cimarron and the inability of local authorities to keep
910-413: The shootout and a few months later one of the cowboys, Davy Crockett , who was involved, was killed by the local sheriffs. Clay Allison himself shot and killed a black sergeant in a bar where he was drinking. A man named Cardenas eventually confessed to the murder of Tolby, and he was subsequently hanged by a group of 20 gunmen on November 10. It has been estimated that as many as 200 people were killed in
945-550: The son of British poet Rudyard Kipling , prompting the formation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission . NATO defines killed in action or a battle casualty as a combatant who is killed outright or who dies as a result of wounds or other injuries before reaching a medical treatment facility or help from fellow comrades. Cimarron, New Mexico Cimarron is a village in Colfax County , New Mexico , United States, which sits on
980-407: The survey and the patent issued upon it are entirely free from any fraud.” Some of the settlers left the land but many manage to settle with the company. The conflict calmed down between some of the settlers who were allowed to remain and the land owners who won over the property. However, some were still being evicted as late as 1894. One of the last victims of the war, Richard Russell, was killed in
1015-456: The tracks were removed, with the steel to be recycled to help with the shortage during the war effort. Soon after the tracks were laid through town, tracks were also laid 22 miles up Ponil Canyon by the Cimarron and Northwestern Railway Company , to haul timber from the surrounding mountains, which were loaded with douglas fir and ponderosa pine . The railroad company delivered its timber to
1050-545: The village was 77.54% White , 0.11% African American , 1.09% Native American , 0.11% Asian , 17.23% from other races , and 3.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 58.89% of the population. There were 382 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who
1085-670: The village's high school, Cimarron High School. Cimarron is located in west-central Colfax County on the north bank of the Cimarron River, where it emerges from the Cimarron Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains . U.S. Route 64 passes through the village, leading west up the Cimarron Canyon 23 miles (37 km) to Eagle Nest and northeast 40 miles (64 km) to Raton , the Colfax County seat. New Mexico State Road 58 leads east from Cimarron 19 miles (31 km) to Interstate 25 , north of Springer . West of Cimarron
Colfax County War - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-454: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.89. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males. The median income for
1155-536: Was during this time that Lucien Maxwell, due to rising tensions, sold the Maxwell Land Grant to a group of investors, with the resultant Colfax County War in which more than two hundred people were killed. In 1905, the St. Louis, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Railway Co. laid tracks from Raton to Ute Park , with the intent to haul coal between Raton and Cimarron. Passengers used the daily train service, as well as ranchers who moved agricultural animals. During World War II ,
1190-597: Was officially chartered in 1859 and was named for the Spanish word used to describe a mustang , meaning "wild" or "unbroken". Cimarron was the county seat of Colfax County beginning in 1872, when it replaced Elizabethtown . At that time, Cimarron was a stage stop on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail . In 1881, the county seat was moved to Springer , a town on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway . It
1225-495: Was quickly assumed that someone from the company was responsible, and the blame was pinned on a gunman named Cruz Vega. Vega and his family were originally sided with the Hispanic settlers in the area, and his uncle, Francisco Griego, was one of the leaders among the Hispanic people during the conflict. However, they soon shifted sides when Griego and his family were faced with charges of killing three cavalry men in an altercation in
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