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Clifton House Site
Santa Fe Trail, Raton,
NM,
USA
Latitude & Longitude:
36° 48' 57.3588",
-104° 27' 17.3952"
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New Mexico State
Historical Marker
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Listed in the National Register of Historic Places |
Just west of here at the Canadian River crossing was the popular overnight stage stop on the Old Santa Fe Trail. Clifton House was built in 1867 by rancher Tom Stockton and served as headquarters for cattle roundups. After abandonment of the Santa Fe Trail in 1879, it fell into disuse and burned.
| StoppingPoints.com Editorial on Clifton House Site: | The two-story building was made of adobe, and had a raised half-story basement. There was a veranda supported by Doric posts along the front and sides of the building, which created a promenade balcony on the second floor. Inside there were washbasins in the front hall. Other features included a large parlor, sleeping rooms with fire places, and a high-ceilinged dining room.
The Clifton House was a stop on the Barlow and Sanderson Stage Line, and it employed cooks and waiters to take care of the guests. Eventually, Clifton House feautured a trading post, blacksmith shop, and a post office. The area around the hotel grew into a settlement known as Clifton. For a brief period of time, Clifton House was the headquarters for the English company that purchased the Maxwell Land Grant from Lucien B. Maxwell in 1870.
On January 6, 1874, the Clifton House was the site of a gun fight between two gunfighters Clay Allison and Chunk Colbert, in which Colbert was killed. Previously, the local sheriff accidentally killed a waiter at the hotel while trying to apprehend Colbert.
The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad arrived in Otero, two miles to the north in March 1879, and stage service on the Santa Fe Trail ceased. The Clifton House was quickly abandoned, and the building was destroyed by an arsonist in 1885. |
Last updated: 10/15/2009 18:56:36 |
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Image Gallery
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Clifton House Site Historical Marker Location Map, Raton, New Mexico
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