St. James Hotel - Cimarron, New Mexico

When Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States, Henry Lambert served as his personal chef.  When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Henry found himself out of a job.  He eventually decided he would travel out west and try his luck at finding some of the gold that there was so much talk about.  After not having much luck with striking it rich, Henry decided to try what he knew best and opened up a hotel featuring a restaurant and saloon in Cimarron, New Mexico.  Henry of course would never know that his place would become one of the most haunted places in New Mexico.

Haunted St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico

Henry's place was known as the Lambert Inn and grew to 43 rooms over the years which saw the likes of Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Kit Carson, Doc Holliday, Black Jack Ketchum, Bat Masterson, Clay Allison as well as numerous other well known names of the wild west.  Cimarron is located along the Sante Fe Trail and The Lambert Inn soon became a favorite place for travelers to stay and given the lawless nature of the west back then, also became a favorite place for killing.  The Lambert saw over 25 murders take place within it's walls. 

Henry Lambert passed away in 1913. His wife, Mary Elizabeth, kept the hotel going, but in 1926 she too passed away in one of the hotel's rooms that she stayed in, room 17. The Lambert's sons assumed management of the place for a while.  Fred Lambert was also the town's sheriff for a good number of years.  He was actually taught to use a gun by Buffalo Bill.  It is said that Buffalo Bill met Annie Oakley in The Lambert Inn and would eventually run Bill's wild west show together.  Over the years the hotel passed from owner to owner, sitting vacant a good portion of the time and slowly falling into disrepair.  Eventually the hotel was restored to it's original state and opened as the St. James Hotel in 1985.

Over the years there have been many reports of paranormal activity in the St. James Hotel.  In addition to cold spots, orange glowing balls of light and strange feelings especially when upstairs, some have claimed to the the reflection of cowboys in the bar mirror only to turn and find no one there.  There is also the occasional sound and sometimes sights of a poker game played by ghosts going on in the poker room.  Although the hotel is a smoke-free hotel, occasionally the aroma of cigar smoke can be smelled in the building.

Some of the ghosts who haunt the St. James have taken up residence, or have never left in the case of Mary Elizabeth Lambert.  Tapping noises can be heard coming from room 17 where Mary lived and died.  There have been sightings of a full bodied apparition of a woman just outside of room 17 in the hallway. Folks staying in the room have reported eerie feelings as if they were not alone and some have smelled rose scented perfume which was Mary's favorite.

Room 17 at the St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico is said to be haunted by Mary Elizabeth Lambert, the wife of a former owner.

And then there is room 18 said to be haunted by Thomas James Wright.  In the late 1800s, Wright was in a poker game and apparently won the rights to the hotel.  After he went up to room 18, the room he was staying in at the time, he was shot in the back.  He died right there on the spot. Many have said his spirit is so restless that the hotel owners have locked the door to room 18, barring anyone from entering let alone stay there overnight.

Ghost of the Guney - Laguna Vista Saloon - Eagle Nest, New Mexico

In Therma, New Mexico around 1889, a saloon called El Monte was built.  Supposedly, it was constructed out of stolen railroad ties.  The El Monte was a busy place during the 20s and 30s serving as an illegal gambling establishment for those stopping over on the way to the race track in Raton, staying at the lodge and getting some time in on the gambling tables.  The nearby Eagle Nest Lake was also an attraction and allowed Therma to provide ice to those who needed it when it froze over in the winter. Many ice houses sprung up in town including some at the El Monte.

The El Monte Saloon circa 1920s

It was during Therma's heyday that a couple who were just married decided to spend their honeymoon in Therma and stayed at the El Monte.  One day during their visit, the groom left his bride at the lodge to go hunting.  He never returned.  The bride with no one to support her became destitute and was forced to work at the saloon to survive.  She stayed there in Therma at the saloon for the remainder of her life.  And then some...  Perhaps, in the hopes that one day her husband would return.

Northern part of Eagle Nest Lake, New Mexico

The hotel still stands today and you can even see the rail road ties in one of the rooms in the old part of the hotel.  However, a lot of things have changed since then including the name of the town and the name of the hotel.  The hotel/restaurant is now the Laguna Vista Saloon which was enlarged and the town is now known as Eagle Nest.  One thing has not changed however, the destitute bride is still there.

This strip of buildings in Eagle Nest, New Mexico is home of the Laguna Vista Saloon

There have been reports by various saloon employees of encounters with a woman dressed in early 1900s dance hall attire seen passing through the saloon area.  This ghostly woman would disappear in an area of the saloon that used to lead to the upstairs.  It is now blocked off and the stairway is hidden.  This phantom has become known as "the ghost of Guney".  "Guney" is now the saloon's nickname.  It seems that the ghost enjoys playing piano in the evenings as well.  Piano music can be heard playing in the dining area only there is nobody there when investigated.  

Shown is the area of the Laguna Vista Saloon where the "Ghost of the Guney" disappears, a hidden stair case.

Other strange activities take place at the Laguna Vista such as various poltergeist encounters.  Employees have found that the ghost's taste in music is not the same as theirs.  Stations on the radios get randomly changed or turned off.  A radio with no batteries was unplugged once and it continued to play on its own!  In the kitchen, pots and pans have been known to randomly fall off the walls as well as other objects in the building.  Once a little girl claimed to her mother that a lady was telling her to be quiet.  When the girl led her mother to where the lady was, no one was there.  However the little girl pointed to an empty corner and exclaimed "That lady right there".  She had seen the Ghost of the Guney!

The Laguna Vista Saloon in Eagle Nest, New Mexico today