Mountain Monthly
Cloudcroft NM
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THE HISTORY OF LODGING IN CLOUDCROFT

By Arlan Ponder
     Lodging is a major part of the success of Cloudcroft and thanks to four establishments that have been here for almost a century the success doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.

Eagle Eyrie

    Built in 1897 by Major William H. Long of El Paso, Eagle Eyrie has maintained its charm and picturesque beauty despite some remodeling and added conveniences. The two-story manor, with intricate rustic detailing outside and rough bark-covered timber interior, is located at 509 Grand Ave.
    The earliest report of activity at the facility was reported in a July 16th, 1904, article in the Cloudcroft Silver Lining. The report stated Major Long and his daughter, Mrs. F. Grayson were once again occupying the house.
    Thieves vandalized the manor in 1903, stealing $500 worth of property, including expensive curtains, pictures and canned foods.
    The first thing everyone sees is the railing on the second floor veranda with the words “EAGLE” and “EYRIE” built into it using cut bark-covered branches. The massive stone fireplace, wide sweeping staircase and beamed ceiling reflects the style of a long-gone era.
    Two large balconies, which are shaded by spruce trees, invite visitors to sit for a while and enjoy the beautiful setting. Sleeping accommodations include one king room, two queen rooms, one dormer room with a queen sleeper sofa, a bunk bedroom and two queen sofa sleepers in the large family room — ultimately housing 16 people.
    In a 1983 letter to relatives, Herbert Given of El Paso reminisced about a stay in the summer of 1921. He described the house, including being able to see daylight in certain places between the logs that made-up the sides of the manor. He also noted the lighting was by kerosene lamps and the kitchen had a wood burning stove.
    Over the years the manor has had numerous owners, but current owners O.D. and Julianne Hadfield, who have owned the manor since the late 1990s, are actually attempting to restore the manor back to its original grandeur.
    “Every year we do quite a bit of work. We’re taking out any restoration that isn’t indicative of the early 1900s,” Julianne said. “We’ve removed the three layers of carpet and two layers of linoleum from the kitchen and have redone the floor. We’ve also redone the back porch, which is ideal for people with small children because it’s completely enclosed.”
    Hadfield said they want to keep the manor as family oriented as possible since that is who visits the manor the most.
    For more information on Eagle Eyrie, call 505-522-1787 or visit their Web site at www.cloudcroft.com/eagle.

The Pavilion

    One of the oldest and most prominent buildings in Cloudcroft is the Pavilion, located on the southwest corner of Chipmunk Avenue and Curlew Place, was first mention in an 1899 article in the Sacramento Chief. The Alamogordo Daily News reported the formal opening of the new summer resort in a June 22nd, 1899 story.
In the early days guests from El Paso would ride the train as far as Toboggan Canyon and then ride horse-drawn carriages the rest of the way to Cloudcroft.
    Originally described as “the peerless summer resort in the summit of the Rockies,” the Pavilion was the scene for a wide-range of social activities including dances, box suppers, concerts and community meetings. In 1912, a four-lane bowling alley was added and in 1915 moving pictures began being shown. The bowling alley is thought to be the first in the state and tickets to the movies sold for 10 cents.
    Also in 1915, the roof over the cafe area collapsed from the weight of a heavy snow. Disaster struck again in 1919, when a fire raced through the uninsured building. However, within a month plans were hatched to rebuild the Pavilion and in July 1920 the establishment was “roaring” again.
    Unfortunately, the jovial atmosphere wouldn’t last long and in August 1922, at precisely the same time as the 1919 fire, residents and visitors awoke to find the building once again in flames.
    By 1923, a new Pavilion had risen from the ashes of the old building and was reported to have been open for the summer trade. The new facility was modeled after the previous building with a cafe and sleeping quarters.
     Through the years, the Pavilion has seen its share of owners and names. Some of the more familiar ones include: The Cloudcroft Cafe and Lunch Counter, the Pavilion Inn Motel, Camp Canary and the Mason Jar Restaurant.
     In 1988, after major renovations, the establishment received its latest name, simply “The Pavilion.” The Pavilion currently serves as the bed and breakfast portion of The Lodge, with 10 rooms, each decorated in simple, rustic decor with knotty-wood pine walls, down-filled comforters and stone-laid fire places in some rooms. In addition to the rooms, there is a large meeting facility, which hosts many Cloudcroft events, and a common area for visitors to relax.
     “We try our best to preserve the historical aspects,” according to Lisa Thomassie, general manager of The Lodge.

The Lodge


    The original Cloudcroft Lodge was built in 1899 with the billing that it would become “one of the greatest summer resorts in the West.” The dining and kitchen areas of the two-story structure faced Possum Avenue (now US Highway 82) and the front of the building faced Chipmunk Avenue at the end of Wren Place.
     With a headline of “The Cloudcroft Lodge Gone Up In Smoke,” the June 19th, 1909, edition of the Cloudcroft Silver Lining announced the tragic news that the Lodge had succumb to fire.
     “The fire was doubtlessly caused by a defective flue as there was a good fire in the fireplace up to midnight, being Saturday night and the guests having been assembled around the fire having a good time,” the story stated.
     The overall feeling at the time was the fire was “the greatest loss Cloudcroft had ever experienced.” However by 1911, The Lodge was rebuilt at its current location on Corona Place and despite renovations and the addition of central heat and air, the facility has remained as it was when it entertained the likes of Judy Garland, Gilbert Roland, Clark Gable, Pancho Villa and most-recently Sam Donaldson and New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.
     In the 1930s the resort was managed by Conrad Hilton, who was born and raised in San Antonio, New Mexico. According to reports, Hilton was familiar with The Lodge and wanted to be closer to his family, while his own hotel chain slowly began its climb to prominence.
     The Lodge’s 47 rooms are decorated with a unique Victorian flair with many antiques, as well as modern amenities to make the stay a truly “unique” one.

     “This magnificent monument to a vanished age possesses a quality unlike any other mountain resort in the West,” Thomassie said. “The Lodge’s restaurant, named after its resident ghost, Rebecca, serves some of the finest Southwestern and continental cuisine.”
     The Lodge also features seasonal activities including golf on one of the world’s tallest course at 9,000 feet, mountain biking or hiking on trails in the Lincoln National Forest and inner-tubing, cross-country skiing or snowmobiling when the snow permits.
     In 1992, The Lodge was once again purchased by the Great Inns of the Rockies, Inc., a small privately held corporation that aspires to own and operate small resort hotels and country inns in the Rocky Mountain Region. The company previously owned The Lodge from 1986 to 1990, according to Thomassie.
     For more information on The Lodge, call 1-800-395-6343 or visit their Web site at www.thelodgeresort.com.

The Texas Hotel

    The two-story white building at the northeast corner of Burro Avenue and Mescalero Place is one of Cloudcroft’s oldest landmarks and is probably best known as “The Texas Hotel.”
Originally built in 1899 and known as “The Virginia,” the hotel was designed to compete for tourists who finished the trip to Cloudcroft from Toboggan Canyon by stage.
     The first mention of the hotel in local newspapers was in May 1902 when reports indicated there were “extensive improvements and new buildings” being added. On May 28th, 1904, the Cloudcroft Silver Lining reported that Perry Kearney had purchased the hotel and planned even more renovations to make it “the best furnished and neatest in town.”
     An ad for sale of the hotel was placed by Kearney in May 1906. It offered a main building with 18 rooms and two cottages — one with six rooms and one with four rooms — all on three lots. The asking price — $3,000 - half in cash and the balance on time.
     The name was changed in 1911 from “Virginia” to “Texas” by then-owner Gustave and Anna Breckheimer of Marshall, Texas. At that time, one of the cottages was torn down for materials to build a house in Alamogordo and a second cottage burned down in 1915. Anna, or Annie as she was known, opened a small restaurant in the two-room cottage to the east of the hotel and arranged for his sister, Kate Smith, to operate it.
     According to George Bernhardt, Smith’s grandson, there were 22 rooms in the main building and cottages with one bathroom and two toilets — one for women and one for men. Baths cost 25 cents and notice had to be given in advance for hot water.
     Smith purchased the hotel from her sister in 1924 and operated it until she died in 1938 — just as the economy was starting to pull out of the Great Depression.
     The present owner, Margaret Wall, purchased the property in 1982 and opened Mar & Mar Colliques. The second floor area was remodeled down to 12 rooms, but still retained the original skylight and hallway of the old hotel.
     “On a clear day you can see about four different mountain ranges. You can see Sierra Blanca over that way and you can see the other mountains out that way,” Wall said as she finished-up “winterizing” one of the doors on the historic hotel. “I have the best view in the whole Village.”
     Wall said she has closed her business after 20 years, but she still gets people who stop by and talk to her about the old hotel.
     “I always have people stop by that tell me about their grandparents spending their honeymoon up here or how they spent a day or two here,” she said. “I even heard a story once from a lady that said she was born upstairs.”
     Wall said there is a lot of history in the Village that some of the new residents don’t know. She also said she is excited to see the Village growing — some for the good and some she wasn't sure about — but one thing is for sure lodging will continue to be important to the Village and its visitors for some time to come.