Perched on a hillside, high above the banks of the Vermejo River, is the popular watering hole known simply as Cold Beer.
Cold Beer overlooks the site of the community of Colfax, a ghost town that never quite reached the potential that land developers had hoped for in the early 1900s.
Located on State Road 64 at the junction of two major railroads, the El Paso & Southern and the Rocky Mountain & Pacific, Colfax looked like a golden opportunity to land developers. Promoters had surveyors subdivide 140 acres into lots for the new town, with 40,000 nearby acres divided into 40-acre tracts for farming.
According to historian Fr. F. Stanley Crocchiola, the plat for the town of Colfax shows streets running north and south named Maxwell, Letts, Koehler, Johnson, Irwin, Harlan, Gillespie, French, Elkins, Douglas, Chase, Beaubien and Abbot. The streets running east and west were named Atlanta, Beaumont, Cimarron, Dawson, El Paso, Frankfort and Green. As the town grew other streets would follow — alphabetically.
With the opening of a post office in 1908, the future success of Colfax looked like a can’t-miss opportunity. Soon a two-story hotel opened; a school, church, merchandise store, and gas station quickly followed.
A modest community began to blossom along the banks of the Vermejo River, but lack of water became a problem. Then rising gas prices took a toll. The onset of the Great Depression was the final nail in the coffin. Residents soon began to migrate to the nearby successful communities of Dawson, Cimarron, Maxwell, Springer and Raton. The post office closed in 1921, and Colfax suffered a slow death until about 1933. All of the town structures have slowly deteriorated into nothing — only the Colfax Tavern (Cold Beer) still stands.
The last outpost
The Colfax Tavern has been in existence since 1929, when Narcifo Federici built the first tavern and named it the Pavilion.
Emma Rosso, daughter of Federici and a resident of Cimarron, noted, ”the building was a 200 x 200 square foot building and housed a dance hall/roller skating rink with a hardwood floor. Part of the building was a grocery store and a two-pump gas station. We had our living quarters in the back.”
Emma lived in the structure for nine years. Soon after Emma left it was sold, then sold again and again. Since then, the tavern burnt down and was rebuilt. Additions and deletions to the building eventually left the rustic structure that now overlooks the ghost town of Colfax.
Current proprietor and owner Roger Smith, looking out the front door to the majestic Sangre de Cristo mountain range, noted, “I looked at a lot of places before I decided to buy this place. You just can’t beat the view.”
Smith grew up in Philmont and attended Cimarron Schools through the seventh grade before moving to Texas, then California. Thirteen years ago Smith returned home to Cimarron to settle down. “I bought the tavern from Charlie Montoya when he called it the High Chaparral,” said Smith.
“I renamed it Cold Beer because it was a lot easier to remember.”
The tavern is open year round, seven days a week, unless Smith decides it’s time for a vacation.
Even then it’s usually open. “Actually, Christy Romero, from Maxwell, keeps the tavern open during weekdays and when I’m gone,” said Smith.
More than a bar
“We have a variety of people that stop by and get a good meal or cold drink. Most of the clientele are bikers, cowboys, Philmont staffers, and curious tourists.”
Smith noted that Cold Beer is famous worldwide. He displayed a photo album showing patrons wearing Cold Beer T-shirts next to the Great Wall of China, the Vatican and a peasant hut in the Ivory Coast, among numerous other locales. However, his favorite photo is that of Marines placing the Cold Beer T-shirt on Saddam Hussein’s throne in his palace in Baghdad.
The busiest time of the year is during the summer, when seasonal employees push the staff roster at nearby Philmont Scout Camp to 1,000, and 24,000 Boy Scouts and their supervisors head for the mountain trails that criss-cross the 137,000 acre ranch. It’s also the time when travelers head to the mountains, seeking pristine settings like the Valle Vidal or historic old western towns like Cimarron.
“We’re not just a bar, but a social club,” Smith said.
“We hold several special events throughout the year, especially in the summer months.”
Among the events is the annual Pasture Golf Classic that is now in its 12th season. A nine “barrel” course in the adjacent field serves as the course, and skilled golfers and hackers alike take to the challenge. The rules are basically the same as golf, except the ball is not hit in a hole, but rather hits a barrel. You may not have sand traps, but look out for fresh cow patties and gopher holes that not only swallow golf balls, but also unsuspecting golfers.
“We have had as many as 30 to 60 golfers challenge our course,” said Smith. “Everyone from serious golfers to first-timers have a blast.”
Aside from pasture golf, Cold Beer hosts numerous special events, including Jeopardy, wine tastings, beach parties, and ugly truck contests.
Summertime also brings local bands that take to the backyard stage and perform for anyone ready to swing. Only summer rainfall slows the folks who are cutting a rug.
In addition to the beverages, the tavern also serves pizza and entertains patrons with Spaghetti Monday, which as Smith proclaims is “the best $4.50 deal around.”
But for foodies, the big day is literally Fat Tuesday, which packs the house. “We pack the crowd in for shrimp and oysters, people have to work to get in — and of course some people have to work to get out,” laughed Smith. “It’s a very popular event.”
Despite the somewhat remote location of the tavern, Smith notes that he seldom has had any problems to speak of. Patrons traveling to and from Raton have been known to call him if they see anybody loitering in the vicinity during off hours.
As for problems that may arise during working hours, Smith noted, “I have Bubba, my stuffed gorilla, and my dogs, Sister and Elliott, to give moral support.”
The planned community of Colfax may have failed, but the Cold Beer Tavern continues to draw people from all walks of life for good food, a cold brew, entertaining events, and good conversation, courtesy of Roger Smith.
—Story & Photos by Leroy Chavez
