The ranch was full of mining camps and cattle ranchers, yet its population never exceeded 600 people. That was Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron in the early 1900s.
This is Philmont now: more than 22,000 tourists and Boy Scouts visit each summer.
Philmont was purchased in 1925 by Waite Phillips, and was used for many years for pasturing cattle and other ranch activities. According to local legend, Phillips was a very good man. Whenever someone needed a job he gave one; if someone needed money, he donated. He provided many jobs for the townspeople through his year-round cattle, sheep, and train operations. As the years passed, Phillips, who made his fortune in real estate and banking, donated his ranch in portions; by 1941 he had donated 127,000 acres to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). In 1963 BSA purchased the Baldy Mountain mining area, enlarging the ranch to approximately 137,000 acres — an astounding 214 square miles. Now many tourists and Scouts visit this astonishing place every year.
A western wonderland
The ranch is full of wonders in a part of New Mexico not many people come to appreciate enough. There are many attractions for everyone to experience here, and you do not have to be a Boy Scout to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. One of the main attractions is the tour of Villa Philmonte, where the Phillips family lived and worked. The mansion in which they lived sits at the base camp and is a thing of beauty.
According to Mark Anderson, the Director of Programs at the camping office, Villa Philmonte receives about 19,000 visitors throughout the summer. He said, “The tour of the Villa Philmonte gives people a chance to see how the Phillips family lived and worked.” In the summer, tours are available every half hour, seven days a week, beginning at 8 a.m. They are closed during the lunch hour. Philmont asks for a five dollar donation for the tour.
An ecumenical community
In addition to touring the Villa, tourists who are not Scouts can participate in the various religious services that come to life at Philmont Scout Ranch over the summer. Because Boy Scouts come from various religious persuasions, Philmont tries to incorporate all the different religions and denominations. Philmont has a wide range of churches, from Protestant Christian churches to the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Philmont also has a synagogue at the base camp.
These churches aren’t traditional buildings; instead they are purpose-built structures at various locations at the base camp.
“Philmont has chaplains who provide Sunday services beginning in the middle of June through the second week of August,“ said Robin Taylor, librarian of the Seton Museum
Anderson said, “The ministers bring their own personality to the services. They bring life experiences and counseling. They all have different characteristics and it makes the services exciting.”
Philmont allows the public to attend any of the services. The schedule of services is posted at the training center.
Something for everyone
Philmont has been a Boy Scout and tourist attraction for many years. So much history has been made there, and many people have left with a mind full of memories. Is there any better way to grasp this true history and knowledge of the Philmont Scout Ranch than by visiting the Philmont Museum, also known as the Seton Museum? The Seton Museum has been in operation for about 41 years now, and has had countless visitors.
The museum was built because the BSA received the collections of Ernst Thompson Seton, who was the founder of the museum. Seton was a naturalist who studied animals in the wild for many years. Ernst was also an artist who painted wildlife. Seton traveled to many places, experiencing the outdoors and learning about different animals and their habitats. The museum consists of Seton’s collection of artwork, books, and Native American artifacts.
The Seton Museum is open to everyone. There is no admission fee. Although it does not give tours, it has many exhibits that are open to view and study. The museum also includes a great selection of books by Seton, and many other collections of books. Steve Zimmer, a long-time veteran of Philmont who worked at the Seton Museum for over 20 years, stated, “Through all my years there, not much has changed. They still have the educational exhibits, the great books, and the good staff.” Museum hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays in the summer.
The staff at the museum consists of a director, librarian, sales clerk, and even a curator. Together these staff members update and regulate the exhibits, keep the museum clean and vibrant, and even maintain the grounds.
Today the director of the Seton Museum is Seth McFarland. McFarland controls the flow of the museum and keeps the museum updated with new exhibits and merchandise. The museum has a variety of great merchandise that can be purchased. There is Native American jewelry, blankets and rugs, and even Native American pottery. Many items are purchased from the museum by people from all over the country.
The far side of Philmont
Even if you are not a Boy Scout but love museums and love to shop, Philmont has even more to offer. The Kit Carson Museum in Rayado is open seven days a week in the summer. Rayado is a fun drive, about six miles from Philmont Headquarters. According to Taylor, the staffers are costumed in frontier dress and have black powder rifle shows for the public. There is an old time shop where you can purchase Nineteenth Century-style merchandise.
Finally, Philmont Headquarters is home to Tooth of Time Traders, which offers outdoor gear, camping equipment, name brand outdoor clothing, and Philmont souvenirs.
Traders is open to the public, and actually gives a ten percent discount to locals (which includes people from Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Red River, Cimarron, and Raton). It’s open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, September through May. In the summer, it is open seven days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Board director Shelly O’Neill said, “We want to be the outfitter for the community. Even if we don’t have an item in stock that you need, I can order it.”
—Story by Chris Heck, Amber Weaver, and Marshall Zimmer
Cimarron High School Journalism students
