J.W. Burleson photo / Boquillas del Carmen, Coah.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Cimarron, New Mexico, Bob Dylan and Blind Willie McTell

 Not a lot going on in Cimarron, in northeastern New Mexico. Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west and the great plains to the east sprawling toward Texas. The St James Hotel is an intriguing building. I wonder why so many blues mention either the St James Hotel or the St James Infirmary? Dylan was gazing out the window of the St James Hotel in what is probably his best song, (so far)  Blind Willie McTell.

 The building below was the courthouse when Cimarron was the county seat of Colfax co., before 1882, when it was relocated to Springer. There was a range war here in 1870s. New Mexico was always messed up with competing land claims, Spanish, Mexican and American, with lots of history and with a tradition of indifferent surveying. Everyone had guns so things got violent. fast. The land was taken from the Indians then fought over by various clans of Americans.

 I think was must have been a flour or feed mill.




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