Chase Ranch

Chase Ranch
Owner Chase Ranch Foundation, run by Boy Scouts of America
Location Cimarron, New Mexico
Country United States
Coordinates 36°34′32″N 105°02′46″W / 36.57556°N 105.04611°W / 36.57556; -105.04611
Founded 1867
Founder Manly and Theresa Chase
Website
Philmont Scout Ranch

Chase Ranch Cimarron, New Mexico was founded in 1867 by Manly and Theresa Chase. As pioneers, from Wisconsin by way of Colorado, they crossed the Raton Pass in a covered wagon and establish a new home in New Mexico. Manly Chase purchased the land from Lucien Maxwell, part of the Maxwell Land Grant. The ranch is near the Ponil Creek, a mile north of the Cimarron River, not far from the Santa Fe Trail.[1] The Ranch included the old Kit Carson homestead. Before pioneers the land was near by was populated by Apaches and Ute people. Manly helped make the local Native Americans good neighbors, he provided them with beef.

Manly Chase (b. 1842) started with a sheep ranch. By 1875, he started raising cattle with Texas Longhorns and Corriente cattle. Hereford cattle were introduced onto the ranch in 1883. Manly also planted an apple orchard that continues today. Manly and Theresa Chase raised six children in their 14 room ranch house.

The Chase Ranch is famous for its heart-shaped brand and allegedly the Marlboro Man's place of origin. There is a much known about the Chase family as Manly Chase wrote more than 70 books of records, including several daily diaries that are now in the New Mexico State University Library.[2]

The Chase Ranch remained a family-owned ranch run by Chase descendants. This ended in August 2012, when Manly and Theresa's great-granddaughter Gretchen Sammis died. [3] After Gretchen’s death, ownership of the ranch changed to the Chase Ranch Foundation. Gretchen had created the foundation to preserve the 11,000-acre ranch and her family’s heritage. Gretchen Sammis owned and operated the ranch for 58 years. Long before her death in May 2001, she had drafted the Chase Ranch Foundation paperwork. She wanted the Chase Ranch to educate young people in ranching. She was secretary of the Cimarron School Board, a member of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and 2007 New Mexico Cattleman of the year. She was appointed to the New Mexico Soil and Water Conservation Commission, the agriculture advisory committee to the state land office, and the New Mexico Resource Advisory Council. [4][5] [6]

On October 21, 2013, the Chase Ranch Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America signed an agreement for Philmont Scout Ranch to keep the ranch running and to preserve historic structures, manage a Chase museum, to create and run educational programs through living history presentations of New Mexico and American Southwest history, and to run a working cattle ranch with Gretchen's favorite breed, herefords. Chase Ranch is adjacent to Philmont Scout Ranch. Beginning November 1, 2013, Philmont Scout Ranch will run the Chase Ranch. [7]

Chase Ranch is near New Mexico State Road 204, in the 87714 zip code and 575 area code

See also

References

  1. ↑ cimarronnm.com, Cimarron Area Ranches and the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge
  2. ↑ New Mexico State University Library, Chase Ranch Records
  3. ↑ obitsforlife.com Gretchen A. Sammis Obituary, Tuesday August 14, 2012
  4. ↑ journals arizona.edu, Rangelands, A Winning The Chase Ranch, by Gretchen Sammis October 1984, PDF file
  5. ↑ lyndalanker.com Gretchen Sammis painting
  6. ↑ KRTN Radio, Chase Ranch & Philmont Scout Ranch join forces, Photos of Chase family, Oct. 22, 2013
  7. ↑ Philmont Scout Ranch Chase Ranch, OCTOBER 21, 2013

External links


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