Vermejo Park Ranch, Vermejo Ranch, or Vermejo, is a
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
and guest operation in northeastern
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
and southern
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
. Ted Turner Reserves, the luxury hospitality company founded by
Ted Turner
Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...
, includes conservation research and ecosystem restoration along with guest operations. The reserve, which stretches from the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
at an elevation of to the summit of the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...
, reaches an elevation of . The property produces significant quantities of
coalbed methane
''Coalbed methane'' (CBM or coal-bed methane), coalbed gas, or coal seam gas (CSG) is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds. In recent decades it has become an important source of energy in United States, Canada, Australia, and other co ...
, a type of natural gas.
History
Vermejo Park was originally part of the
Maxwell Land Grant
The Maxwell Land Grant, also known as the Beaubien-Miranda Land Grant, was a Land grants in New Mexico and Colorado, Mexican land grant in Colfax County, New Mexico, and part of adjoining Las Animas County, Colorado. This 1841 land grant wa ...
. After Vermejo Park went through several owners in the late-19th century, William H. Bartlett (1850–1918) of
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
bought from the Maxwell Land Grant Company in 1902. Under the agreement, he withheld part of the last payment until the Maxwell Land Grant Company evicted the last of the Hispanic "squatters" who had lived for many years along the Vermejo River. He hired close friend and Chicago architect, Joseph Lyman Silsbee to help him make improvements, including three large residences (including the main Casa Grande) and a power plant. He re-introduced elk to the park and built and stocked several lakes with trout. He expanded the property to .
Bartlett died at the ranch in 1918 and his sons, who had managed the ranch, died within two years.
A syndicate of New York, St. Louis, and Chicago businessmen took an option to buy the property and organized the Vermejo Park Club, selling memberships to Tex Austin,
Billy Mitchell
William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who had a major role in the creation of the United States Air Force.
Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, ...
Frederick Guest
Frederick Edward Guest, (14 June 1875 – 28 April 1937) was a British politician best known for being Chief Whip of Prime Minister David Lloyd George's Coalition Liberal Party, 1917–1921. He was also Secretary of State for Air between 192 ...
family. A member of the Guest family shot an elk which at the time was the ninth largest in the world; it is now on display at the Museum of Natural History in New York. The syndicate, however, was unable to raise the US$1.8 million asking price and the original club was disbanded.
In 1926, ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' baron Harry Chandler bought the property from Bartlett. In 1927 Chandler and his investors opened a new Vermejo Park Club attracting
Will Rogers
William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...
,
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...
,
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...
,
Mary Pickford
Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...
. The club was disbanded during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, today bison ranching operations continue.
W. J. Gourley, a Fort Worth businessman, began buying property in the Vermejo Park area in 1945 and increased its area to . He used the ranch for recreation as well as cattle ranching. On December 23, 1955, the large middle guest house burned and the stables were renovated to become the property's main social and dining area now called "The Stables".
Gourley died in 1970 and
Pennzoil
Pennzoil is an American motor oil brand currently owned by Shell plc. The former Pennzoil Company had been established in 1913 in Pennsylvania, being active in business as an independent firm until it was acquired by Shell in 2002, becoming a bra ...
bought the property from his estate in 1973 for US$26.5 million and increased its area to . Pennzoil continued cattle ranching and expanded the facilities for guests. In 1996 Ted Turner purchased the property from Pennzoil, put emphasis on managing wildlife. He used much of the former cattle pasturage for bison, traditionally called buffalo in North America. Ralphie V, the mascot of the
Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado Boulder. The university sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden ...
, was born there. After living there for awhile, he decided to open it to paying guests.
Coal, natural gas, and oil
Vermejo has large hydrocarbon resources estimated to consist of a 300-year reserve of
bituminous coal
Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the coal seam, ...
, trillions of
cubic feet
The cubic foot (symbol ft3 or cu ft) , . is an natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
and unknown quantities of oil.
Coal mining on land later belonging to Vermejo began by 1880. Seven coal mining settlements and mines were established on the ranch: Blossburg, Brilliant, Tin Pan Canyon, and Swastiks in Dillon Canyon and Gardiner, Koehler, and Waldron canyon nearby. All were located at the lower elevations on the ranch between and elevation. The coal mines employed 3,563 miners in 1911. These miners consisted primarily of local Hispanic workers and many recent immigrants to the United States, especially from
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. Other coal mines were located just outside the boundaries of Vermejo, notably at
Dawson, New Mexico
Dawson (also Mountview) is a ghost town in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. Dawson is located approximately northeast of Cimarron, and was the site of two separate coal mining disasters in 1913 and 1923. In 1950, the mines were close ...
where in 1913, 263 miners were killed in the worst mining disaster ever to happen in the United States. Coal production slowly declined to insignificant levels and ceased altogether in 2002 due to the high cost of coal extraction. Land polluted or disturbed by the coal mining is still being reclaimed.
When Pennzoil sold the property to Turner in 1996, it retained mineral rights. Turner, however, was able to impose upon the company strict environmental controls for natural gas extraction. In 1999 Pennzoil sold its mineral rights to El Paso Natural Gas. By 2011, there were 970 natural gas wells on the property, 840 of them in New Mexico and 130 in Colorado. Although touting the coalbed methane production at Vermejo, as environmentally friendly, El Paso Natural Gas ran into public opposition when it attempted to exploit natural gas resources in the neighboring publicly owned area of Valle Vidal. In 2007, Congress withdrew the 101,794 acres of Valle Vidal from energy development and mining.
Description and geography
Vermejo, just west of the city of Raton, is the biggest component of Turner's ranch empire of that consistently keeps him in the top ten of private landowners in the United States. It lies mostly in western
Colfax County, New Mexico
Colfax County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,387. Its county seat is Raton. It is south from the Colorado state line. This county was named for Schuyler Colfax (18231885), seventee ...
, but smaller portions extend into northeastern
Taos County, New Mexico
Taos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,489. Its county seat is Taos. The county was formed in 1852 as one of the original nine counties in New Mexico Territory.
Taos County com ...
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Maxwell, New Mexico to Big Costilla Peak which rises to on the western boundary of the reserve and the border between New Mexico and Colorado. Most of the reserve consists of the Park Plateau, part of the Raton Basin, a much dissected tableland with elevations from to about . The westernmost extension of Vermejo is in the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...
with elevations from to above timberline. An eight-mile long, north-south ridge with four summits above including Big Costilla Peak form the western boundary.
Most of Vermejo is drained by the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
. A small portion in the western part of the ranch, the East Fork of Costilla Creek, drains into the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
. Costilla Reservoir is on the East Fork of Costilla Creek. About 20 lakes, both natural and artificial, are scattered around the higher elevations.
Vegetation and climate
Vermejo, has the typical
life zone
The life zone concept was developed by C. Hart Merriam in 1889 as a means of describing areas with similar plant and animal communities. Merriam observed that the changes in these communities with an increase in latitude at a constant elevation a ...
s of the southern
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
. Below Great Plains grassland and
steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the tropical and subtropica ...
vegetation is dominant. From to
Piñon pine
The pinyon or piñon pine group grows in southwestern North America, especially in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah, with the single-leaf pinyon pine just reaching into southern Idaho. The trees yield edible nuts, which are a staple food ...
-
juniper
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...
woodland is common, especially on south facing slopes.
Ponderosa pine
''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...
forests are found between and elevations. A mixed conifer forest, consisting mostly of
Douglas fir
The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...
,
white fir
''Abies concolor'', the white fir, concolor fir, or Colorado fir, is a coniferous tree in the pine family Pinaceae. This tree is native to the mountains of western North America, including the Sierra Nevada and southern Rocky Mountains, and int ...
, and ponderosa pine, is found between the elevations of and . Between elevations of and is a subalpine conifer forest consisting mostly of
Engelmann spruce
''Picea engelmannii'', with the common names Engelmann spruce, white spruce, mountain spruce, and silver spruce, is a species of spruce native to western North America. It is highly prized for producing distinctive tone wood for acoustic guitars ...
limber pine
''Pinus flexilis'', the limber pine, is a species of pine tree in the family Pinaceae that occurs in the mountains of the Western United States, Mexico, and Canada. It is also called Rocky Mountain white pine.
A limber pine in Eagle Cap Wilder ...
.
Quaking aspen
''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen,
is scattered in both the mixed conifer and subalpine forests at elevations from to . Above the treeline at approximately is alpine
tundra
In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
. Grassland and meadows are interspersed with forest at all elevations.
The climate of Vermejo is mostly semi-arid. The lower elevations receive an average of 15 or 16 (400 mm) inches of precipitation annually, mostly in summer. Middle and higher elevations receive about 22 inches (550 mm) of precipitation annually. Temperatures vary depending upon elevation and slope exposure with a wide range between the lower and higher elevations. Snow accumulation is significant during winter at higher elevations.
Wildlife
Game animals include 6,000 to 8,000
elk
The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. ...
, 3,000 to 4,000
mule deer
The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.
Unlike the related whit ...
,
pronghorn
The pronghorn (, ) (''Antilocapra americana'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed, hoofed) mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is known colloquially in North America as the American ante ...
, 1,400
bison
A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised.
Of the two surviving species, the American ...
cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
s,
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl We ...
and Merriam's turkey (a subspecies of the wild turkey). Game fish include several species of trout including the Rio Grande cutthroat which survives only in a few small streams in its former range.
Conservation
The
black-footed ferret
The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...
was declared extinct in 1979, but a remnant population was found in Wyoming. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vermejo introduced ferrets to the reserve in 2008, with the goal of establishing a population of 120 ferrets. More than of
shortgrass prairie
The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem located in the Great Plains of North America. The two most dominant grasses in the shortgrass prairie are blue grama (''Bouteloua gracilis'') and buffalograss (''Bouteloua dactyloides''), the two less domin ...
on the reserve are occupied by
prairie dogs
Prairie dogs (genus ''Cynomys'') are herbivorous burrowing ground squirrels native to the grasslands of North America. There are five recognized species of prairie dog: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. ...
, the chief prey of ferrets.
Vermejo also has an agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service to help conserve the Rio Grande cutthroat trout in the small headwater streams in which it lives. The Rio Grande cutthroat is declining in numbers and is only found in about 10 percent of its former range. Vermejo is also cooperating with
Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch is a ranch located in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States, near the village of Cimarron. Donated by oil baron Waite Phillips, the ranch is owned by Scouting America. It is a high adventure base where crews of Scouts ...
in restoring Ponil and Bonito Creeks to conditions in which they can support trout populations
Vermejo is improving the quality of its ponderosa pine forest by selective cutting and controlled burning and encouraging the expansion of declining quaking aspen forests. Research on various factors influencing the wildlife on the property and reclamation of land impacted by abandoned coal mines are on-going projects.
Infrastructure
The Cimarron Solar Facility on produces 30 megawatts of electric power, sufficient for 9,000 homes.