Pigeon's Ranch

The old adobe building right along the NM HW 50 has seen a lot of history. Built probably around 1857 by Alexander Vallé, this house is all that remains of his 23 room establishment. It was built as “a kind of Asiatic caravansary” for travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. Later on, it became a stage station for the Barlow and Anderson line.

Originally know as Rancho de la Glorieta, it became known as Pigeon’s Ranch. During the Civil War, some of the heaviest fighting happened here during a battle known as the Battle of Glorieta Pass (also known as the “Gettysburg of the West”), between Union forces led by Colonel Edward Canby, along with Major John Chivington (of Sand Creek Massacre fame) and Confederate Brigadier General Henry Sibley.

The 1926-1937 Alignment of Route 66 ran right beside the house. At that time, Thomas Greer turned the house into a tourist trap, luring travelers to stop in and drink from the “the most historic and wonderful old Indian Spanish Well”. The “Oldest Well in the U.S.A.” is still across the road from the ranch house today.