These ruins stand in solitude at the western foothills of New Mexico’s Organ Mountain range. Constructed in the late 1800s, they were part of a resort complex called “Van Patten’s Mountain Camp.” Even though it takes a while for hikers to pack into this area now, the buildings were isolated even when they were in use over 120 years ago. New Mexico has a long history of offering well-healed tourists spas and retreats, who in the late 19th century flocked to such places because they offered respite from crowded and polluted cities with clean mountain air and sunshine. This specific building was once a fancy dining hall, gussied up with murals, Muslin cloth ceiling hangings, and even a piano.
Eugene Van Patten’s life exemplified many trends in America’s late 19th century. He was a business magnate, at one point owning most of the land in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He also was a Confederate soldier, drove for an early version of the Pony Express called the Butterfield Trail Stage Line, and served as a county sheriff. Van Patten married an indigenous American from the Piro tribe, who died before this mountain resort was built, but had relatives who served here.
