Maxwell’s Ranche, Territory of New Mexico

This slender volume offers readers a fascinating historical account of Maxwell’s Ranche, Territory of New Mexico that is rich with details and vivid descriptions. This frontier settlement had been in the mind of Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell when he returned to Kaskaskia, Illinois to select household items for his mansion under construction. In 1861 he began construction of his Aztec Mill and the locale which was to become known as Cimarron when the United States government established a post office by that name at Maxwell’s Ranche with Lucien Maxwell as postmaster. Whether the mill at any time was the site of the post office is not clear. Topics discussed herein include: an article by Lawrence R. Murphy published in the New Mexico Historical Review entitled Master of the Cimarron: Lucien B. Maxwell (1980), which describes aspects of Maxwell’s Ranche; a brief historical account of Kaskaskia, Illinois, with its relationship to Maxwell; Aztec Mill sandstone; local building activity; the quarry; working and finishing stone; tool descriptions, stone walls, a discussion of the 1860s Maxwell’s Ranche photo; Cimarron Agency letters which frequently pertain to relations with Native Americans including Moacha Utes, Apaches, Navajos, Capote and others; and a bibliography. Numerous photographs and maps add to the value of this work.