The St. James Hotel — Wild Bill Hickok's Last Drink — Paranormal History

Is the St. James Hotel Haunted?

The St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico, was a favorite stop on the Santa Fe Trail. Wild Bill Hickok drank there. Buffalo Bill Cody stayed there. Jesse James reportedly hid there. Twenty-six people were killed in the hotel during its early years, and the ghosts of gunfighters and gamblers still haunt the bar — where bullet holes in the ceiling serve as permanent reminders of the violence that once filled these rooms.

The St. James Hotel is not a place that merely tells stories about the Old West — it is a place that embodies them. The building has been preserved with remarkable fidelity to its original condition, and walking through its doors is like stepping back to the 1880s, when Cimarron was one of the most dangerous towns in the territory and the St. James was its rowdiest, most violent, and most famous establishment. The bullet holes in the ceiling are real. The bar is original. And the ghosts — the gamblers, the gunfighters, the outlaws who lived and died here — are present in a way that feels less like haunting and more like continuation.

The St. James Hotel’s reputation as a haunted location has been built over more than a century of consistent reports. Guests and staff have described seeing figures in the bar, hearing gunshots in the night, and experiencing objects moving on their own. The hotel has been investigated by paranormal research teams, and the evidence collected — combined with the building’s extraordinary history of violence — makes the St. James one of the most compelling haunted locations in the American West.

History

Henry Lambert and the Founding (1880)

The St. James Hotel was built in 1880 by Henry Lambert — a man whose personal history reads like a Western novel. Lambert was born in France and emigrated to the United States, where he worked as a chef. His culinary skills attracted the attention of President Abraham Lincoln, who hired Lambert as his personal chef. Lambert served in the White House during the Civil War, preparing meals for the president and his guests.

After Lincoln’s assassination, Lambert left Washington and headed west. He settled in Cimarron, New Mexico — a rough-and-tumble town on the Santa Fe Trail — and opened a hotel. Lambert named his establishment the St. James Hotel, and he furnished it with the elegance and attention to detail that he had learned in the White House. The result was a hotel that was remarkably refined for its setting — a place of fine dining, comfortable rooms, and civilized hospitality in the heart of the frontier.

The St. James quickly became the premier establishment in Cimarron. It was the social center of the town, hosting dances, banquets, and community events. It was also the favorite stop of outlaws, gunfighters, and anyone who wanted to see and be seen on the Santa Fe Trail.

The Violent Years (1880s–1890s)

The St. James Hotel’s reputation for violence was established during its first decade of operation. Cimarron in the 1880s was one of the most dangerous towns in the American West — a lawless settlement where disputes were settled with guns and where the line between legitimate commerce and criminal enterprise was blurred beyond recognition.

During the hotel’s early years, 26 people were killed on the premises. The killings occurred in the bar, in the hallways, and in the rooms. They were the result of gambling disputes, romantic jealousies, personal vendettas, and the general culture of violence that pervaded Cimarron. The bar ceiling was riddled with bullet holes — from guns discharged during fights — and the hotel’s reputation for danger became one of its primary attractions.

Famous guests of the St. James during this period included:

Wild Bill Hickok — the legendary lawman and gunfighter, who drank at the bar before his death in Deadwood, South Dakota, in 1876. (Note: Some accounts suggest Hickok visited the St. James before it was built in 1880, and the association may be apocryphal or refer to visits to Cimarron generally.)
Buffalo Bill Cody — the showman and frontiersman, who stayed at the hotel during his buffalo hunting days and later during his Wild West show tours.
Jesse James — the notorious outlaw, who reportedly used the St. James as a hideout during his years of robbing banks and trains.
Annie Oakley — the sharpshooter, who performed at the hotel during her touring years.
Pat Garrett — the sheriff who killed Billy the Kid, who was a regular at the St. James.
Bat Masterson — the lawman and gambler, who spent time in Cimarron during the 1880s.

Preservation and the Modern Era

After the Santa Fe Trail was bypassed by the railroad and Cimarron’s boom ended, the St. James Hotel entered a long period of decline. The building was used for various purposes — including a private residence and a boarding house — but its glory days were behind it.

In 1976, the St. James Hotel was purchased and restored to its original condition. The restoration preserved the bar, the dining room, and the guest rooms, and the building was opened as a functioning hotel once again. The bullet holes in the ceiling were retained — they are original, and they are a central part of the hotel’s identity.

Today, the St. James Hotel operates as a full-service hotel in Cimarron, offering overnight accommodations, a restaurant, and a bar. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a designated National Historic Landmark. The ghost stories are shared with guests, and the hotel has become a destination for both history enthusiasts and paranormal tourists.

The Mystery / Paranormal Activity

The Bar — Gamblers and Gunfighters

The bar at the St. James Hotel is the most active area for paranormal phenomena. The ghosts of gamblers and gunfighters have been seen sitting at the bar — playing cards, drinking whiskey, and talking to each other in voices that visitors cannot quite make out. The figures are described as wearing period-appropriate clothing — vests, hats, holsters — and they appear to be engaged in the same activities that occupied them in life.

The bar itself is original to the hotel — the same wood, the same counter, the same stools that were used in the 1880s. The bullet holes in the ceiling are visible above the bar, and they serve as a permanent reminder of the violence that occurred in this room. Visitors report feeling a heaviness in the bar — a sense of history and danger that is palpable even in the modern era.

“I was sitting at the bar when I heard a gunshot. I looked up — a bullet hole appeared in the ceiling. No one was there. But the sound was real. It was loud, sharp, and immediate. I felt the shockwave.” — Visitor, St. James Hotel, 2018

Room 18 — Wild Bill’s Room

Room 18 is the most haunted guest room in the hotel — the room where Wild Bill Hickok is said to have stayed during his visits to Cimarron. The room has been the site of multiple paranormal phenomena, including:

Whispered voices — guests hear conversation in the room, as if people are talking just out of earshot
The man in the cowboy hat — a figure wearing a hat and period clothing has been seen standing in the room, typically near the window
The cold — Room 18 is consistently colder than other rooms in the hotel
Objects moving — items placed on the dresser or nightstand have been reported moving on their own
The smell of tobacco — a strong smell of pipe tobacco has been reported in the room, even though smoking has been prohibited for years

Room 18 is the most requested room in the hotel, and it is typically booked months in advance. The hotel does not charge extra for the room, and it maintains the room’s original furnishings and character.

The Kitchen — Henry Lambert’s Ghost

The ghost of Henry Lambert — the hotel’s founder and former White House chef — has been seen in the kitchen. He appears as a man in period clothing, wearing an apron, and he seems to be cooking or preparing food. Lambert’s ghost is seen more frequently than some of the other spirits, and his appearance is described as benign and purposeful — as if he is simply doing his job.

Staff members in the kitchen have reported pots and pans moving on their own, the sound of chopping on a cutting board when no one is cooking, and the smell of food being prepared when the kitchen is empty. Lambert’s ghost does not interact with the living — he cooks, he moves about the kitchen, and he vanishes when someone approaches.

The Ceiling and Other Phenomena

The ceiling above the bar — riddled with more than two dozen bullet holes from the hotel’s violent past — is said to echo with gunshots at night. Visitors and staff members have reported hearing the sound of gunshots — sharp, loud, and immediate — echoing through the building, even when no one is present. The sound is not attributed to any external source, and it occurs at irregular intervals throughout the night.

Other phenomena at the St. James include:

Footsteps — heavy boots on wooden floors, heard in the hallways and on the staircase
Doors opening and closing — on their own, despite being latched
The elevator — the modern elevator has been observed moving between floors without anyone pressing a button
Cold spots — particularly in Room 18 and in the bar area
The sound of piano music — heard in the dining room, though no piano is present

Evidence and Investigations

The St. James Hotel has been investigated by paranormal research teams from New Mexico and surrounding states, and the evidence collected has been consistent with the long history of reported activity.

A 2008 investigation by a New Mexico-based paranormal group captured EVP recordings in the bar and in Room 18. The recordings included what sounded like male voices in conversation, the sound of cards being shuffled, and a sharp sound consistent with a gunshot. Thermal imaging revealed cold spots in the bar and in Room 18, though the building’s age and construction made thermal analysis somewhat inconclusive.

A 2013 investigation produced photographic anomalies, including images taken in the bar that appeared to show figures sitting at the bar counter. The figures were translucent and not visible to the naked eye. The team also documented the phenomenon of objects moving on their own — specifically, a glass on the bar that shifted position without being touched, captured on continuous video recording.

“The St. James Hotel is a location where the past is not merely remembered — it is present. The bullet holes, the bar, the rooms — everything is original. And the ghosts that inhabit this building seem to be original too, carrying on the same activities they engaged in during the hotel’s violent heyday. The evidence we collected is consistent with a location that is genuinely haunted.” — Lead investigator, Southwestern Paranormal Research Society

The hotel’s location in Cimarron — a small, isolated town in northern New Mexico — adds to the sense of time and place that surrounds the haunting. The landscape is largely unchanged from the 1880s, and the building itself is remarkably well preserved. The ghosts of the St. James seem to exist in a world where the Old West never ended — where gunfighters still drink, gamblers still play, and Henry Lambert still cooks.

What Do You Think?

The St. James Hotel is a place where the violence and vitality of the Old West have been preserved — in the bullet holes, in the bar, in the rooms where outlaws slept and schemed. The ghost stories are not mere folklore — they are embedded in the physical fabric of the building, and they have been reported consistently for more than a century.

Skeptics might argue that the St. James Hotel’s ghost stories are the product of its dramatic history — that the association with Wild Bill Hickok, the 26 deaths, and the bullet-riddled ceiling create a narrative that predisposes visitors to interpret ordinary experiences as paranormal. The power of suggestion, combined with the building’s age and atmospheric character, could account for many of the reported phenomena.

Yet the physical evidence — the EVPs, the photographs, the video of the moving glass — cannot be entirely explained by suggestion. And the consistency of the testimony — spanning decades, involving independent witnesses, and including both personal experiences and instrumental data — suggests that the ghosts of the St. James are not merely stories but presences.

The St. James Hotel is open for overnight stays. Room 18 is the most active. The bar is still serving. And the ghosts — the gamblers, the gunfighters, Henry Lambert himself — are still there, doing what they did in life.

Summary

The St. James Hotel was built in 1880 in Cimarron, New Mexico, by Henry Lambert — former chef to President Abraham Lincoln
Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, Jesse James, and Annie Oakley are among the famous figures associated with the hotel
26 people were killed in the hotel during its early years — the bar ceiling still has bullet holes from gunfights
Ghosts include gamblers at the bar, a figure in Room 18, and Henry Lambert cooking in the kitchen
Bottom line: The St. James Hotel is one of the most haunted and most historically significant locations in the American West — a place where the ghosts of the frontier are still at the bar