The turning of the century in Pagosa Springs

Photo courtesy John M. Motter
This photo of the Arlington Hotel on Lewis Street was probably taken circa 1905. The hotel had a geothermal well supplying naturally hot water for bathers in the large building and tent-like bathing facilities immediately adjacent to the hotel.

During 1899, Schultz and Buckles, prominent citizens of the local community, purchased lots on Lewis Street and proposed to construct an adobe store building 50 feet by 50 feet and two stories high. Thus was begun a building that remains today as the core of the building housing the Bear Creek Saloon and Grill.

It was originally known as the Buckles and Schultz Hall, but down through the years under successive ownerships became the Arlington Hotel, the Los Banos Hotel, the Adobe Inn and its current ownership. A significant amount of Pagosa Springs history is connected with this building and its owners.

In January 1900, a hearing was held to contest the 1899 election. The disputed boundary line between Colorado and the territory of New Mexico was at the heart of the matter. Pagosa News Editor Daniel Egger and his followers contended that Edith was in New Mexico; therefore, the Edith vote should not count. The Republican faction in Archuleta County argued that Edith was in Colorado. The judge in the hearing decided not to hear evidence as to which side of the state line Edith was located. The plaintiff withdrew his complaint. The location of the line was not settled until the 1950s, despite a number of surveys.

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