covery came James R. Thorpe,
a Denver mining man, likewise
intrigued by "Old New
resort. He was introduced to the property by
a cowboy who knew the Pulitzers were look-
ing for a buyer. The cowboy, Dick Paffle, and
his unlikely fiancée, a Boston Brahmin, had a
proposal for Mr. Thorpe. Paffle would provide the "atmosphere" and ranch know how, and
his fiancée would provide "class" and the connections that would bring well-heeled guests;
all Thorpe would have to provide was......well....the money!
as Constance Pulitzer and her husband, William Gray Elmslie, sold three tracts of land --
the original 152.8 acres -- to the Bishop's Lodge Corporation, headed by James R. Thorpe,
and the property has remained the domain of the Thorpe family since that date. The price
paid this time was $25,000-a far cry from the original $80 paid by Lamy to the Romeros.
that Mr. Thorpe take an active role in the development and operation of his
new resort. A promotional booklet he wrote in 1921 describes the facilities:
and conveniences of the leading metropolitan hotels, yet it possesses none of
the atmosphere of a hotel. On the contrary, it is most homelike. It is a place
where one may take things easy and enjoy the pleasure, wonders and glories of
the out-of-doors in absolute comfort but without any of the unnecessary
conventions of fashionable resorts.
tent houses were available for $6. A half-day ride was $4, though for $60 a horse could be
rented exclusively for a month! (Guests tended to stay a long time; some for the whole
summer.) Lodgers enjoyed fresh vegetables from the garden and fresh milk from a herd of
and ruins were very popular, as were
drives along the road to Taos. The
Bishop's Lodge also had a nine-hole
golf course, traces of which can still
be seen. But it was finally abandoned
in the early thirties because of the
difficulties of keeping it green.
chapel was not part of the deed to
the Thorpe family, but they have