The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Diverse Dining List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Happy List
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!

90 Notable Nights

#155 - The Ekland in Clayton, NM

6/22/2017

0 Comments

 

​On the Road

Don and I spotted Hotel Ekland on our drive to Colorado, 4 years ago.

This time, we spent the night at the old hotel, which by the way, was actually built before 1905.
Picture

​The Older the Better

Picture
I like the oldies! This sturdy, stone hotel (at least the first 2 floors) was built in 1892. I think they should flaunt that.  Originally, shops were on the first floor and rental rooms on the top. Carl Eklund bought the building, some years later and added a saloon. The saloon brought in enough money to add that third floor.   

​Stone Meets Brick

Picture
I always like figuring out the puzzle pieces of old buildings and their additions.  On the side of the hotel, there was a pleasant little sitting area with tables and flowers.  We could see where a brick addition had joined the old stonework.

The Lobby
​


Picture
Picture
The lobby had a living room feel, with a small sitting area and some unusual rockers.

​Nuns and Popes for Sale

​
Near the entrance, there was a small gift shop where we could buy postcards or jewelry.

Picture

But for a more unusual travel souvenir, we could have bought a gourd painted like a nun or monk or pope! The "innkeeper" was busily working on her gourd crafts when she wasn't attending to desk. 

​​Framed Hotel History
​
Picture
Picture
While Don distracted our gourd artist to get us checked in, I found some  historical goodies. Hotel wallpaper, circa 1893 (with an arrow on the bullet hole) and a rosary, found imbedded in the plaster wall of room #2, when they did renovations.

Up We Go 
​

Picture
There was an elevator, but the stairs were handy to our second floor room.

206, The Dorsey
​

Picture
There were 3 rooms on the second floor, that shared the hotel's balcony. Our room #206 was the middle one. It was named Dorsey, not for Tommy of Big Band days, but Stephen Dorsey. Mr. Dorsey started up this town of Clayton, and gave the town his son's name.

Western Decor
​

Picture
Picture
Originally there were 42 guest rooms and some community bathrooms. After renovations were completed in 2004, there were 26 rooms with private baths.  I was happy to not share a bath down the hall.  Ours was spotless and the towels were fluffy. The western style furniture was newish, but not exactly hotel quality. I don't think it would have stood up to those rough cattlemen who stayed here 100 years ago.

Outside Time
​

Picture
There was a steady wind, gusting through town all evening, but we were determined to make use of the balcony.  Don and I spent a little time hanging out on the breezy terrace, keeping an eye on Main Street.

The Luna
​

Picture
If it had been a weekend, we could have strolled across to the old movie house. There were no shows on Tuesday night, so we took a walk down Main Street.

Train Tracks
​

Picture
We walked down past the Feed & Supply warehouse.  We didn't see any trains, but we heard them in the night. You have to get used to train sounds if you want to stay in old hotels.

​The Saloon
​

Picture
Picture
We had to wait for the big set of metal gates to be unlocked, before we passed through the swinging saloon doors. Funny, they had similar locked gates keeping us out of the dining room as well. Maybe that's because Clayton has had to deal with some notorious characters in the past.  We learned about Blackjack Ketchum when we had a drink in the saloon. There were some rather eerie pictures of him being hung.

The Old Oak Bar
​

Picture
The beautiful bar, that Mr. Eklund won in a poker game, was mighty impressive. You could picture some dusty characters lined up along the stand-up bar. The lack of stools meant you could get a good look at the arches and pillars in the design. The lack of a bartender, made it hard to get a drink. 

Quiet at First
​

Picture
We amused ourselves with the buffalo head and some old photographs until a young woman wandered out to serve us a drink.  The dining room was closed, so we ended up eating dinner in the bar, which eventually filled with a crowd of mostly locals. The meatloaf, salad and soup was actually quite tasty. 

Morning
​

Picture
Don and I waited for the gates to open in the formal dining room for the complimentary breakfast. The woman putting out the food seemed to have a system that we didn't want to disturb. 
We watched her bring out numerous trays with dishes covered in plastic wrap. We were a bit perplexed by the cold quiche and oatmeal, but then realized a nearby microwave was there for our convenience.
Picture

​A Little Scared

Picture
Don found us a table by the fireplace, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Eklund... I think.  We were careful to avoid the lower part of the dining room that had been purposefully blocked by a chair. Our food server told us that some guests just want to sit there because it's  pretty. I wanted to ask her, "And why exactly aren't guests allowed to sit there?" But she sort of scared me.

​Don doesn't look scared in this photo, but he should have been!
Look at the whispy bit of a ghost that seems to be photobombing this image! Yikes, that might be the spirit of Blackjack Ketchum!

What's Notable?
​

I'll remember how sturdy The Eklund felt, in this town of dust and wind. The sandstone exterior, will be what I remember.  The interior was less impressive with lobby knickknacks and mixture of real and "new" antiques. It was exactly what I expected to see, because small town historic hotels often reflect the personality of the community... those who contribute.
My favorite part of the hotel was the porch with the view of Main Street. I could sit there and imagine it was 1910. 
Picture
The ranchers and railroad men would be pretty thirsty when they arrived and headed for the great oak bar in the saloon!
 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Ninety Notable

    ​       Nights


    My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains.    

    I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth.  Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years.

    ​The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures.  I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding!

    Archives

    September 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    1-blog-begins
    Alabama
    Arizona
    Arkansas
    Bermuda
    California
    Colorado
    Florida
    Foreign Chile
    Foreign Curacao
    Foreign - Guatemala
    Foreign Italy
    Foreign Japan
    Foreign Mexico
    Foreign Roatan
    Foreign Thailand
    Georgia
    Hawaii
    Idaho
    Illinois
    Iowa
    Louisiana
    Michigan
    Mississippi
    Missouri
    Montana
    Nevada
    New Mexico
    New York
    North Carolina
    Oklahoma
    Oregon
    South Dakota
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Utah
    Vermont
    Wyoming

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Diverse Dining List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Happy List
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!