by Kathy Mcquery
Carisbrooke Postcard circa 1903-1904
Today, if traveling the scenic route to Sugarite Canyon State Park, one might notice a volcanic rock fireplace perched on a hillside-the only visual reminder of a once stately mansion originally named the ranch Carisbrooke II.
Carisbrooke Il is said to have been built in 1889 by A.D. Ensign, an English promoter, or was it built a few years prior to 1903 by son Henry A. Ensign? Henry was quoted in the June 5, 1909 edition of The Raton Weekly Range as saying the Ranch house was built from "plans drawn by himself on brown paper, at a cost of not over $8000."
Henry A. Ensign was affiliated with E.D. Shepard and Company, Bankers of New York who financed the NE NM properties of; Raton Ice Company, Raton Water Works Company, The Yankee Fuel Company, Santa Fe, Raton and Eastern Railroad and Santa Fe, Raton and Des Moines Railroad; which Ensign headed.
Either way; it was marketed in 1903 to travelers as a guest ranch. The promotional brochure touted the views, wildlife and luxurious accommodations.
"Located on the gentle slopes of the great Mesas that rise hundreds of feet on either side and occupying the rich valley lying between them and the broad, fertile plain at the mouth of the Canon, the Ranch is most fortunately placed to avail itself of vast, natural resources.
The house stands upon a point projecting from the side of the Mesa into the Canon and commands a sweeping view of wondrous beauty, both up and down the far know Sugarite. Nowhere else is the sky so clear a blue, the sunlight so radiant or the shadows so intense."
"The great living room holds the entire length of the house from north to south. The Walls are hung with excellent reproductions from the old masters and lined with cases filled with books of recognized worth. On either side of the room fire-places, built of volcanic rock, add the certain cheer of the open hearth;"
“The chambers are all luxuriously furnished and provided with tiled bathrooms perfect in appointments. There are fireplaces fashioned from volcanic rock in each room, and long French windows ensure to each guest an abundant supply of light and air. There is an unlimited supply of both hot and cold pure mountain water in each room."
"Every want of the guest is carefully anticipated and is always made paramount. Here he may follow the dictates of his longing, either in resting, in driving, in hunting or fishing to the extent of his desire. A tennis court adjoins the house, and either riding or driving horses are at the command of the guest."
"It is the purpose of the owners of the Ranch in opening it this year, for the first time, to insure to their guests the greatest possible comfort and to leave undone nothing that may tend to their rest, comfort and their enjoyment. The number of guests is limited and only such a number as may be perfectly cared for will be taken."
Guests were also encouraged to travel via train.
"Raton, New Mexico, is reached over the main line of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail-way. 32 hours out of Chicago by fast trains (four trains daily). Railroad and Pullman Fare $32.00. 56 hours out of Boston and New York. Railroad and Pullman Fare $58.00”
"The Ranch is equipped with telephone, and long distance calls can easily be made to Denver, Colorado."
"Terms: $150 per month, including everything. No extras. Saddle horses and driving horses are included in terms. No transients are taken. Young ladies will find a chaperon at the Ranch. Open all the year. 360 days of sunshine. Winter sports, skating, coasting, snow-shoeing and skiing (sp) December 15th to February 15th. Further particulars will be furnished if desired."
Address letters and telegrams:
THE RANCH CARISBROOKE II
- RATON, NEW MEXICO
Henry Ensign was known to host a number of extravagant parties and entertained numerous company representatives. A headline in The Raton Weekly Range dated Sept. 13, 1907
read CURRY IS ENTERTAINED. New Mexico's Territorial Governor George Curry, Chief Justice
W.J. Mills, Clerk of the Supreme Court Jose D. Sena were among the party of 85 people who were extended an invitation by Ensign to visit the company's properties at Yankee and to take lunch with him at his ranch home at Carisbrooke Il on the Sugarite.
Yet, within a few years, the future outlook for the properties were in question. In April 1909 a petition was filed asking that ED Shepard and Company, bankers and brokers be declared bankrupt. Ensign was accused of extravagance in managing the properties, of course, he denied the accusations, claiming they were an attempt to discredit him. Ensign mysteriously vanished without warning. The facts behind his disappearance remain obscure even today.
December of 1914; 160 acres which included the ranch house was sold and Robert Lawrence an attorney for Kellogg & Rose of New York took over management of the companies until
1922. Lawrence moved into the Ranch and hired Alexander Storrie to act as caretaker.
Mr. Storrie, his wife Margaret and 3 children remained at the ranch for nine years. Mrs.
Peggy Storrie Cox; the daughter of Alexander Storrie; lived in the Ensign Ranch house as a young girl, and in a 1975 interview recounts the treasured memories of her time spent there.
Time has erased the stately mansion that once stood, but while gazing at what remains "Imagine following the road, along the slope of the mesa, and not until the final turn is made does one come upon the house itself, seeing it then in all the wealth of its unrivalled location."
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