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The Philmont Scout Ranch is the largest scout ranch in the world. It’s located a few miles south of Cimarron, New Mexico, and is owned by Boy Scouts of America. We drove by while traveling from Cimarron to Fort Union National Monument.
History
The Philmont Scout Ranch was built on land once owned by American oil magnate Waite Phillips (1883-1964). He donated almost 36,000 acres to Boy Scouts of America in 1938, and by 1941, he donated more land for a total of over 127,000 acres. It now covers over 140,000 acres. The original name of the camp was Philturn Rockymountain Scoutcamp.
National Scouting Museum
Visitors to the Philmont Scout Ranch can enjoy the National Scouting Museum, which is open daily from June through October. Admission is free (as of August 2023). When we drove by in October 2015, there was no museum.
The National Scouting Museum was originally founded in 1959 in North Brunswick, New Jersey, as the Johnston Memorial Museum. That museum closed in 1979 when Boy Scouts of America moved its headquarters to Texas.
The museum reopened in 1986 on the campus of Murray State University in Kentucky, but attendance was underwhelming. In October 2002, it moved to Irving, Texas, and stayed open until September 4, 2017. The museum opened at its current home at the Philmont Scout Ranch on September 15, 2018.
Seton Memorial Library
Also on the property is the Seton Memorial Library. It contains the personal library, personal art, and natural history collection of Ernest Thompson Seton (1860-1946), the founder of Boy Scouts of America. The library is open Monday through Friday.
Villa Philmonte
Villa Philmonte was the summer home of Waite Phillips. It was built in 1926 in a Mediterranean style and was included in his donation in 1941. The villa is lavishly decorated with many original furnishings. It’s open for tours run by the Philmont Scout Ranch, usually from June through mid-August. Admission is free but donations are accepted (as of August 2024). Reservations are required and tours must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance.
Other Sites
The Philmont Scout Ranch also runs the Kit Carson Museum seven miles south of the ranch in Rayado as well as the Chase Ranch north of Cimarron. We were unable to visit either but hope to get to them in the future.
Santa Fe Trail Swales
Just south of the ranch is a pullout where you can stop and see swales from travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. To be honest, I couldn’t make them out but I did enjoy the views.
