THE TIN BARN

This history of The Tin Barn was written by the current owner Jerry and Sharyl Stockstill. Rangewood Reclaimers was so fortunate to dismantle this historic structure and avoid being pushed into a hole and covered with dirt.

The tin barn was built around 1929. It sat beside a small house owned by John Authroe. Mr. Authroe and his family also owned a store in Mountainair, NM. They grew a huge garden and planted and raised a number of crops outside of town. Farm fresh vegetables, eggs, beef, and pork were some of the crops. They also raised fields of pinto beans. These crops were sold in the store.

Though there were two houses out at the farm, he never stayed there. He rented them out to his hands who ran the farms while he tended to the store. The house by the tin barn burned down in the early 1950’s. It was never replaced. Thus, the old barn sat at the top of the hill and became a landmark that could be seen for miles around.

The Sullenger family bought the property in the mid 1970’s. The two brothers would fill the huge barn with hay for the winter’s feeding. The barn was convenient as it was centrally located to all the family pastures that were scattered across southern Torrance County.

After my family bought the property, I would saddle up my old gelding, Poopdeck. (Yeah, my dad named the animals horrible names. He thought it was funny) It was fun to ride my horse the mile to the Tin Barn. There was a small stall on the west end. I would unsaddle my horse and put him up while I spent hours climbing the hay and just daydreaming. The rule on the ranch was, “Be home before the sun goes down.” And I would barely make it home in time.

In May of 2018, a film company scouted the Tin Barn as one of the locations for a series called, “Messiah”. It would have been a very cool way to immortalize the old Tin Barn. They were planning on filming in July.

Fast forward to June 12, 2018. The weather service reported that a huge storm with hail was due to hit that evening. So, since there was no hay in the barn, we diligently put vehicles in the barn to keep them safe from the hail.

Very little hail hit. However, a microburst hit almost on top of the barn. It blew the doors on the north side off, then lifted the barn off of its adobe base. It moved over about three foot then set it down on top the vehicles it was supposed to be protecting. It was a total loss.

The production company still used the site for their movie. They just angled their shots away from the destroyed barn.

DISMANTLING A PIECE OF HISTORY

The S. Omar Barker pole barn

The story of its dismantling and preservation

Rangewood Reclaimers had the opportunity to save this barn, this important part of NewMexicoHistory. I am going to share over the next few videos the process that Rangewood goes through to safely dismantle and reclaim a vintage building. This is the S. Omar Barker pole barn. Omar Barker was born on the property and lived his entire life there as a rancher teacher and writer. The Barn was built from August 9th through September 4th 1938 by John Rackley. The barn was designed to hold loose hay in the main bay. The hay was moved with a hay hook trolley system, which was also salvaged. There were 6 horse stalls on the south side with corrals. Watch the Rangewood Posse work their magic! This is our way of sharing @NewMexico’s amazing history and culture with those of us who are affected by Covid19.

@Rangewoodreclaimers @cbreck916 #reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage

Day 2 of the dismantling of the S. Omar Barker barn by Rangewood Reclaimers. Built so many years ago, a barn like this becomes a process done carefully in increments to keep the Posse safe without incident and maintain the beauty of a historical structure and tagging each piece so it can be reconstructed. S. Omar Barker was acclaimed as the “Poet Laureate” of New Mexico. He was a rancher, high school teacher, college professor, forest ranger, soldier, outdoorsman and legislator. His first book of poetry was published in 1928. He attained international recognition for poems and stories depicting cattle and ranch folklore. His best known work is “A Cowboys Christmas Prayer” which Tennessee Ernie Ford and Jimmy Dean recorded.

He was the first living author inducted into the Hall of Fame of Great Western Writers in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. Omar was born in Beulah on the Sapello River in 1894. Both S. Omar and his wife Elsa were members of the Western Writers of America and served as presidents of the organization. He often signed his letters with his trademark brand “Lazy SOB”. Omar died April 4, 1985. He is buried in the Santa Fe Cemetery

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Day 3 The dismantling and story continues. Elsa Barker was Omar’s wife and was also a cover-featured author for Ranch Romance Magazine. She contributed to other magazines and had several serials and novelettes published world-wide, along with writing 200 short stories. Elsa was born in Illinois in 1906. She graduated from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas and taught English at the high school. She met and married S. Omar Barker in 1927. She and Omar we both members of the Western Writers of America and served as presidents. A tribute that Omar wrote about her said, “Elsa shares with me a great love of the outdoor West, as well as a fondness for and tenderheartedness toward dumb animals-especially housecats and horses. Essentially a quiet person, maybe a little reserved, she is completely friendly, not uncomfortably shy nor without independent opinions. If she has any vice, it is reading books when she ought to be asleep.” Elsa died on April 10, 1996 and is buried next to her husband at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. #Daythree @Rangewoodreclaimers @cbreck916 #reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage #architecturalsalvage #Cowboy #poetry #ranchlife #country #folklore #novelettes #ranchromance

Day 4 The process of dismantling an old building is painstaking, to allow for the safety of the #Posse and reclamation of the wood. The original construction, which in the West is often called Cowboy Construction meaning the structure is often built in not so traditional ways. The area where the Barkers lived and had this pole barn built was up the road from Sapello, NM. Sapello is 13 miles north of Las Vegas. Early settlers were mostly interested in the sheep and Comanche trade. There were three cemeteries, one in the church yard, one up an incline, and one under the floor of the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe which was built in 1859 and was rather large for the time. In those days the floorboards were removed, the people buried under the floor and the lettering burned into the wood stating the name and date of death. #DayFour @Rangewoodreclaimers @cbreck916 #reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage #architecturalsalvage #Cowboy #poetry #ranchlife #country #folklore #novelettes #ranchromance #Cowboyconstruction

Day 5 And the thunder rolls! Day 5 was interesting and hair raising if it was anything. The Posse was hard pressed to get as much work safely done before the storm moved in. The winds and rain blew over the camera and drove the crew to their tents until the weather passed. The Barker history continues…Mount Barker is in the main range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, one mile southwest of Elk Mountain. The mountain was name to honor the local family who had made significant contributions to New Mexico. They included, S. Omar Barker his wife Elsa and Omar’s older brother Elliott. The peak is 11,450 feet high and is about 22 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It was officially designated on October 1994 from the U.S. Board of Geographic Names board. @cbreck916 #reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #Oldwood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage #architecturalsalvage #Cowboy #poetry #ranchlife #country #folklore #novelettes #ranchromance #Cowboyconstruction @MountBarker #MountBarker #SangredeChristo #USBoardofGeographicNames @NewMexico #NewMexicoHistory #Thunderrolls

Day 6 The Barker family was filled with talented New Mexico people. Omar’s brother had a presence in creating one of America’s best folklore stories. Elliott Speer Barker was born on Christmas Day in 1886 in Moran, Texas. Elliott was one of eleven children which included Omar Barker and Grace Barker Wilson. Their family pioneered from Texas to New Mexico by covered wagon in 1889 and settled outside of Las Vegas. Elliott was home schooled until the fifth grade and finished his schooling at Las Vegas high. After taking a photography class in Effingham, Ill. he worked for a little while as a portrait photographer. In 1908-1909 he was a professional hunter and guide. During the time period of 1909-1919 Elliott worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a ranger and supervisor. Elliott worked at ranching until 1931, when he became director of the Department of Game and Fish. And then what he found became a piece of history that remains with us today. Enough for now, tomorrow will be Part II of Elliott’s story.

#Day6 @cbreck916 #reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #Oldwood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage #architecturalsalvage #Cowboy #poetry #ranchlife #country #folklore #novelettes #ranchromance #Cowboyconstruction @NewMexico #NewMexicoHistory #coverwagon @USDepartmentofGameandFish

Day 7 We’re almost finished! Let me continue the fascinating story of Elliott Barker. Elliott served for 22 years as the Director of the Department of Game and Fish. Elliott had many achievements in conservation and they were brought to the attention of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR placed him on a committee that organized the National Wildlife Federation and Elliot was listed as one of the founding members. His greatest claim to fame came three years before he retired. After a blaze in the Lincoln National Forest by Ruidoso, NM, firefighters had rescued a tiny bear cub from a tree. The cub was orphaned and his feet had been badly burned in the fire. A call was made to Barker who agreed to take the cub and little bear was flown to Santa Fe. Barker raised the cub until it had grown to large to keep. Elliott got the idea of turning the bear back to the @U.S.ForestService and promoting him as a symbol of fire prevention. This was the creation of Smokey the Bear. Smokey became one of the most recognized images ever used by the government. Barker traveled with Smokey to Washington and his new home at the @NationalZoo. School children wrote so many letters to Smokey that he was issued his own zip code. New Mexico created the Smokey Bear Historical State Park in the town of Capitan, NM. When Smokey died he was brought home to New Mexico from Washington and buried at the park. Elliott had several books and poems about his wilderness experiences published. He married Ethel M. Arnold in 1911. They had three children. Elliott died in 1988 in Santa Fe at the age of 101.

#Day7 @cbreck916 #reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #Oldwood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage #architecturalsalvage #Cowboy #poetry #ranchlife #country #folklore #novelettes #ranchromance #Cowboyconstruction @NewMexico #NewMexicoHistory #coverwagon @USDepartmentofGameandFish @DepartmentofGameandFish @SmokeytheBear @SmokeyBearHistoricalStatePark @NationalZoo @NationalWildlifeFederation #LincolnNationalForest

Day 8 We are almost to the end of Rangewood Reclaimers latest project. Or Purt Near. This is part of a poem that Omar or ole S.O.B. had written.

“PURT NEAR!”

by S. Omar Barker (1895-1985)
They called him “Purt Near Perkins,” for unless the booger lied,
He’d purt near done most everything that he had ever tried.
He’d purt near been a preacher
and he’d purt near roped a bear;
He’d met up with Comanches once and purt near lost his hair.
He’d purt near wed an heiress
who had money by the keg,
He’d purt near had the measles,
and he’d purt near broke his leg.
He’d purt near been a trail boss,
and accordin’ to his claim,
He’d purt near shot Bill Hickock— which had purt near won him fame! He’d purt near rode some broncs upon which no one else had stuck
In fact he was the feller
Who had purt near drowned the duck! Now mostly all the cowboys
On the Lazy S B spread,
They took his talkin’ with a grin
And let him fight his head.
But one named Tom Maginnis
Sorter told it to him rough:
“You’re ridin’ with an outfit now Where ‘purt near’ ain’t enough!
We tie our lasso ropes to the horn, An’ what we ketch we hold,
And ‘purt near’ is one alibi
We never do unfold!
#reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #Oldwood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage #architecturalsalvage #Cowboy #poetry #ranchlife #country #folklore #novelettes #ranchromance #Cowboyconstruction @NewMexico #NewMexicoHistory #coveredwagon

Day 9 The final beams in the Barn are dismantled and loaded on the trailers to take them to their new temporary home at Rangewood Reclaimers warehouse. These vintage woods are on their way to a new life to be #repurposed, #reclaimed and #treasured. Now you can experience the joy, history and the Amazing story of this remarkable building to incorporate in your home where it can become yours. Taking down aged vintage structures is never easy and is done one piece at a time. Of utmost importance to us is to keep the Posse safe and to save the integrity of these beautiful old structures. We all have a responsibility to maintain the legacy that was left to us by the pioneers who came before us. It is our responsibility to keep this heritage alive by saving these woods and the stories that created their history..This is of such importance to us. We must sustain this colorful past and make sure it is not forgotten but allowed to blossom in your home. Call us at: 575-914-2274

#reclaimedwood #pieceofhistory #sustainability #oldwood @newmexicotrue #barnwood @abqtopbusiness #localbusiness #earthday #vintagewood #Oldwood #westernlifestyle @newmexico #vintage #architecturalsalvage #Cowboy #poetry #ranchlife #country #folklore #novelettes #ranchromance #Cowboyconstruction @NewMexico #NewMexicoHistory #coveredwagon #sustainableenvironment #hiddentreasures #legacy #Pioneers

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CABIN FROM THE PAst

THE ZEIGLER FAMILY CABIN GREER, AZ

The Zeigler Family settled in Greer, AZ in the late 1800’s. Primarily used as a grazing area for livestock, Greer was one of the sought after areas for the ranchers to bring their cattle for the summer feeding.Among the ranches from Round Valley wer… — The Zeigler Family settled in Greer, AZ in the late 1800’s. Primarily used as a grazing area for livestock, Greer was one of the sought after areas for the ranchers to bring their cattle for the summer feeding.
Among the ranches from Round Valley were the Slade, Butler, Bigler, Ziegler.
The Ziegler family purchased land in Greer and settled their homestead.
The family built a cabin for each of their 12 children. This cabin was one of the last built on what is now the Heaslett’s Circle B cabins and Trailer Resort property
The wood was logged, cut and milled at the old Leed’s Saw Mill
This cabin was erected following the close if WWII. One of the Ziegler boys liven in it until Joe Basket bought the property. No one knows what became of the Zeiglers from that point forward.
The cabin was carefully taken down and each piece numbered to allow for it to be reconstructed to its original form. We will offer delivery of this piece of history to you. Please give us a call for pricing and delivery fee.
**“A big thank you to Steve Huchting and his crew, in removing an old cabin on my property in Greer, AZ.**
**These guys are organized, professional, competent and quick!**
**When the job was completed, there was no evidence that the cabin had even been there.**
I would recommend Rangewood Reclaimers to anyone interested in the removal of vintage or antique wood. I was most impressed in that Steve was interested in the history of the building which he passes on to the new owners of the reclaimed wood. Steve and his organization are doing a great job in reclaiming a part of Americana and keeping it alive.”
**Fred Heaslett**

HAVE I GOT A STORY TO TELL YOU!

The Recycle of New Mexico Coalition gave us a call about five Adobes from the 1930’s that were going to be demolished and they wanted us to come up and reclaim as much of the beautiful wood that we could. the Posse has been up at the site outside of Santa Fe for the past 4 weeks. And the buildings were built to stand the tests of time so it hasn’t been easy at all.

The story about the homes are very interesting. The cattle boom in the 1880’s brought Easterners to the West. The railroad and automobiles allowed people to escape the urban heat to the magnificent West. A lady name Bess Huntinghouse came to the area from Chicago as a “Harvey girl”. By 1930 she manages Bishops Lodge. She asked her sister Harriet Jackson to help her and she purchased hundreds of acres that is now Los Caminitos. Harriet settled on some of the acreage and their were four houses built near one another. They had their own community garden and enjoyed the company of the neighbors. These are the adobes that are being taken down and the hand cut beams, and vigas as so beyond gorgeous. The hard wood floors are thick cut oak. Ship-lap has also been removed and as each trailer load is brought to the warehouse it is a window into the past.

We met the neighbors who knew Harriet for many years. She was quite avant guarde even in her later years and they described her with a scarf or a hat on her head driving her convertible Mustang. I love the visual and know that Harriet is excited that we will find beautiful uses for the wood.

There will be more photos to come!

Here's just a small sampling of our exciting projects!

And there is always more to come....

Back From Our Latest Project!

We ventured back to Wagon Mound, NM for our latest project.

This sheep shearing program was known throughout the country and would shear well over 100,000 sheep. It was one of the oldest sheep shearing buildings dating back to the 1930’s, and was one of most widely used hubs on the Santa Fe Trail. The wood was in amazing shape, it was painted cabin red on one side and natural barn wood on the other. Forty seven supports made from cedar trees dating well over 80 years old, were used to hold up this building. As well 18 gates of various sizes and over 200 tin roof panels were reclaimed.

“With some regret, the current owners decided to have the working pens taken down.
The pens were not designed for use on a cattle operation, and their historic value was out-weighed by the dangers of their weakened condition. The owners were delighted to find a way to give new life to the wooden structure through Rangewood Reclaimers.

“We were happy to find Rangewood Reclaimers and completely satisfied with their work.
They did exactly what they promised. Their communications were clear and they let us know exactly when they would be on site. They left a tidy work site and picked up start nails and wire.
We can recommend Rangewood Reclaimers without reservation”

Tracy Seidman
Managing Partner
Wagon Mound Ranch”

Harris Family Water Tower

This water tank was used to provide water for the Harris Family for well over 40 years. It was put together by the patriarch and is made of redwood. Once the water was filled bucket by bucket the redwood would swell and seal the tank. Getting up the hill to the water tank was not an easy process by the Posse, but they did it!

“Cosmic Tourist recommends Rangewood Reclaimers.
August 12 ·
Hats off to Rangewood Reclaimers for an amazing job reclaiming the old redwood tank which supplied our family with water for thirty years. Steve’s crew went above and beyond to respect the land and preserve my family’s history. Friendly, efficient, and conscientious, they were a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend.

”

YEARLING CALF PROGRAM

THIS PROGRAM WAS SET UP BACK IN THE LATE 30'S, EARLY 40'S TO SUPPORT YEARLING CALVES WITH THE WATER RESTRICTIONS THAT WERE IN PLACE ON THESE LARGE RANCHES. THE PROGRAM Had to be shut down and moved leaving a treasure of weathered wood.

This gave us an opportunity to pick up some long wide and heavy woods. It is hard to estimate the age of the wood because of the transfer of ownership on the ranch but we pulled several nail stamps from the rail road ties ranging from 1925-1941. The variety of the the planks that were reclaimed go from 16 feet long down to 2 feet long. Giving you a wide variety of sizes to choose from.

The characteristics of this greyed out wood is absolutely stunning! Perfect for you! floors, cabinets, walls, the possibilities are endless! contact us to make an appointment to see this Fantastic find!

1912 Grain, Bean and Wheat Building!

FOR A VERY SHORT TIME ALL OF THIS GORGEOUS RECLAIMED WOOD AND METAL is in our warehouse! CONTACT US TO COME AND CLAIM YOUR PIECE OF HISTORY! We take appointments for Monday, Wednesday and Friday's.

8 days in the sun, wind and rain to complete this project

This unique building is from the period around 1912. The Florsheim Mercantile Co. were said to be the original builders. It was used to store grain, wheat and beans for shipment by train. It sat next to the railroad spur in Roy, NM. We were able to … — This unique building is from the period around 1912. The Florsheim Mercantile Co. were said to be the original builders. It was used to store grain, wheat and beans for shipment by train. It sat next to the railroad spur in Roy, NM. We were able to reclaim some beautiful greyed wood behind the galvanized siding sheets and large sliding barn doors from the sides and front. All with original hardware. Flooring was old growth Douglas fir. Roughcut Douglas fir beams. Heavy galvanized roof panels and sheeting. Shiplap roofing.

25289-MMS-1527648654000-attachment1-20180529_204620.jpg

100 Year old Home for the new bride and town saloon

This 100 year old House in Tularosa, NM was moved to this property for a Bride by her father. At a later date in the 1940’s the old saloon was moved from town and added to the home. Some beautiful wood flooring was removed and also the back door fro… — This 100 year old House in Tularosa, NM was moved to this property for a Bride by her father. At a later date in the 1940’s the old saloon was moved from town and added to the home. Some beautiful wood flooring was removed and also the back door from the saloon with bullet holes on the outside and the inside! Imagine the stories!

100 year old adobe

On a Land Grant that has been in this family for over 300 years, this 100 year old adobe was hiding these beautiful old wood vigas harvested from Mount Taylor. They were protected by the wood flooring that covered them for so many years.

PROJECTS