Chase Ranch to be preserved

A ranch near Cimarron that had been run by a couple of members of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame will be preserved and managed by the nearby Philmont Scout Ranch under an agreement that goes into effect Friday. And perhaps as early as next spring, members of the public will be able to visit a museum that will be created in the main house of the Chase Ranch. “These two great ladies demonstrated a pioneer spirit that we don’t have today,” John Clark, Philmont’s general manager, said of Gretchen Sammis and Ruby Gobble. Sammis, the fourth generation of her family to own and operate the 11,000-acre cattle ranch, died in August 2012 and specified in her will that it be preserved and operated as a model historic ranch, with Gobble having the right to live there the rest of her life. Gobble, a trick rider and world champion roper, was Sammis’ companion for 49 years and ranch manager. She died on June 14 of this year. Her death helped spur the Chase Ranch Foundation, which owns the ranch, to come up with a way to fulfill Sammis’ wishes for its future, according to Clark. “They came to us and asked us if we can partner with them,” he said. “We are absolutely thrilled to death to do that.” In a news release, Ed Pease, president of the Chase Ranch Foundation, noted that Philmont, owned by the Boy Scouts of America, has both the expertise and the funds to make Sammis’ dream come true. No money changed hands in the lease and operating agreement, according to Clark. In return for having access to the land for some of its own scouting programs, Philmont will manage the working ranch, repair and maintain structures on the property, turn the house into a museum and staff it, as well as develop educational programs for both Philmont scouts and the public...more

Gretchen Sammis was one of the early supporters of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.