Location Description and History

Pflueger General Merchandise Store and Annex Saloon was opened in 1818 and was the actual saloon where Billy The Kid was brought, in shackles, for his last meal before being executed. The former saloon and eatery had occupied a two-story Victorian building along the town's main drag and was renamed The Pink Garter Saloon in 1950. Eventually the building changed it's name again to the Legal Tender in 1969. The Legal Tender, which has been closed for eight years, will be open to visitors from the Santa Fe area in 2006. Allen Anderson and Sam Latkin, board members of the Lamy museum, acquired the building without cost about a month ago from Tumbleweed Associates Ltd. and a primary owner who wished to be anonymous. Anderson said plans are to make the building into a museum. The Lamy museum so far consists of items in the town's train depot and a railroad car that is being renovated.

In the Legal Tender, the electricity has been hooked up, boards removed from the windows and a security system has been installed. The Legal Tender is on the National Register of Historical Places. Its roots extend to back to 1881 when it was first opened as a mercantile company and general merchandise store. It has since gone through about 10 owners. Before it closed eight years ago, it had been remodeled into a restaurant.

It's a grand old place with a lot of history and a lot of memories. Inside, an old cherry wood bar from Germany still dominates the saloon. The bar was brought in by John and Louise Pflueger in the early 1900s when the building was the John Pflueger General Merchandise Store, according to museum records. The walls and the interior of the building are still in good shape. The red carpet and curtains still look new. And old-fashioned items such as mirrors from the 1800s, pictures and furniture collected from various owners will be put into some of its rooms.

This old saloon and vaudeville hall is haunted by several ghosts. A lady in white, dressed in an elegant white gown, is seen floating up the steps to the balcony in the Parlor Room.

A little girl ghost in a long dress sits alone on the stairs. A man in black, killed by a stray bullet in the rowdy gambling hall, has been seen helping himself to a drink at the bar. The building was constructed in 1881 and was called the Annex Saloon. In the 1950's it was known as the Pink Garter. It became the Legal Tender in 1969.

We began our ghost hunt of the saloon in the poker room, where, according to legend, a man in black is seen. We were able to locate several bullet holes in the west wall as we sweeped the area for unusual EM fields. After finding nothing of interest, we moved into the grand ballroom.

Originally the ballroom had a second story balcony that now no longer exists. The apparition of a lady in white is seen frequently in the area where the stairs leading to the balcony used to be. In this room we found three interesting EM fields (25 & 32 Hz), all on the south side. The fields appeared to be moving and were present only for a short time.

Photographs

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We were unable to find any data to sugest that this location is haunted during this ghost hunt.