This 1927 building is the courthouse for a county of just 6,000 people. Cimarron is a Spanish word meaning "wild" or "untamed." It appears several times on Santa Fe Trail maps.

Here, it's a small town west of Dodge City KS where the trail splits. One trail branch is known as the "Cimarron Cutoff" or "Cimarron Route" across Cimarron County in the far western OK panhandle. This branch passes along the Cimarron River which is frequently dry.

The final place is Cimarron NM, a town on the Mountain route, some 35 miles (55 km) from Raton Pass on the CO line.