28/07/2025
Clay Allison Shootist
As a follow-up to last week’s discussion regarding the shootings at the St. James Saloon. Today, the focus is on Clay Allison, arguably the most notorious gunslinger associated with the St. James Saloon and Cimarron. Born Robert Clay Allison in Tennessee around 1840 to a Protestant minister, the details of his early life remain somewhat unclear. During the Civil War, Allison served as a Confederate soldier and was at one time held as a Union prisoner before managing to escape—an experience that likely influenced his attitude toward Union soldiers.
Following the war, Allison relocated to Texas where he met Charles Goodnight, known as the “Cattle King,” and participated in a cattle drive from Texas to Denver. This journey introduced Allison to northeastern New Mexico, an area he would later return to with his brother-in-law Lew Coleman, Coleman’s partner L.W. Lacy, and a substantial herd of cattle. He was accompanied by Pete Burleson, who would become a future Colfax County Sheriff, and David Crockett, who later gained notoriety as an outlaw in Cimarron.
Allison became a familiar figure at the St. James Saloon and throughout Cimarron. Historical accounts attribute the deaths of Pancho Griego and John Black (who remains interred in the Cimarron Cemetery) to Allison at the saloon, with the possibility of a third victim, though documentation is limited. Additionally, Allison was involved in the deaths of two lawmen in Animas, Colorado; Chunk Colbert in Raton (at the Clifton House), New Mexico; and may have played a role in the lynching of Cruz Vega during the Colfax County War, as well as possibly participating in the Charles Kennedy lynching.
In 1877, Allison left Cimarron, selling his interest in the ranch to his brother John, and later spent time in the Texas Panhandle and Dodge City. He married Dora McCullough and lived in Pecos, Texas, by 1886. Allison's death occurred while returning home with a load of wood; it is believed that, possibly under the influence of alcohol, he fell beneath his wagon and was fatally injured. Accounts vary as to whether he fell accidentally or was attempting to make repairs and did not secure the brake. Regardless of the circumstances, his passing stands in stark contrast to the legendary reputation he carried as a gunman.
“Clay Allison knew no fear. To incur his enmity was equivalent to a death sentence. He contended that he never killed a man willingly but out of necessity. He was an expert with his revolver and never failed to come out best in a deadly encounter.” – Quote from the book Desperadoes of New Mexico, F. Stanley.
