The Air Cure: How a Health Resort Became the Heart of Cedar Crest

The village of Cedar Crest, New Mexico, owes its very name and location to the ambitious vision of one man and the desperate hope of thousands. That man was Carl Webb, and his vision was the Cedar Crest Resort.

The story is not about typical resort luxury; it’s about survival.

🌬️ Built on Breath and Hope

In the early 1920s, tuberculosis (TB) was the leading cause of death in the United States. With no antibiotics yet available, the accepted treatment was simply a change in environment. Doctors advised patients—pejoratively nicknamed “lungers”—to seek high altitude, low humidity, and constant sunshine. New Mexico, with its pristine air and boundless blue sky, became America’s health sanctuary.

Carl Webb, a “health seeker” himself, arrived in the East Mountains and decided to capitalize on this tragic demand. In the rugged, juniper-dotted landscape, he established the Cedar Crest Resort, a small, therapeutic retreat designed to harness the curative power of the mountain air.

• The Lodgings: The resort likely consisted of rustic tent houses and small cabins—simple structures designed to maximize exposure to the cool, clean air. Life was centered on rest, sun, and the hope of healing.
• The Naming: Webb secured the community’s future in 1925 when he successfully petitioned to move the local Tijeras Post Office to his resort. Upon doing so, he officially changed the post office’s name to Cedar Crest, cementing the resort’s name as the identity of the growing community.

🎭 Carl Webb: The Eccentric Founder

Carl Webb wasn’t just a businessman; he was an eccentric showman who helped shape the local culture. He was a master of promotion and resourcefulness:

• Marketing Machine: Webb was known for plastering billboards and advertisements for his resort across the region, ensuring that anyone passing through the Turquoise Trail knew exactly where Cedar Crest was.
• The Postmaster: By becoming the town’s first postmaster and moving the office to his property, he ensured the resort was the undisputed center of local commerce and communication.
• The Palm Reader: Webb offered services as a palm reader and entertained his guests, injecting a unique, quirky spirit into the resort’s serious mission. Historical accounts suggest his property was riddled with clever, if unconventional, innovations, including drainpipes fabricated from old, bolted-together cans.

🏡 From Resort to Residential Community

The destiny of the Cedar Crest Resort, and the many other sanatoriums across New Mexico, changed forever with the advent of antibiotics, particularly streptomycin, in the late 1940s. Tuberculosis became a curable disease, and the influx of health seekers dwindled.

The Cedar Crest Resort gradually closed its doors as a health facility, but its legacy was secure. The cabins, infrastructure, and name that Carl Webb created remained.

Today, the original resort property is no longer a commercial entity; its remnants have been absorbed into the residential fabric of the town. Yet, every resident who enjoys the cool shade of a Ponderosa and the clarity of the air is benefiting from the very features that Webb marketed nearly a century ago. The town’s enduring spirit—independent, resilient, and dedicated to the high-desert life—is a direct inheritance from the health seekers who first came to Cedar Crest Resort looking for a second chance at life.