Roy’s Ice Cream Parlor
Root beer floats, banana splits, chocolate marshmallow double fudge sundaes, or plain old ice cream… Roy’s Ice Cream Parlor had everything needed to fix the sweet tooths of the small town of Carrizozo.
Every building in Carrizozo, New Mexico, has a long history. The two-story brick building that once housed the Parlor is certainly no exception. When it was constructed in 1910, the town was a bustling railroad stop with a population more than double what it is today, and unlike many of the surrounding boom towns’ populations, was still growing. The building was constructed for Dr. Payden, the town physician and appointed surgeon on the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad. Dr. Payden ran an apothecary on the first floor and a hospital on the second — at the end of a long narrow set of stairs.
In addition to the ‘usual’ set of pharmaceutical powders and embalmed animals, Dr. Payden’s drug store housed an old soda fountain, a common practice for pharmacies in the 1920s. When the building was sold in 1934, the old soda fountain was replaced with a then top of the line Liquid Carbonic Company soda machine — the same one Roy would use for the next 42 years, and the same one that can be seen when you peer through the now permanently closed doors of the Ice Cream Parlor.
I knew Roy very well. He was just one of them guys who was super cool. You know. He’d go out his way to do anything for you, and was just a really nice guy.
— Wayland Hill
A quick look at Carrizozo online reveals that Roy’s fame in the region was to rival that of Carrizozo’s other splendors. From the Valley of Fires, the youngest lava flow in mainland America, to the Sacramento & Jicarilla Mountains, Roy’s always made the top of the list for area attractions. From the local papers to National Geographic, tales of Roy and his shop had certainly gone the distance. However, ask enough people in town and you quickly learn that Roy’s was more than just sugary treats. Sure, there was the ice cream craving crowd. But there were also postcards, history books, and lottery tickets, and “Roy even had a flower shop in there.” For some, it was a place to gather ‘round after work, smoke a cigarette, and enjoy the company of others. Without a doubt, the mantelpiece of it all was Roy himself.
Roy had his own ways, he will be remembered by many people, not just local people from town but people who travelled through town as well; they stopped there on the way in, and on the way back.
— Leroy Lopez
Yet, despite this perceived success, running a business in a small town isn’t always easy. A lesser known story of the parlor is that “2~3 years before Roy died, he borrowed five thousand dollars on his house to keep it open. He never told anyone about it, he loved the place and loved the people. He had to keep it open and said he could. That is pretty amazing.” — Ray Dean
Big thanks to the folks in town who shared their memories with us.
Carrizozo Cafe —Every town has a gathering place. The cafe is Carrizozo’s. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46968-d6586315-Reviews-Carrizozo_Cafe-Carrizozo_New_Mexico.html
Wayland Hill — Double fudge marshmallow chocolate Sunday
Leroy Lopez — Banana Split
Shelby Hyatt — Single scoop of ice cream. www.yelp.com/biz/12th-street-coffee-carrizozo
Ray Dean — Got any questions about Carrizozo? Ray has the answer. http://carrizozoworks.org
Mike Lagg — http://momazozo.com/
