Sources include 60th Anniversary commemorative program for the Lea County Fair and Rodeo in 1995, newspaper articles and traditional genealogical sites: The Jake McClure Arena was constructed under the management of the Lea County Sheriff’s Posse and is dedicated to Jake McClure. Roy Leonard "Jake" McClure was born November 26, 1902 in Amarillo, Potter County, … Continue reading Jake McClure
Author: Texoso
Jack Danglade
Frank Jack Danglade was born November 4, 1898 in Jasper County, Missouri to Frank Henderson Danglade and the former Bertha Mabel McKittrick. He married Jessie June Price in 1920 and the couple had one daughter. Danglade and his wife had first moved to Texas in 1924 due to his wife’s poor health. The couple lived … Continue reading Jack Danglade
Joe Cooper Recalls Youth In Jal Area
Memories of the days when he first came to Lea County were revived by The Jal Flare's special edition in Joe Cooper, who lives ten miles north of Jal. He came here in '10 from Pyote, Texas with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. James M. Cooper, and has lived in this area for the last … Continue reading Joe Cooper Recalls Youth In Jal Area
New Hobbs, New Mexico
There were once two towns named Hobbs: Hobbs and New Hobbs. For a number of years, they existed as separate communities. New Hobbs had its own post office at one time, as well. The first attempt at unifying them failed in 1932. Finally in 1937 they were consolidated with Hobbs being the survivor. The city … Continue reading New Hobbs, New Mexico
“New Town” For Lea County, 1934
New Town To Appear On Lea County Map Lea County is to have its "Eldorado." A new town by that name would open up, beginning Tuesday, July 24, projected by L. A. Daniel, who first put Hobbs on the map. "Eldorado is located on the railroad and highway, 16 miles south of Eunice, 8 miles … Continue reading “New Town” For Lea County, 1934
Ranchers and Water
From the Jal Flare, Jal, NM. 7 Mar 1939: Here's a story which amply illustrates how ranchers felt about water here in the early days. When Walter C. Cochran dug the first water well in this area, at the hackberry trees which are now Hubbs and Justis Water Company, he found water, the farthest west … Continue reading Ranchers and Water
Walter Colquitt Cochran
Walter Cochran was born August 14, 1952 in Georgia to Col. Winston W. Cochran and the former Mary Dickson. His family is believed to have moved to Texas when he was still an infant. He married Nannie Dodson in the 1880s. Walter C. Cochran came to Jal in 1883 from Palo Pinto County in North … Continue reading Walter Colquitt Cochran
Oil Discovery in Jal
On March 7, 1939, the Jal Flare contained an article that recounted the first oil wells in the area. The first discovery well was a wildcat, the Rhodes #1. Drilled in 1927 by Donley Brothers it produced a gas and sweet oil well that flowed mostly gas and some oil. It was quickly followed by … Continue reading Oil Discovery in Jal
The Fort Family
One of the early families to come to the area were the Forts. Benjamin Herman Fort was born December 15, 1857 in Scott County, Arkansas to John Gabriel Fort and Dorinda Jane Bell Fort and was the youngest of their eleven children. Benjamin married the former Louisa Swilling "Lou" Bramlett in Paris, Arkansas in 1879. … Continue reading The Fort Family
William Standifer Williams and Minnie Alice Anderson Williams
William Standifer Williams was born in the early 1860s in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Samuel Lowry Williams (1807-1898) and Katuriah Taylor Williams (1825-1893), a farming family. His father was one of the earliest Anglo residents of that area and is known as the Father of Chattanooga. William was one of the youngest of some thirteen siblings … Continue reading William Standifer Williams and Minnie Alice Anderson Williams
Old Lea County, N.M. 