Max Allen Evans was born August 29, 1924 to Walter Burnace (W. B) Evans (1900-1979) and Hazel Glenn Swafford Evans (1904-1994) in Ropesville, Hockley County in Texas. Max was one of two children and had a younger sister named Glenda Rhue. Max grew up in the Panhandle of Texas and southeastern New Mexico and drew … Continue reading Max Evans
smaller communities
The Monument in Monument
About 1928, as well as we can determine, land developers commissioned a structure of a Native American. It once stood in the middle of a dirt road and faced the location of the old Monument Spring. The artist who constructed it is unknown. The monument itself had no name originally, as far as we can … Continue reading The Monument in Monument
Pearl
The settlement called Pearl was named for Pearl Stark Roberts, wife of Nathan Cornelius Roberts who settled about five miles west of Monument in what was then Eddy County. Pearl Roberts was named postmistress in 1908 and the post office was housed in a room of their small pioneer home on the Roberts Ranch. The … Continue reading Pearl
Nadine
This community is situated about 5 miles south of Hobbs. There is some indication that it was formerly known as Roberts, but its first postmaster was James Henry Elijah Hughes who named it for his youngest daughter Nadine. The name was accepted by the Postal Service and still is associated with it today. Nadine had … Continue reading Nadine
Oil Center
Oil Center is one of the “newer” communities of the county. It is located due south of Monument, sixteen miles south southwest of Hobbs and roughly seven miles west northwest of Eunice. It grew around 1937 up to serve the nearby plants of Phillips Petroleum Company and El Paso Natural Gas Company. It had a … Continue reading Oil Center
Plainview
Once located about 15 miles north of Lovington in the northern part of Lea County, this settlement grew up about 1907 as settlers began to move west into the territory. It was once called Rat, for Rat Mill, after what is described as a watering place, perhaps the location of a windmill. Rat Mill itself … Continue reading Plainview
Fire at the Buckeye Gasoline Plant
The Lovington Daily Leader carried this headline in its August 27, 1959 issue, "Intense Blaze Burns Heater at Phillips Buckeye Refinery." We remember being awakened early that morning and told we needed to evacuate the area because the gasoline plant across the road was on fire. Some event had ignited a fire at the Lee … Continue reading Fire at the Buckeye Gasoline Plant
Maljamar
Located about 26 miles west southwest of Lovington in Highway 82, this town was founded in 1926 by William Mitchell. Mitchell owned the oil company that brought in the first oil well in the vicinity on July 26, 1926. He named his company the Maljamar Oil & Gas Company and eventually, the community of Maljamar. … Continue reading Maljamar
Monument
Monument is accepted to be the first Anglo settlement in Lea County by James Cook, who built a store, appropriately enough named Cook’s Store. He used to pick up the mail in Carlsbad and bring it back to the settlement until around 1900 when the postal service granted permission to establish its own post office. … Continue reading Monument
McDonald
McDonald was the name given to the community located about thirteen miles north of Lovington. It was founded around 1912 and given the name of the first state governor of New Mexico, William C. McDonald of Lincoln County, who served in that capacity from 1912 to 1917. It had its own post office from 1912 … Continue reading McDonald
Old Lea County, N.M. 