Buckeye, New Mexico, is a typical oil field “boom town.” The discovery well, in the early 1 930s was located near the Eidson ranch.
The following article appeared in the January 1956 issue of The Western Tower, published by and for the employees of Phillips Petroleum Company , Natural Gasoline Department, Western Division. Publication of this booklet ceased several years ago.
After a thirty-minute automobile trip west of Hobbs on U. S. Highway 180 and -northwest toward Lovington on State Highway 8, we arrive at the almost-desolated little town of Buckeye, New Mexico. The town’s only structures are a filling station, grocery store and a U. S. post office which are situated on a forty-acre tract of caliche rock and mesquite bushes at an elevation of 3,984 feet above sea-level on the rolling plains of Lea County in Southeastern New Mexico. A Baptist church, a distant residence or two and a Church of Christ complete the outlying community.
In the early 1930’s, oil was discovered in such vast quantities in this boundless region of ranch land that oil wells soon outnumbered the trees to be found in Lea County. The night cry of the coyote was seldom audible over the constant roar of heavy drilling machinery in operation.
A cafe and grocery store were built to feed the hundreds of oil field workers who came with the ‘oil boom.’ A filling station, a supply house, a welding shop, another filling station, a well service office, two more welding shops and a rooming house soon appeared and a ‘boom town’ was born. The name ‘Buckeye’ was adopted from the Buckeye Sheep Ranch which covered many sections of the surrounding prairie. A paved highway through the oil fields was completed in 1935.
As the drilling activity died down and moved to new fields, it took with it the town’s welding shops, supply house and other business houses until only the town’s three present structures remained.
To the east of Buckeye can be seen the Phillips Petroleum Company’ s Lee gasoline plant which wag completed in 1942 to take the gas from many of the producing wells in the field. The plant is not a huge one, compared to many of the Phillips plants in West Texas and New Mexico, but its size does not necessarily reflect its importance. The plant is located on a twenty-four acre tract of land which is leased form the state of New Mexico. Lee plant got its name from the adjoining Lee Ranch, which was one of the larger sheep and cattle ranches of Southeastern New Mexico, covering about 42 sections. Eighteen Phillips employees work at the plant under the supervision of Hugh Smith, superintendent of Hobbs and Lee plants and Buck Davidson, assistant superintendent of Lee plant.
Just beyond the plant yard fence, to the south, is the plant camp which is composed of eleven modern, four-room houses and a community hall. The camp is bordered by tall elm trees and each house has a spacious lawn and back yard. Flower and vegetable gardens flourish in the spring and summer to make Lee camp a beautiful and inviting community. The morale of the employees and their families at Lee plant is a credit to the company, as their friendliness and good neighborliness are known throughout the company as well as their immediate vicinity.
The Casey brothers had the first service station — Magnolia, now Mobil. The station was operated by Tobe Davis in the late 40s. He sold to R. D. Lee in 1949. Mr. Lee sold to J. V. Cecil, from Hobbs, who operated it until about 1953, selling to Bill Ponder, a Marathon Oil Company employee. Mr. Ponder sold it to Jay Webb.
Gail and Dick Power owned and operated a cafe in Buckeye in the early 1930s and there was a boarding house. The hardware store was owned by Ben Allen.
Until 1939 the mall carried to Buckeye from Lovington by a mall carrier–Mr. House being the first, working with Roy Lee. Mrs. Alma E. Gordon was the first Postmaster of the Buckeye Post Office in 1939. The post office was closed in 1961. Ralph Alexander, superintendent of Magnolia, was Instrumental in helping secure an elementary school In Buckeye. During the summer of 1939, the Humble City school house, which had been purchased from the Lea County Board of Education, was moved across country to Buckeye, and a one-teacher ward school (Lovington) was established for the 1939-1940 school term. The school was discontinued at the close of the 1940-1941 school term. Students were then bused to Lovington.
Some of the owners of the grocery store were: Ethel and Loyd Mishler, ca. 1946—1948; Mr. Boyce; the Stocktons; and the last person to operate the store before it burned on May 5, 1962 was Jessie Mae Ellison. Her husband, Ruel, was an employee of Phillips Petroleum Company.
Buckeye community was surrounded by company camps, where houses were furnished to employees.
The Texaco Camp was located approximately one and one-half miles south of Buckeye, composed of some ten or eleven houses during the 40s and 50s. Phillips Gasoline Plant had eleven houses and Phillips Production Camp, located north of the plant, seven houses. In scattered areas, east of Phillips plant, Standard of Texas had two houses; Drilling and Exploration was located further east and north of the road about two miles. R. D. Lee’s ranch was on east, and south of the road; Giles Lee, further east and north of the road.
To the west of Buckeye, the Baptist Church (about one—fourth mile) , a Texaco pumper’s house, and Scharbauer ranch house located approximately two or three miles. To the south of the Phillips Petroleum Company camp, two houses for Shell Oil Company, approximately one—fourth mile.
To the south-southwest of Phillips Petroleum camp, were two Ohio (Marathon) houses; on west from there, some privately owned houses–employees of Phillips Petroleum, Production Department. To the north of Buckeye, approximately one-half mile on County Road 8 (to the left of the road) was the Mobil Oil Company camp composed of four to six houses. To the north of that camp, one or two Amerada company houses. On north of Mobil (on the right side of County Road 8) was an Humble Oil Company house.
West, and north, of Buckeye were some Duval Potash Company employee’s houses. Approximately five miles further west of Buckeye, a P. C. A. house, and on west and south of the road, another potash company house.
About one mile east and a half mile south of Buckeye was a Sinclair Oil Company house.
One by one, company camps were disbanded, the houses being sold and moved away, and families being moved into town.
Although the “boom” is gone and the “town” today consists only of a small store-station combination there is still a lot of activity in the oil fields of Buckeye.
For the past fifty years drilling has continued at a fairly steady pace, tapping the six or seven “pays” that are found below the surface.
The major oil companies have crews of roustabouts, pumpers, gaugers, and other employees working full time in the area. The difference being that the families live in Lovington or Hobbs rather than the company houses of times past.
The Phillips Petroleum Company plant, mentioned above, continues to prosper and expand. Texaco, Inc. has also built a plant there. Almost all the field is now unitized.
In the summer of 1983, the first Buckeye Reunion was held with former residents coming from many places to attend . It hoped that. become an annual event so that past friendships and acquaintances can renewed.
by Mrs. J. B. Anderson
