E. A. Clayton Eddy County, New Mexico

This is an era of town building in New Mexico and with marvelous rapidity the unsettled districts of a few years ago have been transformed into populous villages and cities and thriving agricultural or horticultural communities. With this work E. A. Clayton has been associated in recent years.

He came to the Territory in 1899 and located at Roswell, whence he removed to Artesia, October 6, 1903. He then purchased one hundred and sixty acres from John Boyles, who had homesteaded and commuted from the government this land, all lying west of Rose Avenue. It was first owned by Clayton & Company and later the Artesia Improvement Company was organized with J. A. Cottingham as president, S. P. Denning secretary and treasurer and E. A. Clayton as manager.

The company first laid out forty acres in town lots and after the town well was completed people came in such large numbers that: the remainder of the tract was subdivided into lots. At this time Mr. Clayton is engaged in locating people on the government land around Artesia and the country is becoming rapidly settled, lie has a farm two miles south of Artesia, where he has one hundred acres planted to alfalfa and forty acres in orchards. He is president of the Urton Lake Town Site Company, developing a town fifty-five miles north of Roswell, the district having been platted and the town laid out.

Mr. Clayton is a very successful and vigorous promoter, towns springing up under his guidance as the corn springs from the fields which have been cultivated by the farmer. His labors are of a most practical nature and always accomplish results. Moreover he is a public-spirited citizen, and while promoting individual success also advances the general welfare.

Back | New Mexico County Biographies

Source: History of New Mexico, Its Resources and People, Volume II, Pacific States Publishing Co., 1907.