M. V. Corn Chaves County, New Mexico

In the history of the pioneer development of New Mexico mention should be made of M. V. Corn, who came to the Territory in 1879 and has been closely associated with its material development and with its progress along lines leading to good citizenship and substantial improvement. He came from Kerr County, Texas, making the overland trip to Roswell, after which he located on a place three miles southeast of the town. There he took homestead and timber culture claims in one body. In later years he bought land adjoining his original tract and when he sold he had three hundred and eighty-four acres in one tract. In 1893 he disposed of this to Mr. Hagerman. In the meantime he had carried on the work of general improvement and development. In 1880 he planted Lovers' Lane, a public highway bordered by trees for a mile in length, and it is now the most famous driveway in the Territory. Mr. Corn made many early improvements on the place and planted twenty acres of apple orchards, having one of the earliest orchards in the Pecos valley. He has taken many blue ribbons on farm and garden fruit crops.

John Poe was the first to raise alfalfa in this valley and Mr. Corn was one of the earliest to establish this great industry. His place was under the Texas ditch, which was among the first irrigation ditches of the valley. In connection with A. O. Spencer, W. L. Holliman and James H. Hampton be took out his ditch from South Spring River just a little below the old Chisum ranch. The ditch was made in the fall of 1879, and as a result thereof it was soon demonstrated that the soil of the locality was very productive when water was added.

In 1894 Mr. Corn removed to Eden valley and located a ranch twenty miles north of Roswell. He took a desert claim and improved it and he now has about seven hundred acres of deeded land twelve miles west of the Pecos River devoted to stock raising. His sons, John R., Robert L. Martin V. and George W. Corn, are all engaged in the stock business in the Eden valley and the family has proved an important factor in the material development and progress of this part of New Mexico, Mr. Corn giving his influence to every measure that tends to promote public progress and introduces the evidences of an advanced civilization into a district which up to a few years ago had not been reclaimed for the purposes of cultivation.

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

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