Open Range

The four oldest ranches survived even though their range was drastically reduced. The oldest ranches in what is now Curry County, New Mexico were the; Pigpen (1881) south of present Melrose; the Rhea Ranch (1885) on the Frio Draw; the DeOliveira Ranch (1889) on the Frio Draw; and Tommy Carson's Running Water Draw ranch 1894 north of present Ranchvale.

Some other ranches established in Curry County beginning around the turn of the century and later: Wild Horse Brown ranch, south of Melrose. Cage Riley ranch, south of Clovis. Will & Dallas McDaniel ranch, southeast of Melrose. C. F. Doughton ranch, north of Melrose. Romy Post ranch, north of Melrose. John Dixon ranch, near Stockton on Frio Draw. W. J. Crenshaw ranch, south of Melrose. Lang-Austin-Poling-Smart- Cooper ranch, southeast of Melrose. Jack Lewis ranch, southwest of Grady. Mersfelder- Davenport-Merrill ranch, upper Running Water Draw. Chenault-Igo ranch, on Running Water Draw near Pleasant Hill. George McLean ranch, on Frio Draw near Texas line. Jim Brown-Jim Stone ranch on Running Water Draw near Pleasant Hill. Carter Temple- Boykin-Trimble ranch on Running Water Draw near Pleasant Hill. Black ranch, near old Hollene. Robert Honley Davis ranch, near Field on Running Water Draw. Love-Teague- Britt-Kemp-Lyons ranch, on Running Water Draw and now site of Ned Houk Memorial Park owned by the City of Clovis. Sid Boykin and George Anderson ranch on Frio Draw. Boykin later was on Running Water Draw. George W. Keenan ranch, on Frio Draw. W. E. McLendon-Fuqua-Hill-Daugherty-Hartley ranch on Frio Draw. Buster DeGraftenreid ranch, south of Melrose. Doug Hammonds ranch, west of Melrose. Steed and Hale ranch, on the Frio Draw (former DeOliveira ranch). Bailey ranch, on Frio Draw. O'Brien and Arnold ranch, on the Frio Draw. "Sheep" Hill ranch, on the Frio Draw. Brown Giles ranch, on the Frio Draw. C. A. Grau ranch, south of Grady. Anna Janes Clark ranch, near old Hollene. Shipley Brother ranch, first south of St. Vrain, in 1915 two ranches near Frio Draw. Lee Hammond ranch, in the Frio Draw. Cecil Porter ranch, on the Frio Draw and south. Robert C. Vinyard ranch, on the Frio Draw.

Harold Kilmer Use the BACK button to return.

The sunsets in New Mexico are the most beautiful in the world. Harold Kilmer

For history of these ranches and the open range era see High Plains History. The Open Range History of Curry County was researched, collected and written by local artist/ historian, Don McAlavy

The windmill, the AT&SF Railway, and the people are the three most important things that allowed settlement of East Central New Mexico.

Don McAlavy

(1999 photo taken off Irish coast.)