Along Highway 60 in Texico. Photo by Phyllis Eileen Banks.
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Melrose, at 4,599 elevation and a population of 877, is a viable town, 18 miles east of Tolar. However, it was known as Brownhorn in 1882 because it was located between the Brown and Horn ranches. When repair shops were built for the Santa Fe Railroad, its officials named the town Melrose – supposedly after Melrose, Ohio.
Ranching is the economic mainstay of this region, with its sprinkler farming and livestock grazing. Cannon Air Force Base, 21 miles to the east, uses the Melrose Bombing Range for practice bombing and strafing. St. Vrain is eight miles further along Route 60, and came into being in 1907. The community, though small, believes the town was named for the early guide and explorer Ceran St. Vrain. He was also a Colonel in the First New Mexico Volunteer Infantry. All that remains of Grier, five miles from St. Vrain, is a grain elevator and a few houses. Another of the farming communities that sprang up overnight when the railroad was being constructed, it had a post office from 1921 to 1956.
Portair, five more miles from Grier, a settlement that began as Blacktower because of a black water tank that could be seen for miles over the flat country side, seems to have constantly had name changes. After Blacktower, it was known as Maize for the sorghum grain grown there, and now it is Portair because of Cannon Air Force Base.
All these settlements that are still on maps remind people of the difficult time pioneers had taming the land in this part of the world.
Texico, nine miles east of Clovis, is the oldest town in Curry County, first settled around 1900. A siding was built there in 1902 by the Pecos Valley and Northeastern Railroad, and the town grew until the railroad moved its division point to Clovis. In the old days, it was a typical Wild West town. Now it’s a border entry to New Mexico and graciously distributes literature and information to entice tourists to see more of New Mexico.
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Phyllis has written 76 awesome articles for us. Phyllis Eileen Banks
Phyllis Eileen Banks is both writer and artist. Her articles are currently appearing in Southern New Mexico Magazine and FYI, and she has written for New Mexico Magazine, Ranger Rick, Concern, Anchorage Daily News and other periodicals. In addition, with Cynthia Smith, she authored the Anchorage Fun Book.
Much of her experience has been as editor. Most recently, she has served as the editor of the Roswell Fine Arts League/New Mexico Miniature Arts Society. Her other editorial experience includes The Alaska Presbyterian, The Alaska Heart, newsletter of the Alaska HeartAssociation and the book COCAHNIA (Consultation on Church and Human Need in Alaska).
"I have invisible antennae that 'vibrate' when something doesn't seem right. Of course editing someone else's work is much easier than editing one's own," she says.
People stories, historical pieces and travel writing are her favorites. She and her husband, Hal, moved to New Mexico from Alaska.
"New Mexico has some of the same mystique of Alaska - wide open spaces, different cultures, so the transition was easy," says Eileen.
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