New Mexico Office of the State Historian : Curry County

Curry County

Curry County was created by an act of the legislature in 1909, carving it from parts of Roosevelt and Quay Counties. However, Curry County’s story began at least 11,300 years prior to its county founding, as there is evidence of the presence of the “Clovis People” in the area.

Curry County was named for New Mexico Territorial Governor George Curry who signed the bill establishing the county. George Curry came to New Mexico in 1877 from Dodge City, Kansas and served as Lincoln County Sheriff in 1892. Curry was the territorial governor form 1907-1910 and was still in office, in 1909, when Charles Adolphus Scheurich almost singlehandedly persuaded the legislature to create a new county from northern Roosevelt and southern Quay Counties.

Curry County is the third smallest county in New Mexico (at 1,404 square miles) and is made up of mostly flat, semi-arid high plains land. Its county seat, Clovis, was once known as the “Cattle capital of the Southwest.” Today, major sources of income in Curry County are farming, ranching, dairies, Cannon Air Force Base, railroad and retail trade.

Sources used:
The New Mexico Blue Book, Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State and The Place Names of New Mexico by Robert Julyan

Related Materials:

Curry County