Page 7 - Artesia Community Guide 2021

Welcome Letter | Get to Know Artesia
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Welcome to Artesia, New Mexico.

Mention the name “Artesia” and most people think of
water. And while it is true that Artesia was “born of water”
in the heart of the Pecos River Valley, it took more than
one kind of well to keep Artesia growing and flourishing
up until today. The Pecos River Valley region, named after
the Native American word meaning “the place where there
is water,” reaches from northern New Mexico deep into
Texas, where it merges with the Rio Grande. The town of
Artesia sprang up in the middle of the Pecos Valley along
the railroad’s route in the late 1890’s.
Actually “Artesia” is our town’s third name. The first
was “Miller,” which came from a railroad employee and
the local siding named after him. Our town was then briefly known as “Stegman” after the first
postmistress, none other than Sallie Chisum Robert Stegman. With the discovery of artesian wells
in the area the fledgling town was renamed “Artesia”
in 1903 and officially incorporated in 1905.Fun
Fact: First American Bank (pictured on the right), Photo courtesy of First American Bank in 2018
established in 1903, is the only business in Artesia
that has been in business longer than the town.

The artesian wells were an attraction to early
settlers – artesian water is stored under great
pressure, and when tapped into the water spouted
up like a fountain, sometimes as high as 15-20
feet. Artesia became an agricultural oasis as water
flowed freely for many years until the early 1920s
when many of the area’s artesian wells began to
dwindle due to a drop in the water table pressure.

Heads began to turn in 1924 when another kind of
well was discovered. The Illinois #3 oil well came in, opening the Artesia oil fields locally and the
Permian Basin regionally. Today, the oil and gas industry continues to flourish in the Artesia area
with many dairy farms, pecan orchards, corn fields, alfalfa fields, pinto beans, and numerous ranches.

Hayley Klein, Executive Director
ARTESIA CHAMBER of COMMERCE

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