Cloverdale is believed to have been established sometime in the 1880’s. On May 2, 1882 The Critic (Washington, D.C.) had a story about an Indian fight at Cloverdale between Apaches and the Sixth Cavalry, led by Captain T.C. Tupper. One soldier was killed in the battle, two wounded and fourteen Apaches were killed. It was not the first battle with Indians in the area and certainly not the last – the war with Apaches continued until about 1924.
The Cloverdale Ranch was also established in the 1880’s by either Bob Anderson or John Weames, but sold to the Victor Land and Cattle Company in 1889. According to C.W. Barnum, a New Mexico genealogist, other ranches were established and the number of residents increased. The name “Cloverdale” was chosen as the name for the spread-out community. Said to have had as many as two hundred residents at one time, the town had a general store (built in 1918), post office, blacksmith shop, school and cemetery. A stage line ran from Cloverdale to Animas.
In 1902 and 1903 the area suffered a severe drought, according to the oral interview of a former resident, George Pendleton. His parents, Thomas Maynard and Eva May Bass Pendleton (see yesterday’s Tombstone Tuesday article on the Bass family), had married in Carlsbad in 1912 and moved to the area in 1914. In 1912 the post office was established, making it the southwestern-most in the state of New Mexico. More on the Pendleton family in a future article.
Beginning in 1913 the Cloverdale community held an annual camp meeting and picnic, drawing large crowds of ranchers and area residents. As mentioned in yesterday’s Tombstone Tuesday article about the Bass family, the Mexican Revolution brought the likes of Pancho Villa to the area, as well as General Jack Pershing who pursued Villa in 1916. Such characters as the Clantons of OK Corral fame and Geronimo also roamed the area and made history in that part of the world.
The annual picnic continued to be held until 1962, although by 1943 the community had declined and the post office was closed. All that remains today is the deserted general store, a flagstone house belonging to Henry Sanford (see next week’s Tombstone Tuesday article for more on Henry) and the remnants of a dance floor.
I found several stories about the Bootheel of New Mexico and Cloverdale which are fascinating, so watch for future articles about Cloverdale and the surrounding area – Military History, Wild West, Ranching History (a new article theme coming soon), as well as more Tombstone Tuesday articles on settlers who came in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s (Cousin Randy told me he saw another cemetery in the area!)
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Thanks for stopping by!
I was so excited to see my grandmother in the school picture! She had a copy of it and I remember it so well!
Hello,
I came across an old photo album of Cloverdale New Mexico. It has a number of different pictures showing the post office and the school. I was wondering if you had any information regarding the Reynolds family? They are in the majority of the photos taken. Thank you for your time and i hope to hear from you soon.
I came across an old photo album of Cloverdale New Mexico. It has a number of different pictures showing the post office and the school. I was wondering if you had any information regarding the Reynolds family? They are in the majority of the photos taken. Thank you for your time and i hope to hear from you soon.
Reply
Sharon Hall on August 2, 2015 at 12:47 am
What were some of their names?
oh yes,thanks for ask, georgina , jackelin,josefine,felix,
Sorry … I didn’t run across any of those names when researching the story.
Thank you
My family is Robertson
Cloverdale is mentioned in Cormac McCarthy’s book The Crossing
Thanks for stopping by … glad you enjoyed the article.
where are the other articles of the last paragraph
Does anyone remember Lucille Corbet who taught there and had a harmonica band?
does anyone remember the family Reynolds from the early 1900s?
My mother, Miriam Best Churchyard, taught elementary school at Cloverdale in the mid 1930’s. Does anybody have any memories or information about her?
My great grandfather and great grandmother are buried in Cloverdale. John T Clark(1922) and Charity Ann Clark(1933]
Have you been to Cloverdale?
We made a trip in January 2018 to the Badlands of New Mexico and I put flowers on Charities grave. Took lots of pictures. Cloverdale is 5 miles north of the Mexican border and 7 miles east of the Arizona border
There’s information on the Hidalgo County New Mexico website. Under the tab about; cemeteries; Cloverdale;
Animas is 60 miles north of the US/Mex Border. The Ghost Town of Cloverdale is 40 miles south of Animas. So…it’s about 20 miles north of the Mex Border by my reckoning, not 5 miles, and I suck at math, lol.
Also, it’s a bit further than 7 miles to the Az border! I’m thinking that it’s about 30 miles over the Peloncillos on the Geronimo Trail from NM to Az, and could be a bit further. I’ve been on Cloverdale Road and the Geronimo Trail turnoff to Douglas, Az. I have plans to travel the Geronimo Trail which winds thru the Coronado National Forest and the ruggedly beautiful Peloncillo Mts. Geronimo Trail is perilously close to the US/Mex Border and I have been told that there are hiking trails out there favored by Illegals and some people you don’t want to meet up with in a lonely area. But I have a yen to see the Peloncillos up close and personal. Happy Trails.
I used google earth pro to measure the distance. I stand by my estimares. We traveled from Douglas,az along the Geronimo Trail. It was about fifty miles from Douglas to Cloverdale.
I’m doing some research into my family ancestry which my last name is Lamkin. Charlie Cecil Lamkin is my grandfather and Ola Lois Sinclair is my grandmother on my father’s side. They lived in Vinson and Hollis Oklahoma. I have just found out that on my grandma’s side of the family her parents are White then Reynolds. I’m curious for any information. My grandparents lived around the Hagerman NM and Roswell NM area up till they passed away in 1979 & 1982. Thanks again for the cool historical data about this territory and it’s Old Settler’s.
Megan Calderon (Lamkin)
Thanks for stopping by. While I don’t remember running across any of the names you mentioned, I am a genealogist and help people with “brick walls”. Should you need some additional help, please email me at seh@digging-history.com.
How can I get to the Henry Sanford article. He was my great, great uncle.
Paul, thanks for stopping by. This article was written over five years ago and I don’t recall why, but I decided to do another article the following week and then forgot about Henry it appears. I do have plans to do an issue of Digging History Magazine featuring the state of New Mexico so I’m sure I’ll be updating this story and adding Henry’s. Beginning in January 2018 I transitioned to a digital magazine (PDF), available by subscription or single issue purchase. Currently the magazine is a bi-monthly publication and subscriptions are available by three options. Here’s the store link: https://digging-history.com/digging-history-magazine/. Select “Free Samples” and you may download two full issues if you care to check it out.
Thank you. Henry Sanford spent a large portion of his life here in Elbow Lake, MN. As he aged he began to have lung problems and his doctor recommended he move to a drier climate. He sold his land holdings here and bought a ranch at Cloverdale, NM. We have quite a bit of history about him. He eventually died on the road between Animas and Cloverdale by a large cask of lye he was transporting rolling over on him and pinning him (a horse drawn wagon accident). Paul Sanford
Thank you for the information. I will definitely save this for the (eventual) article. Again, thanks for stopping by and supporting the blog!
I love this kind of stuff. Thanks for researching it.
Glad you enjoyed the article .. thanks for stopping by!
My Great uncle Levi Lloyd is buried in the cemetery there in Cloverdale. He was a cowboy. He and another, trailed some stolen beefs into Mexico, and in the “difference of opinion” that transpired, my Great uncle was shot to death. His body was was recovered some two days after, and he was interred there in Cloverdale.
How interesting! Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I’d love to know more about your great uncle. Sometime this year (not sure of schedule) I’ll be publishing an issue of Digging History Magazine featuring New Mexico history. I plan to use the Cloverdale ghost town article and refresh it with new stories. I’d love to include any stories you might have to share. Contact me directly at seh@digging-history.com.
My grandmother’s side the “Bass family” homesteaded from Carlsbad to Cloverdale. My grandfather, Johnny Stewart, whose ranch ended up with 2nd cousin George Pendleton, Eva Pendleton’s son later sold ranch to a heir to Anheiser Busch. I have alot of great memories going deer hunting at the ranch.
Debra, thanks for stopping by! I will be publishing an issue of Digging History Magazine which will feature this article (enhanced significantly), as well as others which highlight New Mexico’s history.
I only recently learned that my Great Uncle lived in Cloverdale, and was killed by rustlers he and another cowboy trailed across the border. Haven’t gotten down there to visit, but plan on it soon.
Michael, thanks for stopping by! If there’s a story, please feel free to share. I want to “bulk up” this article with memories and history!
My great-grandfather and great-grandmother, John T Clark and Charity Ann Clark, are buried at the Cloverdale Cemetery. John in 1922 and Charity in 1933. Visited the cemetery in January 2018. Must get permission from Diamond A ranch. The cemetery is on their land they maintain it well. My great grandfather’s son, my grandfather, was married in Cloverdale in 1914. I have their marriage certificate.
Hello Michael my great-grandfather, John T Clark, was a cowboy in Cloverdale. Passed away in 1922. He also was known crossing the border and spending time in Mexico. Spoke fluent Spanish. My name is John T Clark, I live in Tucson Arizona.
My G/uncle Levi Lloyd cowboyed for one of the local ranches there. He and another cowboy trailed some stolen cattle into Mexico, and were killed. Their bodies were unable to be recovered until two days later. This was in March 1913. He’s buried in the Cloverdale Cemetery, as is his wife Marguerite (Sanford) Robertson (she remarried), and his daughter Sylvia M. Lloyd. His Parents are buried here in Eden, Texas (where I live). Never heard this story growing up. Wasn’t spoken of. It explains why my uncles didn’t care for Mexicans much.
Sharon, thank you very much for the information on the magazine. I surely will subscribe! Debra Tanner
Debra, so glad to hear you’d like to subscribe. If you need help with signing up, let me know. I plan a rewrite/expansion of the Cloverdale article for the July-August issue which will feature the great state of New Mexico!
Cloverdale
About 15 years ago I spent about three hours in Cloverdale. I rode there from Animas, with a friend named Jim Harris,
Who is the director of the Lea County Museum, in Lovington, New Mexico. I think the ride was some fifty miles on very isolated dirt and gravel road.
I was excited to be in Cloverdale because it is where events in the Cormac McCarthy novel The Crossing begin, a novel I’d recently read.
Soon after we got to Cloverdale we met a husband and wife who lived there, and mentioned their daughter and her family lived “down the road,” a distance from this couple, who may have been the owners of the Diamond T ranch, mentioned in a reply, though I’m not certain about that. First we met the wife, and I recall riding with her in the cab of a pickup, with a calf that had strayed from its place. She invited us into their home where we met her husband, and while we were having coffee, or maybe even a bite to eat, they mentioned a distrust of, or even a disliking for environmentalists. They were very hospitable, gracious hosts, and Jim and I very much enjoyed visiting them.
My impression, or recollection is that Cloverdale is set in a big valley. It was at the time green, and spacious. One of the most unique places I’ve ever visited.
Thanks, Pete for stopping by and sharing!