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Cattle Industry

Cattlemen who founded Folsom in 1888 had little idea that man had been on these vast plains long before them. The new town prospered and grew, just missing becoming the seat of Colfax County in 1890. Raton won the hoor of county seat, 35 miles away. Later on, Folsom almost became the county seat of Union County, when it was created from Colfax, Mora and San Miguel.

By 1908, Folsom had a population of 750 and would likely have grown much larger if a flood on the Dry Cimarron of 1908 had not virtually destroyed the town.

Today, Folsom still survives as cattlemen raise herds on the beautiful surrounding rangelands. Beef cattle are the main industry with large ranches of Hereford, Black Angus and mixed breeding cattle. Herefords remain the most popular breed for cow-calf operations, with most steer operations being mixed breeds.

This area is semi-arid, receiving about 12 inches of rainfall annually. Some irrigation is done along the Dry Cimarron River, with alfalfa and vega hay being raised. The main native grasses are gramma and blue stem; both are high in protein because of the iron mineral deposits caused by lava flow from Capulin Volcano.

The Cross L Ranch

One of the greatest ranches of the west, the Cross L was founded by three brothers - Nathan, Jim and William Hall. In 1851 they moved with their father from Tennessee to Caldwell County, Texas and then to the San Saba country at Richland Springs. They learned the cattle business on the ranch their father established. In 1868, they came across the beautiful valley of the Dry Cimarron while traveling on the Goodnight-Loving Trail with a herd of cattle. They decided to one day establish their home in the Dry Cimarron Valley.

In 1871, the htree young men bought a herd of 2,599 cows, paying $7.00 per head, with the calves thrown in. Heading for the Dry Cimarron, they crossed the Pecos at Horsehead Crossing and drove up the Goodnight Trail with Bill Hall in charge of the horses and wagons. Once across the Canadian River, they were close to the Dry Cimarron and the valley with one of the best stands of grass anywhere in this part of the world. The spot they chose was then unsurveyed land. TOday it is described as Section 22, Township 35, North Range 35 East, New Mexico Meridian. It is located 30 miles northeast of Capulin Mountain, 160 miles south of Las Animas, Colorado and 65 miles from Trinidad, Colorado.

Downstream on the Dry Cimarron, in what is today the Oklahoma Panhandle, then known as the Neutral Strip, Jose Vencente and Benito Baca were raising sheep. They had trailed their sheep from Las Vegas, New Mexico. In 1874, Sam Doss and D. L. Taylor of Trinidad bought the Baca claims. The sheep were driven to other areas and Doss and Taylor began what became the Western Land & Cattle Company. The Peacock brothers had settled several miles downstream from the Hall brothers.

Part of where the Hall brothers chose to settle was claimed by Jim Roberts from England. The Halls gave him 150 cows for his claim. On July 4, 1876 Jim Roberts was killed in an Indian raid on the Corrumpa, twenty-five miles south of the Dry Cimarron; he was buried there.

The Halls began to build on their property, establishing a sub-ranch at Buffalo Springs. The following year they sold the calves that had come with the herd, for $14.00 each. The proceeds were used to purchase more cattle. By 1881, careful breeding had produced a herd of cattle that showed little or no trace of the original Longhorn breed.

From 1871 to 1881, through squatter's rights, they obtained miles of the CImarron Valley and constructed dams and irrigation ditches, planted alfalfa, built homes for themselves and their ment, and built stables and corrals. In 1873, the 'Whitehouse' was built for themselves, and still stands today. THis is the same home Nathan Hall brought his wife to; he had been engaged to be married before leaving Richland Springs.

In 1879, Jim Hall decided to find a site of his own while land was still available. His brothers bought him out for $100,000.00. He purchased cattle from his brothers and settled in Dickens County, Texas, with a brand called the Spur. He established headquarters down below the Matador on Red Mud Creek.

The Halls were founders of two of the greatest cattle kingdoms in the west - the Cross L of New Mexico and the Spur in Texas.

Rustlers - and the Killing of a Deputy Sheriff

In May 1909, the Union County Sheriff arrested an individual by the name of Hamilton, who was suspected of ebing a horse thief. Taken to the Clayton jail, Hamilton implicated several other individuals in the theft of livestock. One of those implicated was a rancher by the name of George Jamieson, whose ranch was located at Palo Blanco, about 12 miles southwest of Capulin.

James I. Kent, the resident Deputy Sheriff of Folsom, formed a posse as ordered, and proceeded to the Jamieson Ranch to arrest George Jamieson and his brothers for horse stealing. This posse consisted of Kent, Isham WIlliams, Gay Mellon and Will Potts. Arriving at the Jamieson Ranch at 2 a.m., the lawmen secreted themselves in a barn until daylight. At dawn, the posse stormed the ranch house demanding the surrender of the Jamiesons. The ensuing gunfight killed James Kent instantly, and wounded Isham Williams.

Guy Mellon took Williams to the King Ranch, about 14 miles away, where he was placed in a wagon and driven 25 miles to Folsom. He was then loaded on a train and taken to Trinidad for treatment. Williams recovered in spite of the rough traveling involved.

The Jamiesons were arrested, taken to Chico, New Mexico and charged with horse stealing and the murder of James Kent. Due to lack of evidence, they were found not guilty on the horse thief charge. SInce a man had the right to protect himself when attacked in the dim light of dawn, the killing of Kent was termed "self-defense."