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'HERITAGE WALKWAY',
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'Artesia Main Street is an economically active and energetic historic downtown. People enjoy Artesia because it is an attractive, clean, shaded, pedestrian-friendly place to live, visit, shop and work.
Take a sneak peek of our Walking Tour from your computer then join us to see it all in person!'
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'NAVAJO REFINERY',
'East Main Street',
'Navajo Refinery purchased Continental Oil Company in 1969. The refinery currently sits on 130 acres of land encompassing catalytic crackers and crude, asphalt hydrodesulfurization, catalytic reforming, alkylation and sulfur units. Along with the Navajo plant in Lovington, New Mexico, east of Artesia, Navajo processes in excess of 60,000 barrels of oil and 2.52 million gallons of gas per day, and pays more than $428 million yearly to area crude oil owners.'
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'FIRST LADY OF ARTESIA MONUMENT',
'South Third and West Main Streets',
'The niece of famed cattleman John Chisum, Sallie Chisum settled in Artesia in 1890, where her ambition and fierce independence led her into many endeavors. She was one of the first traders in the real estate market in Artesia, established and operated Artesia\'s first post office and ran a boarding house. She was known as Angel of Mercy to the townspeople during her years in the Artesia area. Her accomplishments as an entrepreneur, developer and woman led her to be known posthumously as First Lady of Artesia. She left Artesia in 1919, and died in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1934. The monument was unveiled on July 26, 2003, and dedicated to the spirit of the pioneer woman. Maquettes of this monument are available for purchase. See our "History in Bronze" pages for more information.'
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'OCOTILLO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER',
'310 West Main Street',
'The Ocotillo was constructed in 1935 as a movie theater. In 1965 it was converted into a cafeteria which was in business until 2001. The building has returned to it’s roots in entertainment as the non-profit Artesia Arts Council has finished a full-scale renovation.The Ocotillo Performing Arts Center was dedicated in late 2008, and now boasts a full year of performances, workshops, childrens activities and special events. Please visit"www.artesiaartscouncil.com" for more information.'
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'HERITAGE WALKWAY',
'320 West Main Street',
'This once forlorn walkway gained new life in 1976 when murals on the east and west walls were painted as a Bicentennial project of Artesia Junior Women’s Club. In 1999, Artesia MainStreet began renovating the area, including the installation of the water fountain series and thousands of hand-crafted tiles created by ceramics artist Shel Neymark of Embudo, New Mexico. The original murals were retouched with improved paints, and new gates were created and installed by welder and artist Debbie Rottman of Carlsbad, New Mexico. In 2004, a third mural was added on the north end of the Walkway.'
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'BASKIN BUILDING',
'332 W. Main',
'Construction on the Baskin Building was completed in 1905. The building was constructed of artificial stone blocks, which are actually molded concrete blocks with a textured face to make the blocks look like cut stone. The building originally housed a hotel and tavern— or "sample room"— and restaurant, with offices to let upstairs. While many businesses have occupied the building over the years, the Wellhead Restaurant & Brewpub was opened in 2000 after extensive interior remodeling, thus bringing the building\'s original use as a "sample room" full circle. The building was entered into the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in 1987 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. '
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'YATES COMPLEX',
'102 South Fourth Street',
'Yates Petroleum Corp. is a local, family-operated oil and gas company that occupies three buildings on one block of Fourth Street south of Main Street. The newest building on the west corner of Fourth and Main streets was constructed in 2001. Sky bridges connect the new building to other Yates offices in the Carper and Booker buildings, which were built in the 1940s.'
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'LAND OF THE SUN MOVIE THEATER ',
'418 West Main Street',
'The Land of the Sun Theater – often called the Landsun – opened on August 14, 1947. In 2001 Carmike Cinemas renovated the interior while Artesia MainStreet restored the façade. At present the theater continues to show first-run films and sell admittance tickets for just $4.00.'
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'ARTESIA HISTORICAL MUSEUM & ART CENTER',
'505 West Richardson Avenue',
'The home was built for Charles and Anna Moore in 1904-05. The cobblestones came from the Penasco River – it is a decorative façade with a wooden frame underneath. The Moores sold the house to the S. S. Ward family in 1906. When Mrs. Ward passed away in 1967, her heirs gave the house to the City for a museum. Artesia Historical Museum opened in 1970 and the art annex next door in 1973. The house was listed on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.'
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'DERRICK FLOOR & OILFIELD PIONEER MONUMENTS',
'South Sixth and West Main Streets',
'DERRICK FLOOR - The Derrick Floor is a bronze artistic representation of a four-man crew on a drilling rig. The drilling rig is a 100% life-size sculpture cut off at approximately 34 feet in height. The importance of the piece lies not in the equipment, but in the men who built the oil patch; therefore the four men in the crew are 125% life size. The Derrick Floor was dedicated on April 24, 2004 "to the men and women who take the risks and do the work to find, produce and refine New Mexico oil and gas." But, the scene depicted on The Derrick Floor may be seen in any oil-producing region around the country and is meant to relay the message that the work is difficult, yet vital to the American way of life. Maquettes of this monument are available for purchase. See our "History in Bronze" pages for more information.'
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'DERRICK FLOOR & OILFIELD PIONEER MONUMENTS',
'South Sixth and West Main Streets',
'PARTNERS – Mack Chase and Johnny Gray are captured leaning on the hood of a pick-up, typical of the way in which they made many of their deals. After meeting up in the Artesia-area oil patch, the two decided to go into business together in 1972. Their oil and gas operating company was a growing success for 20 years. In 1992, Chase and Gray opted to dissolve the partnership to pursue individual business interests. In 2005, both companies were among the top 10 oil producers working in New Mexico. Johnny Gray died in 2001. His children maintain his business. Mack Chase continues to operate his business.'
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'DERRICK FLOOR & OILFIELD PIONEER MONUMENTS',
'South Sixth and West Main Streets',
'PIONEERING ENDURANCE – Born in 1880, Van Stratton Welch was already considered a pioneer in oilfield drilling before he ventured to New Mexico in 1923. He became part of the partnership – Flynn Welch Yates – that drilled the Illinois #3, making history and signaling the beginning of a very successful oilfield industry in southeastern New Mexico. Mr. Welch settled with his family in Artesia where he continued to explore in New Mexico and elsewhere until his death in 1969.'
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'DERRICK FLOOR & OILFIELD PIONEER MONUMENTS',
'South Sixth and West Main Streets',
'WOMAN\'S INTUITION – Martin Yates was part of the partnership that was responsible for the Illinois #3. The oil sand, or "pay," was drilled into on April 9, 1924, after two unsuccessful attempts. Geologist V. H. McNutt, after the two failures, would not specify a third site. The decision was passed on to Martin, who, in turn, elected for a woman’s intuition, asking his wife, Mary, to pick the site, and she did. The rest is history. Mr. and Mrs. Yates died in the late 1940s. Their children and grandchildren still run the company that grew out of the 1924 pay. Since 1924, Southeast New Mexico has produced approximately 3.9 billion barrels of oil and 20.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas out of tens of thousands of wells.'
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'TOWN CLOCK ',
'South Seventh and West Main Streets',
'This clock tower was installed in 2002 as a donation to the City of Artesia by a local private businessman, Ralph Nix. The electronic chime system is located inside the offices of Mr. Nix, next to the clock. The chimes play dozens of tunes, including the local Bulldog fight song. The clock\'s time is adjusted atomically several times throughout the day to ensure that the reading is always accurate. The clock features the year 1905, the date the City of Artesia was officially incorporated.'
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'CENTRAL PARK',
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'Artesia Improvement Co. donated the land for a city park in 1906. In 1937, the corner pillars and stone walkways to the center of the park were added as a WPA project. The park continues to be used as a popular location for many downtown events.'
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'ARTESIA\'S HISTORIC HOMES',
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'Tired of walking? Hop in the car and enjoy our Windshield Tour. You’ll see eight homes constructed between 1903 and 1910, using rusticated concrete blocks, also called "rock face" artificial stones. The blocks were manufactured locally by various contractors and were quite popular due to the shortage and expense of other building material. These houses were place on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1984.'
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'HISTORIC TRAIN DEPOT / ARTESIA VISITORS CENTER',
'107 North First Street',
'The railroad opened up to this area in 1894. The original depot was a wooden-frame structure built in 1897. The depot was restored in 2000 for use as a Visitors Center and new construction was added for Chamber offices.'
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'CATTLE DRIVE TOUR',
'First & Main',
'THE TRAIL BOSS - The monumental bronze sculpture was creaed by Vic Payne and unveiled in March 2007 as the first in the series. The Trail Boss would have been the man in charge. Often an owner of a small herd, he may have pushed small herds owned by others for a fee. In this scene, the Trail Boss has been called into action by The Vaquero.'
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'CATTLE DRIVE TOUR',
'Second & Main',
'THE VAQUERO - Vaquero is Spanish for cowboy. Hispanics of the era were knwon for their skills as cowboys and the influence is evident today in many Spanish-based words used for cowboy equipment, such as chaps, lariat and others. In this scene, The Vaquero has spotted a rustler trying to steal cattle from the drive. The Vaquero was created by Mike Hamby and unveiled in May 2008.'
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'CATTLE DRIVE TOUR',
'Second & Texas',
'THE RUSTLER - The Rustler was a personality common in the Wild West, some well known, such as Billy the Kid, who traveled this area frequently. A rustler would steal cattle from a heard, alter the brand, and claim them as his own to sell. In this scene, the Rustler has the calf down and is preparing to alter the brand, but realizes he has been spotted and is preparing for a gun battle. The Rustler was created by Robert Summers and unveiled in July 2009. Could this be Bill the Kid?'
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'DOWNTOWN ARTESIA',
' ',
"Artesia has been built on a public-private partnership and continues to pave the way for creative and exciting ways to get things done with government and residents working hand in hand.
Artesia MainStreet, Inc., a non-profit grassroots downtown revitalization organization, has worked vigorously since 1997 to improve downtown Artesia for its residents. In the first decade of its existence. Artesia MainStreet invested more than $6 million into renovation and public art projects that have injected a new life into the area. The City of Artesia and Artesia Chamber of Commerce have worked side by side with MainStreet to deveolp and support community revitalization and continue to do so well into the second decade of MainStreet's existence"
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