Discovery of oil in Lea County was likened to rain in the middle of a drought.
Local ranching communities, that had suffered from the years of drought and dwindling populations, large ranches were being replaced by smaller ranches and communities that had flourished in the period of 1894-1925 had all but vanished.
Across the state line in Texas, oil had been discovered and the Black Gold was coming to New Mexico.
Near the small ranching community of Maljamar, on a hot summer day on July 16th ,1926 oil was discovered in Lea County. The well brought in by the Maljamar Oil & Gas company, owned William Mitchell, the founder of Maljamar, was like the thunderstorms that race across the prairie bringing both fire and water to the area. The range fire which raced across the county, destroying the Cowboy way of life, then the rain, cooling the hot ambers and providing, the much needed money and growth required for the county to survive, especially through the Great Depression of 1929, that was just around the corner.
The company histories listed below are just a few of the many companies that moved into Lea County, providing jobs, growth and a way of living for thousands of oilfield hands.
Amerada Petroleum Corp
Continental Gas Company
Gulf Oil Corp
Humble Oil Company
Magnolia Petroleum Company
Northern Natural Gas
Phillips Petroleum
Repallo Oil Company
Stanoloid Oil & Gas
Texas Production Company
Tidewater Oil Company
West Texas Oil Company
Windmill Oil Company
Note: If you have pictures or information regarding these companies and their employees that you would like included in this site, please contact the county host.