Artesia

When the water gave out, oil came in. In 1924, after two dry holes, Martin Yates and his partners drilled a third well at a site his wife, Mary, is said to have chosen, and the Illinois No. 3 came in as the first commercial oil well on state land in New Mexico. It opened the Artesia field and pointed the way into the Permian Basin. The Navajo Refinery, the state's largest, still stands at First and Main, and the Derrick Floor sculpture downtown honors the crews.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Artesia Population 10,385 - Elevation 3,350 Artesia, named for the area's many artesian wells, lies on the route of the Pecos Valley cattle trails used by Charles Goodnight, Oliver Loving, and John S. Chisum. The town, established in 1903, is located in what was once part of Chisum's vast cattle empire.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park — 21 mi
  A zoo and garden of the Chihuahuan Desert on the Ocotillo Hills above Carlsbad, whose animals are injured or orphaned wildlife that cannot go back to the wild.

More markers nearby

• Seven Rivers Cemetery — steps away
• Castaño de Sosa's Route — 6.0 mi
• Sallie Chisum Robert — 8.9 mi
• Artesia — 12 mi