Sallie Chisum Robert

The diaries the panel mentions date from 1908 to 1929. Sallie married William Robert in 1880; when the Chisum properties failed they divorced, and he left for his ranch in Kansas with their two sons, whom she never saw again. Her orchards near Roswell were known as the Oasis in the Desert, and when a post office came to the siding that became Artesia it took the name of her second husband, Stegman, with her as its first postmistress. She died in 1936.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Sallie Chisum Robert "First Lady of Artesia" 1858-1936 Sallie was 19 when she arrived from Texas at her Uncle John Chisum's Jinglebob Land and Livestock Company ranch south of Roswell. Her ranching skills rivaled those of the cowboys she joined driving cattle up her uncle's Goodnight-Loving Trail to Colorado. She and her second husband opened the first post office and reading room in what became Artesia. Her landholdings are part of Artesia's original townsite and include the site of her cast- stone house where she raised many orphans. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Some of her diaries are preserved at the Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center. They include entries about her uncle, Billy the kid, the Regulators, and the Lincoln County war.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Castaño de Sosa's Route — 3.9 mi
• Artesia — 5.5 mi
• Artesia — 8.9 mi
• Seven Rivers Cemetery — 8.9 mi