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JAL FUNDATION

Jal. NM. FUNDATION


Jal, New Mexico is a thriving community in the arid southeastern corner of the state. Although Native Americans had traversed the area for many years, going from one hunting ground to another, the almost total lack of surface water made permanent settlement difficult, if not impossible.

When the Cowden Brothers of Palo Pinto County, Texas brought cattle to the area around 1883, they started a new chapter in the history of the region. They had purchased a herd of cattle from William Cowden’s father-in-law, James Alonzo “Lon” Edwards. The cattle carried the JAL brand, the rights to which were also purchased from Edwards. 


The brand consisted of a “J” on the left shoulder of the cow, an “A” minus the crossbar on the midsection, and an “L” on the left hip. This large brand was easily visible, and the cattle came to be known as “the JAL’s”, while the cowboys that worked them became known as the “JAL Cowboys” or the “JAL Outfit”. The Cowdens registered their JAL brand in in Midland County, Texas, and made their ranch headquarters in Monument Draw, six miles east of the current town. The Jal Historical Society & Museum, Inc. now owns the rights to that brand in New Mexico, having registered it with the New Mexico Livestock Board in 2004.
The Cowdens had their cowboys dig water wells across their range in order to keep their cattle watered. One of those watering places was Muleshoe Wells, near the current intersection of New Mexico Highways 18 and 128.

As homesteaders moved into the territory, a merchant who had set up a store near the JAL Ranch headquarters saw the need for a post office. Charles Justis applied to the government, and among the names submitted was “Jal”. It was this name which the postal service selected and in 1913 the first post office was begun some six miles east of the present-day city of Jal.

In 1916, with a drought plaguing the region, Justis felt the time had come to move his store and post office to a location with more readily available water. He selected Muleshoe Wells, and Jal—in its present location—was born.

Although its roots are in ranching, the discovery of oil in 1926 created a boomtown that briefly numbered nearly 9,000 people. Along with the oil came natural gas, and in 1927, oilman H.G. Frost and a Houston, Texas attorney named Paul Kayser created El Paso Natural Gas Company (EPNG) to supply the city of El Paso with natural gas. Knowing that there was gas available at wells in Jal, Frost and Kayser established the company’s headquarters south of Jal. Soon, pipelines were laid across the desert to El Paso. As the company grew and expanded its markets throughout the country, so much natural gas passed through the pipelines that Jal became known as the “Gas Capitol of the World”. EPNG would eventually become one of the largest natural gas transmission companies in the world, and would venture into foreign markets, even operating a fleet of ocean-going tankers to transport liquefied natural gas from Algeria to the U.S. 

During this time, the population of Jal settled at approximately, 3,000-3,500 people. However, with the downturn in the oil and gas industry during the 1980’s, EPNG eventually moved many of its employees, and the population dropped to a low of about 1800 before rebounding following a series of oil booms.

Today, Jal is an active, growing community. Jal schools are noted for their academic and athletic achievements, boasting many state championships in various sports. Jal grads have gone on to important roles in business, industry, and entertainment throughout the country. One such person is golfing great Kathy Whitworth, who was the first female golfer to win a million dollars, and who has won more professional tournaments than any other golfer—man or woman. 

Jal is also home to numerous churches, parks and businesses. Among Jal’s current attractions are the Woolworth Community Library, Jal Lake Park, and “The Trail Ahead…” metal sculpture.

The Woolworth Library is an outstanding facility that features an auditorium and meeting room, kitchen facility and classroom in addition to the thousands of fiction and nonfiction volumes, books on CDs and DVDs, and computers with high-speed internet connections.

Jal Lake Park is a 10-acre recreational area that includes a lake that spells the name of the town! It also features covered picnic pavilions, playground equipment, basketball courts, ducks, geese and year-round fishing. “The Trail Ahead…” is a 400-foot-long metal sculpture that honors the ranching heritage of the area. It features 17 silhouettes of cowboys on horseback herding cattle. The tallest figure is over twenty feet tall, and all of the figures are made from quarter-inch steel plate supported by oilfield pipe. The sculpture was a central part of the exhibit, “SoQ: Contemporary Art in Southeastern New Mexico” at the New Mexico Museum of Fine Art from January through April 2004. It has drawn visitors from Japan, Germany and Switzerland, as well as from across the United States.

Today, Jal is growing to meet the future while honoring over one hundred years of achievement with the same proud spirit that befits our motto: “Small Town, Big Heart!”


JAL EARLY DAYS

  • 1880's: Thomas and Leeann Beckham begin homesteading and ranching about seven miles southwest of Jal. Their sons W. L. (Bill) and J. A. (Mont) split the ranch and move their headquarters a short distance from the original homestead in 1915. Bill's ranch later becomes the Anthony ranch, while Mont's ranch continues today as the Beckham Ranch, Incorporated, principally through his son Monteray (Sam) and his (Sam's) son Monteray (Monty) Jr. TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 15; Sarah Rebecca Smith, LCGS, 1984, p. 181; Sammie Beckham, LCGS, 1984, p. 200-201; Bill J. Beckham, LCGS, 1984, p. 250-251).
  • 1880's ?: John Albert (Jack) and Nancy (Beasley) Lawrence settle in southeast New Mexico Territory. In 1881, they sell their ranch and brand (J.A.L.) to the Cowden Cattle Company. Kit Manis, LCGS, 1984, P. 118.
  • 1883: Walter Colquitt Cochran moves to "Jal Ranch" in 1883. He establishes ranching operations in Monument Draw, coming from Palo Pinto County, Texas. TJF, 07 March 1939, Vol. 1, No. 29A, p. 5.
  • 1885: Walter C. Cochran moves his ranching operations to the future permanent location of the city of Jal. [Author note: This location is about 0.25 miles northwest of the present-day intersection of Highways 128 and 18 in a small grove of Hackberry trees. The site later comes to be known as Muleshoe Watering and Hackberry Draw, taking its name in part from the Muleshoe cattle brand of the Cochran Ranch]. TJF, 07 March 1939, Vol. 1, No. 29A, and Waters (1953).
  • PRE-1886: John A. Lynch establishes an open-range cattle ranch in southeast New Mexico territory and west Texas. Ranch headquarters are in Monument Draw, about six miles east of present-day Jal. Lynch uses his initials as his cattle brand J A L. A. Q. Cooper, TJF, 1939, Vol.1, No. 29A, p. 3; Hinshaw, 1984; Seidman and Seidman, 1992; Sarah Rebecca Smith, 1984, p. 176-194; Raymond F. Waters, HDNS, 01 Nov. 1954, p. 1, 5).
  • 1886: Cowden Brothers of Midland, Texas purchase the John A. Lynch cattle and brand of J A L. They establish ranch headquarters at the Lynch ranch HQ in Monument Draw or build their own ranch headquarters in the area. Other sources of the J A L brand (and name for the community) are: Pettit, 2006; TJF, Vol. 1, No. 29A, p. 3; Sarah Rebecca Smith, LCGS, 1984, p. 176-179; TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 2, 4; TJR, 22 September 1966, Vol. 16, No. 52, Sec. 1, p. 1; Kit Manis, LCGS, 1984, p. 118; and Julyan, 1998, p. 175-176. [Author note: In my research, most authors attribute the origin of the J A L brand to John A. Lynch, but Dave Goin's data (last paragraph this chronology), and Michael Pettit's book and others do not support this view. We know that the J A L brand was registered in Midland County, Texas in 1895 by Geo. E. and J. M. Cowden (see below), and presumably, it was brought to southeast New Mexico. Did John A. Lynch ever make it to New Mexico as A. Q. Cooper states? Pettit (p. 133) and others suggest that James Alonzo Edwards is the J A L brand source. Edwards did register a JAL brand in Palo Pinto County, Texas, but so did several others. Manis asserts that her father John Albert Lawrence is the brand's origin. Two problems arise with this evidence. One, she shows the brand as follows J.A.L. with periods after each letter, and two, she states that the Cowdens named Jal after/from Lawrence's brand. I have found no evidence to support either of these comments. Further, no J A (no crossbar) L brand has been registered in either the Jal area or broader New Mexico (Vander Laan and Fleming, 1988). Thus, the precise origin of the Jal brand remains a mystery. A search of the brands registered in all counties between Palo Pinto County, Texas and southeast New Mexico might offer clues. A Jal brand of sorts is registered in the New Mexico Brand book by Jo Ann Brininstool with the three letters connected, the brand vertical, the A crossed, and a lower right backstroke (Laan and Fleming, 1988, p. 142). In summary, several photographs exist of the "JAL Outfit" cowboys and herds, but none available to this writer show a cow with the brand splayed across its entire left side. Lastly, it is not clear to me why any rancher would brand his cattle with letters on the animal's side of the size said to represent the J A L brand; namely, occupying the bulk of the cow's left side? Of the Palo Pinto County, TX records shown below the J. A. Edwards cattle brand shows no location, J. A. Lynch is left hip, and the four other JAL cattle brands – J. L. Whitley, Wm. W. Rose, M. E. Rose, and C. M. Rose are all on the left side, but with no specific location or brand size.]
  • 1895: Shown below is the Jal brand registered by Geo. E. and J. M. Cowden at Midland, Midland County, Texas. Sarah Rebecca Smith, LCGS, 1984, P. 178.


  • 1897: Colonel C. W. Merchant and J. H. Parramore purchase the TAX Ranch from Frances (Frank) Divers, who had previously bought the property temporarily called the Dug Springs Ranch from buffalo hunters Louis and Guyat Faulkner. Parramore and Merchant stock the ranch with cattle from their herds on the San Simon River, Arizona. In 1901, the two men terminate their partnership, at which time Merchant assumes ownership of the broad, open-range New Mexico lands. Merchant establishes ranch headquarters close to the site of the original springs purchase, which is about 17 miles northwest of Jal. In 1911, he incorporates the ranching operation as C. W. Merchant and Sons, Inc. and shortly thereafter as the Merchant Livestock Company. The ranch has been known generally as the San Simon, apparently taking its name after the River in Arizona. It sits in an oblong, northwest-trending depression or swale of about twelve-miles length and a nearby parallel ridge portrayed on some topographic and geographic maps of the area. Geologically, a swale, is a slight linear depression in generally flat terrain. Bates and Jackson, 1980; Sarah Rebecca Smith, LCGS, 1984, p. 179-180; Merchant, 1975; Burdett and others, 1990, p. 110-111; TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 8; and USGS, 1978.
  • Early 1900's: A school is established in Monument Draw, six miles east of the future city of Jal at the site of the Cowden or Jal ranch. The school takes the name of Jal, probably about 1910 at the same time the post office is designated Jal at this locality. The teacher at this school, and possibly the only one, is a man by the name of Dave Curry. The school has seven to eight children originally. Jordan and others 1991, p. 81-88; Hobbs Daily News-Sun, 08 May 1940.
  • 1902: Millard Dublin's parents, Charlie Albert Dublin and Roberta Martis Dublin move to the Jal area and purchase land about four miles southeast of the future town. Millard ranches all his life in the Jal area and is complimented by Tom Linebery "as a man you would want to ride with". TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 7.
  • 1906: Large influx of homesteaders into Lea County and Jal area. Open-range ranching begins sharp decline. Cowden Land and Cattle Company cease operations. Waters, R. F., Hobbs Daily News-Sun, 1953.
  • 1909: John Penn Combest moves to the Nadine area of Lea County with his parents and sisters. In 1916, he acquires the Deep Wells Ranch from the Cowden brothers. Known as Penn, he marries Frances Henry Stewart in 1940. Frances has two sisters in Jal, Pearl McKeown and Nell Kemp. In the early 1950's, El Paso Natural Gas Company purchases land from the Combest's on which to build their Plant No. 4. Penn's brother, Hammon, is also a well-known figure in Jal. Nell Henry Kemp, LCGS, 1984, p. 210-211.
  • 1910: James Monroe Cooper and Mary Leaora (Wyant) Cooper move with their family to southeast New Mexico from Pyote, Texas to a location about six miles north-northwest of the future town of Jal. James and Mary Leaora had ten children, and of them, one of their sons, Samual (Sam) Rose Cooper and his wife Jessie Mae (Gray) Cooper, move with their family to the Lea County locality in 1914. The small settlement, which subsequently blooms, becomes, Cooper, New Mexico, named after James Monroe and Mary Leaora Cooper (`38), the original founders. A post office (see below), several homes, a general store with fuel, a school, and a cemetery are established. Sam and Jessie remain in the community, raising eight children. Of them, Clyde and Fred become prominent ranchers in the Jal area. Rosie Eletha (Cooper) McCoy (`38) of Vernon, Texas is the only living sibling. Sam and Jessie raise livestock, chickens, and small crops on the ranch and Sam freights goods to and from Pecos, Texas for many years, together with various odds jobs which he took in the Jal area. Jessie is Postmaster of the Cooper Post Office from 1920 till 1936. Glen Gillett, LCGS, 1984, p. 15; TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 6; Fred Cooper, LCGS, 1979, p. 256-261, p. 15; Elena (Cooper) Grobe ('56), pers. comm., 2004; Rosie Eletha (Cooper) McCoy ('38), pers. comm., 2007.
  • 1910: Charles Wesley Justis and Mollie Justis establish a homestead, a store, and a post office (officially recognized in 1910) in Monument Draw, near the New Mexico territory (established 1850) and Texas state (statehood 1845) frontier. Charles and Mollie bring their four children, Hugo, Buena, Basil, and Webb with them. In 1916, the post office and store move to the community of "Jal". Eventually, the entire family moves from Jal, although later, both Hugo and Webb return to become successful businessmen and local politicians. [Author note: The date 1910 from evidence in 1947 and from the well-established Justis operation in Monument Draw, suggests that Charles Wesley and Mollie were there sometime before 1910, possibly the 1880's.]. Melba Taff, LCGS, 1984, p. 221; Julyan, 1998, p. 175-76.
  • 1910: W. F. (Bill) Scarborough begins acquiring land in Winkler County, Texas and future Lea County, New Mexico. The land holdings become The Frying Pan Ranch, which later comes under the management and ownership of the Scarborough's daughter, Evelyn, and her husband Tom Linebery. Readers of this chronology are urged to read Linebery & Friends of the Frying Pan Ranch by Jim Harris, a fine portrait of the Scarborough and Linebery families and friends. Harris, 2001; TJR, Rancher's Day Supplement, 13 June 1991, p. 5; Tom and Evelyn Linebery, LCGS, 1984, p. 252.
  • 1910: The Justis post office in Monument Draw is officially designated Jal by a "Letter, National Archives and Records Service to Mrs. Edwin W. Hogue, Subject: Dates of establishment of certain post offices in Lea County, New Mexico, March 6, 1972.
  • Post Offices Establishment Dates
    Jal July 6, 1910
    The Lovington Daily Leader, February 4, 1973.
  • ~1910: Charles W. Goedeke and Ida Goedeke establish a ranch about two miles north of Rattlesnake Flat, which is approximately eighteen miles west and a bit south of the future town of Jal. They add to their ranch, and for a time, live on the Diamond Half Ranch of the Johnson family. The Goedeke's obtain mail from Ochoa. In 1972, Ida sells the ranch to the Dinwiddie Cattle Company. Benchmark Maps, 1999, p. 56-57; Judy Cullins, LCGS, 1984, p. 216-217, 243; TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 10; USGS, 1978.
  • 1910: "Jal" Post Office is established. Postmasters and Postmistresses are Charles Wesley Justis (July, 1910) and Mollie Justis (October, 1914), Charles Wesley Justis again (May, 1923), Wilber Stuart (May, 1923), Helen Childress (July, 1935), Evelyn Goodner (May, 1953), Evelyn (Goodner) Frame (November, 1954), and Edwin Shiplet (August, 1955). Post office moves to Jal in 1916. Glen Gillett, LCGS, 1984, p. 15.
  • 1912: Caddie Lucile Scruggs, age 12, dies and is buried on 19 September 1912 on land subsequently to become the Sam and Jessie Cooper homestead and ranch. Caddie is the first person to be buried at the site. She and her family are in route to a drier climate by covered wagon because of her tuberculosis when she passes away. The locality later becomes the Cooper Cemetery after the plot is donated by the Cooper family for that purpose. TJR, 08 April 1954, Vol. 5, No. 2, p. 1; Lanning, 1972, p. 3.
  • 1912: Jesse and Delza Humphries move to the Jal area with their daughter Eloise. They establish a homestead and ranch about 1.5 miles south of what becomes El Paso Natural Gas Company Plant No. 2. Their brand is HH. Marylyn Meleski and Cona McKoy, LCGS, 1984, p. 220, 235.
  • 1912: The Cooper School is built in a small community homesteaded by James Monroe and later his son Sam and family, located about six miles northwest of Jal. Some students were schooled from Jal when it closes during the 1920-1923 years due to inclement weather in the area. Action by the Lea County Board of Education closes the Cooper School in 1933, sending some students to Eunice and the others to Jal. Cooper School employs the following teachers: Edith Davis, Jennie Henderson, Lina McCaw, Florence Bales, Sadie McCaw, Mary Doss, Ruth Medlin [of Ochoa], Eunice Lovell, Mrs. N. Jackson, Mr. I. Manley, Emma Caraway, Lillian Bilbrey, Ethel (Bell) Travis [Sister-in-Law of my sister Elsie Hadley Travis (deceased). The Travis family are Tatum pioneers], Eula and Sivolah Bass, Mrs. Fowler (Sarah Elsa Hainlin) Hair, and Flora Farnsworth. Settlers, some of whose children attend the school, are: five Cooper families, Curry, Knight, Whithers, Johnson, Langford, Davis, Eaton, Black, Woolworth, Harrison, Ward, Dinwiddie, Callison, Hunter, Fowler and Gerrald Hair, Acuff, Coats, and Smith. Jordan and others, 1991; Glen Gillett, Sarah Rebecca Smith, Neal Hoyt Fellers, Ann Etta Black, Iva L.Riggs, Joanne Miskulin, Annis B. Hollis, Myrtis Watkins, Martha W. Harris, and Carrie Belle (Travis) Smith, LCGS, 1984, p. 18-21, 187, 217-218, 221-223, 226, 242-243, 489-491; TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 5, 6, 9, 10, 11.
  • 1913: George Tillman Buffington and Lucy Ellen (Hicks) Buffington and family begin homesteading and ranching about nine miles northeast of Jal. Son Jesse ranches, works for the Cowden Cattle Company, and delivers mail from Kermit to the C. W. Justis Post Office six miles east of the future town of Jal. The mail delivery requires two days for the round trip each week. With hard work and abundant fortitude the Buffingtons succeed in ranching here for over fifty years while many homesteaders left during hard times. The Buffingtons are strong advocates of education and build the first "Jal" school on their ranch. Neighbors include, among others, the Green, Floyd Stuart, Wimberley, Hair, Charlie Moore, Justis, and Knight families. Nada Ruth Buffington (`41) and Martha Baulch (`70), LCGS, 1984, p. 208.
  • 1914: William M. Dinwiddie and his son George C. Dinwiddie begin homesteading and ranching in the Jal area, arriving from Nolan County, Texas. George marries Clara Belle English in 1916 in Kermit, Texas with the lucky Number 13 marriage certificate. Their son, W. D. (Jiggs) is born one year later and the Dinwiddie Cattle Company takes root for a lifetime of Jal family-partnership ranching. W. D. (Jiggs) Dinwiddie, LCGS, 1984, p. 213; TJR, 13 June 1991, Rancher's Day Supplement, p. 3.
  • 1914: John Ambrose Ellis Knight III and Lillie Mary (McQuerry) Knight and daughters Blanche and Luna migrate to the Jal area. They begin homesteading and ranching about seven miles northeast of Jal. Blanche becomes a prominent Jal business woman and civic activist, marrying Loyal Jefferson Calley. John builds a five room house on the ranch, and name the ranch, The Flying E. Iva L. Riggs and Joanne Miskulin, LCGS, 1984, p. 222-223; 248-249; TJR, 13 June 1991, p. 10.
  • 1914 (July): Cooper Post Office is established and operates until it discontinues in March, 1919. Mail service is reinstated in December, 1922 and remains in service until the post office closes with mail to Jal in July, 1938. [Author note: no record is available for lack of mail service in the closed years]. Postmistresses who serve are Ada Hunter (July, 1914), Ada E. (Hunter) Thomas (October, 1918), and Jessie Mae (Gray) Cooper (December, 1922) to closure. Glen Gillett, LCGS, 1984, p. 15.
  • 1914: Charles Wesley Justis is appointed New Mexico Land Commissioner and resigns as Jal Postmaster. TJF, 07 March 1939, Vol. 1, No. 29A, p. 5.
  • 1914: Post Office Has Many Moves: Mrs. Charles Wesley [Mollie] Justis is appointed Jal Postmaster and serves until she passes away in 1923. TJF, 07 March 1939, Vol. 1, No. 29A, p. 1, 5.
  • Pre-1915: Ochoa School, located 15 miles west-northwest of present-day Jal, is originally called Alexander School. About 1918, it is named Ochoa by a Mr. Wilmoth, a local merchant. The school functions until students transfer to Jal in 1936. In 1941, the buildings are sold to Earl Goedeke, a local rancher, and then, officially in 1944, the school combines with Jal. Teachers at the school are: Lytie and Martha Woolworth, Mrs. Bob Williams, Mattie Gilham, John Hair, Emma Caraway, Vera Bigby, Ruth Medlin, Mary Barnes, Ora Medlin, Barbara Forrester, Grace Fairweather, Sara Holmes, and Mrs. Russell Jones. Students of local families include: Alexander, Woods, Brininstool (Carl), Pearson, Medlin, Page, Warren, Wysong, Crowley, Goodson, and Allison. Jordan and others, 1991, p. 146-149; Mettie Jordan, LCGS, 1984, p. 18-21.
  • 1915: Joseph (Joe) Wilson Pearson and Willie Elizabeth (McNiel) Pearson move to southeast New Mexico with family and various livestock and fowl. Joe and Willie are persuaded to move to New Mexico by Charlie Ross. The family settles on land in the vicinity of Ochoa. The first year, the Pearson girls go to a school between the homestead/ranch and Ochoa [author note: this school with no name given is not identified in the Jal area historical record from my research]. The children next go to the Ochoa School and then the San Simon School. Neighbors include the Alexander, Bear, Jones, Holland, Page, Langford, Geodeke and Brininstool families. Alvin and Calvin J. Pearson, LCGS, 1984, p. 228-229; Jordan and others, 1991, p. 146-149, 179-181.
  • 1915: Fowler Hair and Sarah Elsa (Hainlin) Hair begin homesteading about seven miles northeast of Jal, establishing the Circle A. Ranch. His parents, John William Hair and Martha Evangeline (Carr) Hair are early southeast New Mexico pioneers with ranch headquarters about one mile south of Fowler and Sarah. Sarah teaches school briefly (1929-‘30) at Cooper, New Mexico School. Fowler and Sarah raise two daughters in the Jal area, Ida Harriette (Hair) Fellers ('41) and Ada Mae (Hair) Rosebrough ('43). Both girls attend Eastern New Mexico College, Portales, do graduate studies afterwards and teach in Jal, Lovington, and in other cities. Ida's husband, Neal Hoyt Fellers (`36) graduates in the first class from Jal High School (1936) and is elected first president of the Jal Ex-Students Association. TJF, 14 November 1946, Vol. 1, No. 5, p. 3; 22 May 1947, Vol. 1, No. 16, p. 1; Sarah Rebecca Smith, Ida Harriette (Hair) Fellers (`41), Neal Hoyt Fellers (`36), and Ada Mae (Hair) Rosebrough (`43), LCGS, 1984, p. 194, 215-216; 217-218; 230; TJR, 13 June 1991, p. 11.
  • 1915: Clyde Woolworth and Martha Woolworth file on land to homestead about six miles northwest of Jal. Some of their seven siblings and their mother, Clara, either live with them for a time or invest in land nearby and remain in the area. The discovery of oil and gas on the Woolworth properties enable them in later years to establish the Woolworth Trust in Jal and the founding of the Woolworth Library and Senior Citizen's Annex, both facilities of great benefit to the community and southeast New Mexico. Sarah Rebecca Smith, LCGS, 1984, p. 176-195; TJR, Ranchers Day Supplement, 13 June 1991, p. 5; Woolworth Library Brochures courtesy Karen Stevens (Norwood) and Brian Norwood, 2003.
  • ~1915: Jal School in Monument Draw is abandoned. Jordan and others, 1991, p. 81-87.
  • 1915-1916: A new [Jal] school is built on the Buffington ranch and present-day Dollarhide Rd. The school serves Buffington, Knight, Wimberly, Justis, Eaton, Stuart, Mosley, and Williams families and others. Nola Grace Harrell is the first teacher. It functions as a school at this locality for about one year. Jordan and others, 1991, p. 81-87.
  • 1916: C. W. Justis moves his General Store and Jal Post Office to a site near Muleshoe Watering and Hackberry Draw. At about the same time, a new school considerably larger than the Monument Draw [and Buffington] schools is constructed at the same locality as the Justis general store and post office. [Author note: This locality is the present site of the Hilltop Inn and the date may be considered as the founding of present-day Jal due to the move of the officially-named post office to the city's permanent location]. Jordan and others, 1991; TJF, 07 March 1939, Vol. 1, No. 29A, p. 5; TJR, 22 September 1966, Anniversary Issue, Vol. 16, No. 52, Section 1, 11 p. and Section 2, 12 p.
  • 1916: John Hall (most common usage) Medlin begins homesteading and ranching in the Ochoa area. Ochoa, a small early-1900's homesteading settlement is established about 15 miles west-northwest of the Jal. Hall's wife, Bessie Gertrude (Jones) Medlin, and six children arrive in Jal in 1917, housed in the home which would be dismantled and reassembled at the ranch a year later. Daughter, Ora Mae, went to school at Ochoa and following a college education, she taught two years at Ochoa, one year at White, and several years in Jal. Ora married George E. Davis, Jal businessman, and mayor of Jal for two years (see below). Beulah (Medlin) Baird and Annis B. (Medlin) Hollis, LCGS, 1984, p. 226; TJF, 07 March 1939, Vol. 1, No. 29A, p. 1.
  • 1917: Ochoa Post Office begins service. Postmasters/mistresses are: Joseph Willmoth (April, 1917), William Page (May, 1918), and Cora Jones (December, 1936). The post office ceases service in 1940 with mail to Jal. Glen Gillett, LCGS, 1984, p. 15.
  • 1917: Following the creation of Lea County on March 7, 1917, when it is separated from Chaves and Eddy Counties, Jal's School is designated No. 19 in School District No. 33, Eddy. Other schools and communities in Lea County from the time of formation of the county and their durations of operation to the time of establishment of the five Municipal School Districts in 1952 are shown in the first figure (map) below; for example, Jal, 1910-1952. Beneath this figure is a map showing the thirty six Lea County School Districts shortly after the establishment of Lea County (13 August 1917). These districts were disbanded in 1952. [For the interested reader, Lea County is named for Captain Joseph Calloway Lea, who is the first mayor of Roswell and the founder of the New Mexico Military Institute.] MLCBOE, 13 August 1917; Hinshaw, 1984, p. 138-146; Mettie Jordan, LCGS, 1984, p. 19-21; Jordan and others, 1991, p. xxii, xxiv.
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Jal is a small city located in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. It is New Mexico's south-easternmost city, and shares a border with Texas to the east and south. The population was 2,047 at the 2010 census.

Jal is historically important in the natural gas industry, from the early 1900s to the present day.
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