Harding County
Photo by LG
Although small in terms of population, Harding County is rich in history and geography. The Kiowa National Grasslands is located in the northern section of Harding County, about 20 miles east of I-25. Ranches and guest ranches dot the northeast plains landscape. Dinosaur tracks start at Mosquero Creek and stretch northward through New Mexico and southeastern Colorado.
The wide open spaces of Harding County are bounded on the west by the steep-sided Canadian River Canyon. With vast plains and mesas, grasslands and rivers, this is beautiful country, home to cowgirls and cowboys. Much of the personal income in the county comes from cattle ranching.
Also a big industry in Harding County is the production of CO2. Harding County has the richest source of CO2 in the world. The CO2 is liquid and piped out but some of it is turned into dry ice and shipped all over the world.
The county was created by the state legislature on March 4, 1921, the same day Warren G. Harding was inaugurated 29th President of the United States.
At that time approximately 5,000 people lived in Harding, but the county has been losing population ever since. Like other agricultural communities in the American Southwest, Harding County has never recovered from the Great Plains Dust Bowl. Based on the 1996 population of 946 persons, Harding is the least populous and second least densely populated county in the state.
Photo by Barbara Shaw
Only 774 souls reside in Harding County, but they are happily at home on this range, where deer and antelope truly play. It's a hardworking, outdoors, high-quality life. And let's dispel two myths of Harding County right now. Myth #1: It's flat. Nope! The prairie rolls, and mesas, canyons and rock formations provide numerous contrasts. Myth #2: It's colorless. Not! The greens of the prairie grasses change with the seasons, bright sunflowers dance in the breezes of late summer and early fall, and all year long the horizon glimmers in pale blue and purple pallets. The colors are there for anyone who takes the time to find them. And the night sky is so clear the stars practically reach down and touch a gazer's heart and soul.
Fast Facts
County Seat
Communities
Land Area
- Square miles: 2,125
Climate
- Elevation: 5,878 feet
- Mean Temperature in January: 32.7
- Mean Temperature in July: 72.3
- Annual Precipitation: 15 inches
County Population
- 2004: 774
- 1996: 946
- 1990: 987
Economy
- Ranching, farming
- Average per capita income, 2002: $17,107
- Median household income, 2000: $26,111
For Outdoor Enthusiasts
Hikers can trek down and back up the Canadian River Canyon road -- but remember to take plenty of water! This may be the plains, but it's still 5,878 feet in elevation.
Walk along the river and admire the colors that contrast with the red canyon walls. Stroll among the scattered grape vines and fruit trees and ruins of the hotel -- all that remain of one man's dream.
The canyon forms a wildlife island in the prairie for mountain lion, wild turkey, bald and golden eagles, antelope, bear, Barbary sheep, ducks and geese. Early settlers in the area removed most of the game; however, in the 1940s, Mule deer were reintroduced to the canyon and a small resident herd is now present. Barbary sheep, native to Africa, were introduced in 1950 and have found this area to their liking.
Warm water fishing for bass, channel catfish, crappie and sunfish species draws many a fisherman to the lakes located within the grasslands. The Canadian River also provides some warm water stream fishing.
Driving Tours around Harding County
La Frontera del Llano
When the railroads began settlement of the West, homesteaders flocked to remote Harding County and Southern Union County until the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years crushed their dreams. The county is rich in history and has geography that includes mesas, grasslands, plains and rivers. Of particular scenic interest are the spectacular Canadian River Canyon and Kiowa National Grasslands.
Kiowa National Grasslands
The Kiowa National Grassland includes 12 miles of the Canadian River Canyon. The well-paved Hwy 39, from Roy to Mills and the Canadian River Canyon actually travels through the Kiowa National Grasslands. There aren't welcome signs, just the sturdy green bunches of grama grasses that manage to survive drought, cattle, wind and questionable soil.
The Kiowa are part of a national grasslands system that also include the Rita Blanca, McClellan Creek and Black Kettle. These four grasslands are administered for the U.S. Department of Agriculture by the Cibola National Forest and cover 263,954 acres scattered throughout New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. In New Mexico, the grasslands are in Harding, Mora and Union counties. The biggest grassland attractions are Lake McClellan, Lake Marvin, Spring Creek Lake and Skipout Lake, where water-related recreation activities are available. The Forest Service has developed camp and picnic grounds at these lakes for the public's convenience and enjoyment.
In addition to their recreational value, the grasslands furnish feed for cattle and wildlife and provide protection to important watersheds -- plus, a number of producing oil and gas wells contribute to the local economy.
Originally, these areas were plowed for farming, but because of poor soil, recurrent drought and other factors they became part of the Great Plains Dust Bowl, when their top soil blew away. The federal government purchased them during the depression years and they were returned to grassland agriculture. The grasslands are now largely revegetated. Successful restoration has permitted game and bird habitat to be reestablished, thus fostering the growth of resident bird and animal populations.
The grasslands furnish food, cover and water for a wide variety of wildlife. Wildlife varies as much as does the climate over the wide expanse of country which these units cover. The Black Kettle National Grassland is in an intermediate moisture zone, which provides habitat for wild turkey and white-tailed deer. Antelope and mule and white-tailed deer roam both the Rita Blanca and Kiowa grasslands. Scaled quail are found throughout the grasslands, and pheasant hunting is available on the Rita Blanca and Kiowa National Grasslands.
Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands
Union and Harding Counties
714 Main Street
Clayton, NM 88415
505-374-9652
Red-rock canyons, grasslands and pine forests mark the ranches and trails of this peaceful and sparsely populated area of northeastern New Mexico.
