Clayton, Union County Seat
The Crossroads of the Southwest
Clayton is an attractive small city located nine miles from the border of the Texas-Oklahoma panhandle, in the heart of cowboy country. Clayton is located at the crossroads of two major highways: US/64, the nation's only coast-to-coast highway, and US/87 Canada to Mexico.
Put On Your Walking Shoes
Merchants provide the community and surrounding area with a varied selection for every shopping need. Clayton is proud of its wide, clean, paved and well-lighted streets, fine churches, excellent residential areas and the easily accessible commercial district on South First Street.
A bronze plaque on the Union County Sheriff's Office on the courthouse square marks the spot where the nefarious Thomas Edward "Black Jack" Ketchum met his end in 1901. A walk along Clayton's Main Street gives a hint of an earlier time with its landmark, the Eklund Hotel Dining Room and Saloon. The Herzstein Museum is close by.
Take a break at the Union County Historical Park or the Centennial Park. The Clayton Air Park includes one of the state's finest 9-hole golf courses. Convention meeting facilities are available at the Clayton Civic Center and the Clayton Municipal Airpark Auditorium.
For Art & Culture Lovers
Clayton has a number of shops featuring arts, crafts, antiques, souvenirs and other interesting merchandise. The annual Clayton Arts Festival, the first full weekend in October, offers upwards of $40,000 in purchase prizes and attracts notable artists from the five-state area. The Don R. Wood Auditorium on the Clayton High School campus is a 618-seat facility and is a focal point for school and community cultural events.
Herzstein Memorial Museum
Located at South Second and Walnut just one block off of the major highways, this general history museum offers the usual and the unusual artifacts of northeastern New Mexico history and heritage. The unusual includes two special collections gathered during a lifetime of world travels by two native sons, Franz Dyche and Albert Herzstein. One room is dedicated to the art and furnishings from the Herzstein homes in Clayton and Houston. The museum, owned and operated by the Union County Historical Society, is named in honor of one of the prominent Jewish mercantile families in New Mexico.
Clayton High School WPA Collection
The Clayton High School campus is a living tribute to "The New Deal", particularly the Works Projects Administration (WPA). A special room is dedicated to the handmade furniture, hand woven drapes, iron and copper work of many Union County residents who built the school. To view the collection, it is necessary to make arrangements through the school superintendent's office.
Shrine of the Testaments
Owned and operated by a non-profit corporation, the Shrine of the Testaments is dedicated to art and education. The corporation owns 45 large oil paintings created by the late Jan Maters, a Dutch-born, classically-trained artist. The Shrine is the realization of his life-long ambition to illustrate the Holy Bible. Currently not open to the public, but private group tours available.
Shrine of the Testaments
First and Main
Clayton, NM
575-374-9693
For History Buffs
Founded by a Civil War Era senator — and named in honor of his son — Clayton sprang into being in 1888 at the base of the Rabbit Ear Mountains. These mountains are the first foothills of the Rockies and were named for the Cheyenne Indian Chief Orejas de Conejo (Rabbit Ear) who roamed the area with his tribe in the early 16th century. Killed in battle, the chief was buried on the larger peak of the mountains which bear his name today. The same mountains — a popular subject for local artists — were the site ofone of the bloodiest Spanish-Comanche War battles in early Western history. In 1717 a volunteer army of 500 Spaniards from Santa Fe, determined to end the Comanche raids, staged a surprise attack and killed hundreds of Indians, taking 700 prisoners. The result was a truce, freeing the vast open lands of this area. The area still remained Indian Country, however; in later years, Indian scouts watched from the top of the Rabbit Ears as wagon trains made their slow progress along the Santa Fe Trail. When the wagons reached a water hole, the Indians would swoop down for the raid. Clayton is truly the Crossroads City. In 1540, Coronado searched here for the Seven Cities of Gold. Native Americans long navigated the "Sea of Grass" of the nearby Llano Estacado (Staked Plains). The Cimarron Cuttoff of the Santa Fe Trail — the oldest regular land route across the Great Plains — bisected Clayton; the Trail's ruts are clearly visible today, and six famous watering places along the route (known as the Clayton Complex) are all within a 50-minute drive from town.
For Outdoor Enthusiasts
The young, friendly, hardworking community of Clayton boasts a surprising array of recreational attractions for its size — a community swimming pool, tennis courts, softball diamonds, rodeo and fair grounds, gun club and city parks. Nine-hole Clayton Golf Club offers discounted green fees for out-of-town visitors. Great lake and river fishing and superb antelope hunting as well as deer, quail, duck, dove, turkey, pheasant, bear and elk hunting are all available throughout Union County.
Clayton has a marked bicycle route through town extending east on Hwy 56-412 to a historic marker about two miles west of the city limits. Clayton is visited by an unusually large number of transcontinental bicyclists each year. It is also on the route of a cross-country bicycle endurance race. Motorcyclists also abound.
A jogging and scientific exercise course is maintained by the Clayton Lions Club at the municipal airpark, located east of the golf course and between the two baseball diamonds.
Birdwatching is one of the more popular pastimes in this area. Union County has participated in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Watchers have documented well over 200 species which are seen with some regularity in the region. Among the more notable are Canada snow geese, which have taken to wintering at Clayton Lake State Park and feeding in the fields east of Clayton; bald eagles, which have been noted in growing numbers, especially in the Clayton Lake area where several nesting pairs now reside; turkey, pheasant and road runners, which are all often observed.
For more information about Clayton
Clayton Municipal Airport
575-374-9976; 575-374-8803 Fax
General Aviation: Open to Public
Runways (2): 4800'; 4100' (both asphalt)
