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INTERVIEW -1-
DOROTHY CLEVE NORTON, GRAND*DAUGHTER
OF GEORGE HRNDRIX PIONEER SETTLER
OF ELK Georgia B. Redfield
words
The Community settlement "Elknsiderived its name
from large herds of elk found, during the early days of
its settlement, in Elk Canyon, which runs northwest through
the farms and ranching lands of that district.
There are four hundred and seventy-five 4041041111t4 in
the Elk community.
With an altitude of 5,350 feet Elk is located in a
beautiful part of New Mexico, eighty-five miles southwest
of Roswell, on the upper Penasco River in the southwestern
part of Chaves County on U. S. Highway 83.
While Elk does not have a railroad or train service,
there is a daily bus transportation service connecting
Artesia east and Glouderoft west. The Southern Pacific
Railroad gives transportation service from Cloudcroft
(thirty-one miles) with connections at Alamogordo. ihere
is a school bus for transportation of children from the
ranching iind farming districts, to the Elk school4
iaL
INTERVIEW -2-
MRS. DOROTHY CLEVE NORTON
Georgia B. Redfield
Splendid rench-house accommodations may be had for
regular boarders, or tourists on the Glove ranch. The
rates are from 42.50 up. Arrangements may be made for
tours (horseback or oars) to the many points of interest
in the Elk districts. There are no tourist camps.
The winters are mild and summers are delightfully
cool. The average temperature for January, is 39.4, min-
imum 23.8, maximum 55.1
The early -day settlement of the Elk community and
the establishment of the first ranches in that location
is of unusual historical interest, as given by Mrs.
Dorothy Cleve Zorton, granddaughter of George hendrix,
and daughter of Bernard Cleve pioneer settlers of the Elk
community.
"George hendrix,his wife Sarah Elizabeth Aendrix and
wen of their eight children arrived in the Elk Canyon
country in December, 1887. They had started on their
journdy to New Mexico, from Johnson City, Texas, Septem-
ber 12th 1887. There were four other families (twenty-
five people altogilther) in the caravan. There were five
covered wagons, one (the chuck wagon) was drawn by oxen.
INTERVIEW -3-
MRS. DOROTHY CLEVE NORTON
Georgia B. Redfield
The wagons were followed by about five hundred head of
stook and thirty-five horses.
"The country was suffering from a severe drouth sea-
son during the months of their traveling across the plains.
Very little water was found on the long hard drives be-
tween their camping.places. The caravan people as well
as the stock suffered acutely from alkali water, which was
boiled and used for coffee. The starved cattle became
poor and weak, some gave out entirely and were lost.
"The stock and caravan were held up at the state line
on the Black River for cattle inspection.
"Travel worn, exhausted and hungry the caravan ar-
rived at Hope, December 23rd 1887. They made camp Just
below "Y 0 Crossing" near a rock house.
"There was a four foot snow covering the camp ground,
the next morning the 24th which caused suffering, and the
disbanding of the caravan
"that remained of the five hundred head of stock had
drifted away, in the wind and snow; only four remained.
Some were dead on the camp grounds.
"The Hendrix family was taken into the shelter of a
dirt -roofed homestead house of John Paul, who was the first
INTERVIEW
MRS. DOROTHY CLEVE NORTON
-4-
Georgia B. Redfield
man who settled in the town of hope.
"doorge Hendrix never fully recovered from the hard-
ships endured on the journey, and from a blow on the head
with a walnut limb given by a companion, when asked by
Mr. Hendrix to pay his part of the expenses of the caravan.
His state of health caused the girls, as well as the boys,
of the family, to labor in the fields, as few pioneers
are ever compelled to labor.
"They improved and cultivated a rented place on the
Penasco River, which was owned by the C A Bar Cattle Com-
pany. This place was afterwards owned byt Angie Hendrix
Cleve and her husband Bernard Cleve, to whom she was mar-
ried April 22nd 1894. They were married in the home of
her sister who had previously married T. C. Tillotson of
Elk.
"Bernard Cleve, owned in partnership with a cousin,
J. F. Hinkle, the Elk store and some cattle. In 1887 Mr.
Cleve bought out Mr. Hinkle's interests and built the
home on the Cleve estate, where Mrs. Cleve lives at pres-
ent, and where the five children, Katherine, Bernard,dr.,
Dorothy (Mrs. U. L. Norton), Marjorie and Oris were born.
"Bernard Cleve was born February 8th, 1883, on a farm
INTERVIEW -5-
MRS. DOROTHY CLEVE NORTON
Georgia B. Redfield
two miles west of Washington, Missouri.
"Heceame to New Mexico and settled on the Penasco
River at Elk in 1885, where he worked as a cow -boy and
later a stock -man, postmaster and merchant, owning the
Elk store and one at Cloudcroft. He was prominent as a
community builder and political organizer. Mr. Claire
died March 26th 1913."
At the time of the establishment of the postoffice
at Elk in 1885 mail was brought in once a week. It in
now delivered daily. Mrs. Cleve is postmistress and owner
of the store in which the posteffice is established.
Sheep and stock raising, farming and lumber are the
chief industries of Elk. There is one store and a saw-
mill.
The Elk country in rich in undeveloped archaeological
sites. Mrs. Cleve has found numerous valuable specimens
of pottery on her estate. Most interesting among these
is a pottery bowl (*nbroken) with burned food (apparently
beans) in the bottom.
These archaeological sites, the old homes of the
first settlers George Hendrixlvd. F. Hinkle and the
INTERVIEW -6-
MRS. DOROTHY CLEVE NORTON
Georgia B. Redfield
Bernard Cleve families* the trees and springs and the
Apache Indian chuck wagon meals served seven miles from
Spur Ranch, are some of the many points of interest to be
found in the Ilk Canyon districts surrounded by the
Sacramento Mountains.
Big game hunting in the mountains, where game is
plentiful, is enjoyed by the people of Elk.
There is a good school, with one teacher and thirty
pupils.
A splendid cattle country, delightful climate and
ideally located, Ilk has much to offer in colorful history,
ossuary, and romance.
As given in an interview by Mrs. Dorothy Cleve Norton.
802 N. Richardson, Boswell, N. Mex.