The Clayton News Archive

Dry farmers settled the Pecos Valley of northeastern New Mexico.  The arrival of the Denver and Fort Worth Railroad in 1888, which provided market access for farmers and their goods, spurred immigration to the area.  Clayton and other small towns and centers of trade emerged, and publishers launched several newspapers.  The first weekly, the Clayton Enterprise, was founded in May 1888.  Several other newspapers were established in Clayton, including the Lance, but only the Clayton Citizen and the Enterprise proved stable until the Republican Clayton News was launched.  The Clayton News began weekly publication in January 1909 and continued through April 7, 1954.  The heading of the January 2, 1915 edition stated that the paper was “Devoted to the interests of good citizenship and the upbuilding of the community.”  The editorial page explained that the News was the “Official paper of Union County.”  A subscription cost $1.00 a year. 

In April 1922 the Clayton News absorbed La Union del Pueblo, publishing it in the form of a Spanish language section. The section entitled, "Seccion Espanol del Clayton News: Continuando La Union Del Pueblo, A. C. Miera, Editor y Publicista," lasted only until December 1922. The Clayton News absorbed the Clayton Citizen on August 27, 1926. It was absorbed itself by the Union County Leader on April 7, 1954.

Although the editors published the Clayton News almost exclusively in English, the paper occasionally included a Spanish section titled “Secion Español.”  However, the Spanish section limited its Spanish language content to legal notices.