The Kenna Record Archive

The Kenna Record served the ranching community of Kenna in Roosevelt County, New Mexico. Founded in 1902, Kenna had become a major cattle shipping center by 1909; however, a severe drought caused many settlers to leave the region by 1912.  The area experienced a brief resurgence in the 1930s and 1940s following the discovery of an aquifer.  Agricultural production increased, but Kenna never became what it had been previously. Today, Kenna is a ghost town.

The Kenna Record commenced weekly publication on January 4, 1907, and continued through May 1, 1924. The January 21, 1910 edition stated that a one-year subscription cost $1.00 a year in advance.  It was published and edited by W. T. Cowgill, with Mrs. Cowgill serving as local editor. The Kenna Record was the only newspaper ever published in Kenna.  It merged with the Elida Enterprise in nearby Elida, New Mexico, to form the Elida Enterprise and Kenna Record on May 8, 1924.

The town was known as Kenna from 1902 to 1906 and from 1907 to the present.  It was briefly called Urton between 1906 and 1907, named for George and W.G. Urton, two brothers who moved from Missouri to New Mexico to become ranchers. Some say two neighboring towns, Kenna and Urton, existed next to each other, but in fact residents had to select just one name when they petitioned for a post office and chose Kenna.