King of the Road - September 2011
The Little Frontier Town that Could
Lovington preserves the rugged roots of its winning traditions.
Story and Photography by
Lesley S. King
For much of my life I’ve tended to choke under pressure. Born to a family of keen competitors, I was the one who, in the last second, the match point, the final word in the spelling bee, would foul, fault, or flounder. That’s why I’m eager to drink whatever is in the water in Lovington, the heart of a county that has fostered such greats as football star Brian Urlacher, golfing great Kathy Whitworth, and world champion roper Roy Cooper—rare souls who, in the face of pressure, find a way to win.
In Lovington, I can tour the lives of such winners and ranching heroes of the Great Plains. At my first stop in this town of about 12,000 people, on U.S. 82, 75 miles northeast of Carlsbad, I step into the 1918 Commercial Hotel and mosey up to the reception desk. The place has changed little since the days when a group of ranchers pooled together to build it as a business center for this community on the Great Plains. The lobby still holds a chandelier, velvet wingback chairs, and a wooden key hutch, though guests no longer stay here.
Need to Know What to Do & Where to Shop Lea County Museum Country Store Quilt Shop Where to Dine Pioneer Steak House Where to Stay Lovington Inn |
Instead, it is part of the prize of Lovington: the Lea County Museum, a compound composed of 12 historic buildings clustered around Lovington’s regal plaza. I meet curator Jim Harris, an enthusiastic historian who guides me through the hotel’s rooms, now converted into exhibits. Along with treasures from ranch families, we find a pair of chaps, a painting easel, and photos from Lea County’s literary champion, writer (and painter) Max Evans, who before he became the notable author of The Rounders (1960) and Hi-Lo Country (1961) was a cowboy here—another winner!
Other exhibits show the toughness required to live on these plains. In the early 1900s, settlers put down roots on land that had no visible water and no trees to use as construction materials. Homesteaders burrowed into the ground to make dugouts, and, as the residents do today, they pumped water from an underground sea, the Ogallala Aquifer.
One of those salty homesteaders, Florence Love, dreamed of building a town. In 1909 he constructed a three-room wooden home now on display at the museum. Flowery wallpaper and lacey curtains aside, it has only the basics needed to survive: a kitchen cupboard, an iron stove, and a metal bed with a thin mattress. Ranch families such as the Loves set the tone for life here. “The foundation of the area is still agricultural,” Jim says, though ranching is dying out, being replaced mostly by oil and gas production. “The ranchers, even the homesteaders, thought of themselves as pioneers—a kind of aristocracy.”
A descendant of those aristocrats, Justin Johnson, steps into the museum to see an exhibit on his family that is being constructed. His great grandfather, Joe J. Lane, first came here in 1914 and began accumulating land. Today the family runs a cluster of ranches on which they raise Charolais-cross cattle and live a simple life. It includes, as Justin says, “taking care of cattle and breaking horses.” He pauses and I wait for him to elaborate, but he just shrugs. “It’s all we know,” he says humbly.
Our next stop shows me the lives of Lea County’s flashier champions. Set in a 1928 adobe building on the plaza, the Lea County Athletic Hall of Fame includes photos and memorabilia from, most notably, Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, for whom a Lovington holiday and street are named, as is the Brian Urlacher Training Center at Lovington High School. Urlacher, who played for the school and has donated tens of thousands of dollars to it, may have gotten his famously competitive spirit from there, as it has garnered 17 state football championships.
I see displays on a variety of other world champions ranging from a drag racer to a track star. Golfer Kathy Whitworth, during the 1960s and ’70s, won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone in either the LPGA or the PGA has ever accomplished. Roy “Super Looper” Cooper, from the 1970s through the ’90s, claimed eight Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) world championships. His father and mother were both champions, as are his three sons, including Clint Cooper, who is now competing to win a PRCA world title in calf roping.
“Pioneers who settled here were very independent,” Jim says as we peruse trophy saddles and golf clubs. “They took pride in being able to do their own thing and excel at it, and that attitude carries through to today.”
As I ruminate on the winners I’ve learned about, I realize there’s still something missing from the championship picture. These individuals have shown creativity, tenacity, and independence, but I wonder if there’s more to the formula.
Before leaving Lovington, I call Clint Cooper, the 29-year-old calf roper who is now in Guymon, Oklahoma, vying to win the world title. When I ask why he’s a champion, he gives thanks to his community, family, and sponsors. “What about those times when you don’t sleep or you’re just plain nervous?” I ask, thinking of my own fear of losing.
“Yeah, I have those days,” he says. “But I keep my eye on winning.”
Lesley S. King (www.lesleysking.com) day-trips to another little-known place each month.
Discover more road trips along New Mexico's backroads and byways.
