As home to the earliest occupants of North America as well as some of the earliest pioneers of rock 'n' roll, New Mexico's Curry County can rightly claim a unique role in American culture. A visit to the region can become a fascinating trip through time, starting thousands of years ago. Along the way you can see unusual creatures and find out about groundbreaking Americans, both old and not so old.
Back Track
- For music lovers, the name Clovis means rock 'n' roll. It was in a recording studio on 7th Street that pioneering producers Norman and Vi Petty helped stars including Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison hone their distinctive style into what became known as the “Clovis Sound.” Revisit those early rock 'n' roll years with a studio tour. You’ll see the original equipment and hear old recordings. A short walk away is the Norman & Vi Petty Rock & Roll Museum. Through artifacts and pictures, the exhibition traces how the Petty's influenced this American music genre.
History Train
- If not for the Santa Fe Railroad, Clovis might never have been. The city sprang up around a depot constructed on the new transcontinental line in 1907. The depot caused the area to quickly boom into the city of Clovis, with the addition of hotels and administrative buildings. Trace the history of the railroad and its effect on Curry County at the Clovis Depot Model Train Museum. The building has been restored to its 1950s condition and includes historic documents and pictures as well as an operating telegraph station. A scale model replicates the Clovis railroad system of the 1950s.
Beast Your Eyes
- From humble beginnings in the 1930s with just one bear and one coyote, Hillcrest Park Zoo quickly expanded when a traveling circus went bankrupt, leaving the zoo to care for its animals. Hillcrest Park now has more than 450 mammals and birds. Explore the zoo’s 23 acres and visit its animals, including hyenas, lemurs, snakes and endangered species such as the Bengal tiger and American alligator. Visitors can sponsor animals and rent a safari party area for the day. The adjoining park has picnic areas, playground equipment and basketball courts.
Dig This
- Just south of Clovis lies Blackwater Draw, an important archaeological site that has yielded the remains of some of North America’s earliest inhabitants. Digs at the so-called Clovis Site have unearthed stone and bone weapons and tools dating back more than 13,000 years. Early hunters were drawn there by the mammoths, bison and other animals that used the site as a source of food and water. Take a guided or self-guided tour or, to see more artifacts and displays depicting early life at the Clovis Site, visit the nearby Blackwater Draw Museum.
