Jal Historical Society & Museum

04/20/2026

Two big events going on in Jal this week! First up--ROCKETS! Tuesday will be the start of the annual SystemsGoNewMexico rocket launches. This is for high school STEM students that have designed and built rockets that can go a mile high or higher and maybe transonic! The launches will run through Thursday, depending on how many schools participate and how many rockets they bring (of course, weather is always a factor). The launches are open to schools throughout New Mexico and a few schools from west Texas may also participate.

The second big event is Cowboy Days, put on by the City of Jal. There will be vendors, free music, activities for kids and the branding of a calf with the JAL brand from which the city of Jal got its name!

04/06/2026

Another piece of Jal's history is gone. The Gulf station at the corner of Hwy 18 and Hwy 128 was demolished last week. I'm not sure when it was built. No word yet on what, if anything, will go up in its place.

04/03/2026

Not the first or the strongest earthquake we’ve had, but it is certainly becoming a more common phenomenon!

04/03/2026

I need to correct my last post. I had said that all three of these children are buried at Jal Cooper Cemetery. In fact, only two are buried there. The confusion came about due to a similarity of names--John Ambrose Ellis Knight Jr. and John Ambrose Ellis Knight III. John A.E. Knight III, pictured in this photo with his siblings James Franklin Knight and Lillie May Knight Dunn, is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Midland, Texas. Frank and Lillie May are buried at Jal Cooper along with their parents, John Ambrose Ellis Knight Jr. and Lillie Mary McQuerry Knight. Also buried at Cooper is Henrietta Mercer Chiles Knight (pictured in a photo from the Jal Record), who was married to John A. E. Knight Sr. The elder John A.E. Knight is buried in Palo Pinto, Texas where much of Jal's history originated. As noted in the newspaper caption, Henrietta "Granny" Knight was a homesteader who along with her son, John A.E. Knight Jr., created the Flying E Ranch. She was also the grandmother of prominent Jal residents, Blanche Calley and Ann Etta Black.

04/02/2026

Found this on Traces of Texas today. Ellis Knight was known around Jal as John A.E. Knight and was an early homesteader and rancher here. All three are buried at Jal Cooper Cemetery. The ranch that John A.E. Knight built, the Flying E, was later owned by Joe and Sarah Rebecca Smith. It was an exciting coincidence to see this photo, read their names and know that they grew up to be a part of Jal’s history.

Frank, Lillie May, and Ellis Knight in Fort Worth circa 1900. Aren't they adorable? There's such an incredible resemblance between all three of them. The boys are both dressed in Little Lord Fauntleroy outfits. Being boys, I'm imagining that they hated being dressed up like that.

03/26/2026

Update: I’ve been told that Gas Capital Relays will be held next week. The track meet on the 26th was actually a Junior High track meet.

Today (March 26, 2026), Jal Schools hold their annual Gas Capital Relays. Probably very few today know much about the Gas Caps, as they came to be called. The first event to bear the Gas Capital Relays monicker occurred in 1965. It was named for the fact that, at the time, Jal was known as the Gas Capitol of the World due to the fact that more natural gas ran through pipelines in the ground below us than anywhere else in the world. For several years it was a multi-day event and even included some college teams (I remember seeing runners from Texas Tech)! Jal has fielded some outstanding track teams over the years and won numerous state championships with Jal athletes holding various state records. If you have memories of past Gas Capitol Relays, please share in the comments below.

03/05/2026

A fun gathering of local community members, Jal Police, Fire and EMS along with Eunice PD officers, Lea County Sheriff’s Dept. and New Mexico State Police. A big thank you to Adela and all the staff at the Jal Senior Center for their help in putting this on!

03/05/2026

Two pictures of the same building? The first photo is of the Original Town of Jal townsite office. Original Jal was one of two competing townsite companies in the late 1920's. The Original Jal Townsite was located on what is now the northeast side of town.

I've been told that this townsite office was located across the street to the south from what is now the Iron Horse Sports Grille and what used to be the D-Bar Cafe or Yvonne's Restaurant.

The second photo is of what we believe to be the same building from 2025. It is now located on West Wyoming Avenue.

The third photo is a map of the Original Jal Townsite, started by Pecos resident Barney Hubbs. A very few of the street names are the same today, but Hubbs' townsite didn't survive the competition from the Herwig, Stuart Townsite Company and most of the sites on this map were never really developed.

03/05/2026

A reminder…come join us this morning from 8 to 10!

02/28/2026

Come have coffee and donuts with friends, neighbors and our every day heroes—our First Responders!

02/19/2026

We’re always proud to spotlight someone from Jal who has done well. Congrats to Rick Muncrief!

02/17/2026

I've long been fascinated by Jal's connections. Connections to an amazing variety of people, places, and things. The announcement today of the death of iconic actor Robert Duvall reminded me of one of those connections.

An early scene in Duvall's movie, "The Apostle", shows a witness to a car accident talking with a law enforcement officer. That witness is none other than former Jal resident Pat Ratliff.

DeArman Fields "Pat" Ratliff lived in Jal for a number of years, having raised a family here while working as a heavy equipment operator for El Paso Natural Gas Company.

Pat was known for his physical strength--often tearing quarters apart with his hands. I can attest to that strength. While working as a summer employee at EPNG's General Warehouse in Jal, I encountered Pat on many occasions. On one of those occasions, while several of us were on break and sitting at a table, Pat came in the breakroom. I had my back to him as he walked up behind me, placed one hand on my hardhat and lifted it off my head. He proceeded to squeeze it with that one hand until it started to bend, and cracking noises could be heard. Then, he sat it back on my head and let out a laugh! Happily, that was the worst he ever did to me, and we got along pretty well.

Another such story occurred when Pat, at age 83, was waiting in a Dallas parking lot for his wife and grandson to return from shopping. As he waited with windows rolled down, a pair of carjackers--a man and woman--accosted him. When the man stuck a gun through the car window, Pat waited for just right the moment and broke the would-be carjacker's arm over the car door.

Apparently, Pat and Robert Duvall became acquainted through one of Pat's relatives. According to Pat's obituary, he helped Duvall prepare for his role in Lonesome Dove. And it doesn't take much imagination to think that Pat might have been the inspiration for Duvall's portrayal of the always-looking-for-a-fight character of Hub in one of my favorite movies, "Secondhand Lions".

Pat passed away in Ardmore, Oklahoma in 2008 at the age of 86. Some of his family remain in Jal. He also leaves behind another interesting Jal "connection"!