Editing Carlsbad, New Mexico (section)

== History ==
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2023}}
The development of southeastern New Mexico in the late 19th century was fueled by the arrival of colonies of immigrants from England, Switzerland, France, and Italy. Located along the banks of the Pecos River, Carlsbad was originally christened the town of Eddy on September 15, 1888, and organized as a municipal corporation in 1893; the settlement bore the name of Charles B. Eddy, co-owner of the Eddy-Bissell Livestock Company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://communitylink.com/us/nm/carlsbad/profile/history.htm|title=History of Carlsbad|website=communitylink.com|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130120000004/http://communitylink.com/us/nm/carlsbad/profile/history.htm|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

With the commercial development of local mineral springs near the flume for medicinal qualities, the town later voted to change its name to Carlsbad after the famous European spa Karlsbad, Bohemia (now [[Karlovy Vary]], [[Czech Republic]]), which in turn was named after [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]] and [[List of Bohemian monarchs|King of Bohemia]]. On March 25, 1918, the growing town surpassed a population of 2,000, allowing then-governor of New Mexico [[Washington Ellsworth Lindsey]] to proclaim Carlsbad a city.

Most of Carlsbad's development was due to [[irrigation]] water. Local cattlemen recognized the value of diverting water from the Pecos River to the grazing lands on Eddy's Halagueno Ranch. Many construction projects were undertaken to establish an irrigation system within the town. The Avalon Dam was constructed upstream of town, and canals diverted the water into town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangres.com/newmexico/eddy/carlsbad.htm|title=Carlsbad, New Mexico|website=www.sangres.com|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref> Conflict arose when the canals met the river downstream; as a result, the [[Pecos River Flume]] was built, first out of wood and later concrete (the flume is often titled the only place where a river crosses itself).

Key to the growth of the area was special excursion trains that brought visitors from the East at reduced fares. Before the [[Southwestern Railroad (New Mexico)#Carlsbad Division|Pecos Valley Railroad]] arrived in 1891,<ref name="Myrick_1990">Myrick, David, ‘’New Mexico’s Railroads, A Historic Survey’’, University of New Mexico Press 1990. {{ISBN|0-8263-1185-7}}</ref> travel parties met at the railroad station in [[Toyah, Texas]], and were driven by buggy {{convert|90|mi}} over a rough, dusty road to this small but growing settlement on the banks of the Pecos River.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Pearl of the Pecos: The Story of the Establishment of Eddy, New Mexico, and Irrigation on the Lower Pecos River of New Mexico: Compiled from Eddy Newspapers Between October 12, 1889, and October 23, 1897 |last=Myers |first=Lee C. |year=1999 |publisher=Southeastern New Mexico Historical Society |pages=342}}</ref> Most of the early construction in Carlsbad was completed with locally manufactured [[brick]]s. The bricks were quite soft and of poor quality. The former First National Bank building at the corner of Canal and Fox streets is one of the few remaining buildings constructed with local brick. The re-discovery of Carlsbad Caverns (then known as "Bat Cave") by local cowboys in 1901 and the subsequent establishment of [[Carlsbad Caverns National Park]] on May 14, 1930, gained the town of Carlsbad substantial recognition.

In 1925, [[potash]] was discovered near Carlsbad, and for many years Carlsbad dominated the American potash market.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofcarlsbadnm.com/AboutCarlsbad.cfm|title=About Carlsbad, NM|website=www.cityofcarlsbadnm.com|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317050307/http://www.cityofcarlsbadnm.com/AboutCarlsbad.cfm|archive-date=March 17, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Following the decline of the potash market in the 1960s, the residents and leaders of Carlsbad lobbied for the establishment of the [[Waste Isolation Pilot Plant]] (WIPP), a site where [[low-level nuclear waste]] would be stored thousands of feet underground in salt beds. Congress authorized the WIPP project in 1979, and construction began in 1980. The [[United States Department of Energy|DOE]] Carlsbad Area Office opened in 1993, and the first waste shipment arrived in 1999.

Currently, Carlsbad has experienced a "boom". The city is leading in the production of oil and natural gases across the entire area, causing an increase in the employment rate. Due to this increase, families and individuals have begun to migrate to Carlsbad.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.developcarlsbad.org/index.aspx?NID=899|title=Carlsbad Department of Development, NM - Home Page - Eddy County Continues to Lead in Oil & Gas|website=www.developcarlsbad.org|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105062325/http://www.developcarlsbad.org/index.aspx?NID=899|archive-date=November 5, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{wide image|Carlsbad,_NM_Panoramic.jpg|700px|Photo of Carlsbad from the top of C-Hill}}