Editing Jal, New Mexico (section)

==History==
During the early 1900s, the Cowden boys of [[Midland, Texas]] moved the entire John A. Lynch herd to the Monument draw, about 6 miles northeast of present-day Jal. All the cattle were branded with the JAL brand from shoulder to hip. In the process of trying to rebrand the Cowdens, they found it too big a task so they registered the brand under their name in [[Silver City, New Mexico|Silver City, New Mexico Territory]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=The City of Jal, New Mexico|url=https://www.cityofjal.us/community/jal_history.php|access-date=2020-10-26|website=www.cityofjal.us|language=en}}</ref>

In 1913, Charles Justis (a merchant) applied for a post office under the name "Jal" to open six miles east of the city of Jal. However, in 1916, Jal became drought-stricken and the store and post office were relocated to Muleshoe Wells and the city of Jal was established in its present location.<ref name=":0" />

On November 1, 1927, Texas Co. brought in the first well, the Rhodes #1. Then on June 2, 1928, a second well, serving up more than 90 million cubic feet of gas a day, was brought online 6 miles west of Jal. This created a “boom town,” with all the prosperity and problems that go with it. The Great Depression and low crude prices caused a sharp slump in drilling and people left in droves. Jal almost became a ghost town overnight.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

In the summer of 1934, the Cooper #1 brought the “Big Boom” back to Jal. By then Jal had a passenger train and its population rose to around 500. Housing was in short supply and ranchers opened their homes to “roughnecks”. New businesses sprang up, and with the gas gathering system by El Paso Natural Gas, prosperity continued.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}