The Streets of Carlsbad - Hagerman Street

James John Hagerman

Many of the streets in our town are name after people who came before us. They were developers, capitalists, and visionaries. They could see a land of opportunity in the desert, maybe none more so than James John Hagerman. Mr. Eddy traveled all the way to Colorado Springs to recruit Mr. Hagerman. Mr. Eddy picked up Mr. Hagerman at the Toyah train depot and drove him through the Pecos Valley showing him the prospects for agriculture by irrigation. After this hundred mile buggy ride, Hagerman took charge of the development. The original investors and Hagerman formed the new Irrigation and Investment Company. Hagerman raised capital, and invested heavily himself. By 1890, the Rock Dam was built north of the village at today’s Avalon site and water released into the main canal. A high, trestle-supported wooden flume was built to carry the main canal from La Huerta over the river for irrigation south of the town.

J.J. Hagerman invested heavily and became the force behind the development of southeastern New Mexico, bringing the railroad from Pecos to Roswell. There were serious problems between Mr. Hagerman and Eddy.  Both were strong personalities and they fought about business operations. There were economic problems throughout the nation in 1893, and in 1895 a flood washed out most of the irrigation canals and dams that had been completed.  A great deal more money would be needed to complete and rebuild the irrigation project.  Charles Bishop Eddy left Carlsbad in 1895 to go into developments in the El Paso area.  He never returned to the town or county to which he had given his name.

Mr. Hagerman continued to invest. Hagerman had seen the need for an easier way for people to get to the Pecos Valley and to get valley farmers’ crops to market. Hagerman formed a separate company to build the Pecos Valley Railroad from Pecos, Texas, and in 1891 the townspeople celebrated the arrival of the first train. Hagerman built a large home east of the river and town. He later invested more of his money to extend the railroad to Roswell and to Amarillo. Although the town of Hagerman was named for him, the Hagerman family never lived there.  In 1900, Mr. Hagerman sold his home in Colorado and moved to Roswell. He purchased the John Chisum South Springs property. In 1906, his son, Herbert, became the Territorial Governor of New Mexico. Hagerman died in Italy while touring Europe with his wife and was buried in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.