Jal’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Jal. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗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 Territory.
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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Jal’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jal’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewLea County-Jal Airport - USGS 01 …, 1997: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Jal
See all 13 →
Jal, decade by decade
Nothing in Jal is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Jal has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Rig Theater in Wink, 24.9 miles away.
Jal and the nearest listed places
Closest to Jal
How a place gets listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.