The recent receipt of a Lovington artifact by Mayor Howard Roberts at City Hall has rekindled interest in the early 20^th century in the area. A commemorative metallic bowl stamped with Dean Hardware Co. was received by the town office, along with a letter dated September 6 from the sender, who recovered it in California.

The bowl would not have been an uncommon sight in Lovington between 1917 and 1952 when the store operated. In fact, advertisements stamped on tin bowls, cups, and plates from similar companies from other areas would have been commonplace among households and lodging homes around the town.

Even still, it provides the perfect opportunity to take a look back at Lovington in the early days.

Lovington’s colorful past

The official settlement of Lovington dates to 1908, four years before New Mexico itself became a state. As part of New Mexico Territory, early settlers to Lovington were attracted by the opportunity to ranch or farm – or to supply provisions to those willing to take on the task.

In 1912, one such pioneer – William Sydney Dean – filed a land claim in Lovington with a goal of opening a hardware store soon after. According to the New Mexico History Museum, he aimed to sell tools and building materials to area homesteaders, along with equipment for ranchers and piping for those with agricultural dreams. In 1917, the store formally opened as Dean Hardware Co.

William Dean maintained the store through 1952, making it recognized as one of the longest running businesses in Lea County during its time of operation. Upon his death, it was sold and the business was relocated to Capitan, New Mexico where three subsequent generations of Deans operated it.  

Over the course of its operations in Lovington, the store saw a lot of changes. In 1917, when Dean started the store, the town was having a particularly rough go of it. According to Gil Hinshaw in Lea, New Mexico’s Last Frontier, there was a major ongoing drought that year that crippled farmers and ranchers alike.

A few years later, the end of World War I brought an economic recession that led to the closure of several major banks in the city, including the Territorial State Bank, the First National Bank, and the Llano Loan Company. Not long after that in 1923, the city’s only electrical generating plant caught fire, keeping the city off the grid until 1928.

When Dean Hardware Co. closed in 1952, Lovington was a changed city. The discovery of the Denton oil field in 1950 led to the rapid development of the oil industry, contributing to a 500 percent increase in population between 1940 and 1960 (from 1,916 to 9,660). In 1950, just before Dean died, the population was 3,134 – still a large leap from the first recorded population of 411 in 1920.