Clovis began with the coming of the railroad. By 1910, there were two
rail lines: the "Belen Cutoff" from the Rio Grande River through to Amarillo,
and the "Pecos Valley" line to the south. The creation of Curry County
with Clovis as county seat followed.
Over the years, Clovis became an agricultural center. Fields of grain,
alfalfa, and sugar beets surrounded the community. Ocer time, cattle feed
lots and weekly cattle auctions were established.
Clovis Air Force Base was built near Clovis in 1942.
Later, the name of the air force base was changed to Cannon Air Force
Base. The Base created many new jobs resulting in a large population
increase in the Clovis area.