That the counties of Chaves and Eddy are hereby created out of all that portion of Lincoln county, lying eastward of a line drawn through said county as follows, to wit: commencing at the northern boundary line of the county of Lincoln on the line between ranges nineteen and twenty east; thence south on said line to the base line; thence south along the range line between ranges nineteen and twenty east to the first standard parallel south; thence east to the point where the range line between ranges twenty and twenty-one east, south of said first standard parallel intersects said parallel; thence south on the line between said ranges twenty and twenty-one to the second standard parallel south; thence south to the southeast corner of township eleven, south of range twenty east; thence west to the line between ranges twenty and twenty-one south of the second standard parallel, south; thence south to the third standard parallel south along the range line between ranges twenty and twenty-one to intersect the third standard parallel, south; thence east along said parallel to where the line from the south side of same between ranges twenty-one and twenty-two intersect said parallel; thence along said range line between ranges twenty-one and twenty-two to the fourth standard parallel south; thence west along said parallel to the point where the line between ranges twenty-one and twenty-two south of said parallel intersects said parallel, and thence south on said line to the north boundary of the state of Texas.

History: Laws 1889, ch. 87, § 1; C.L. 1897, § 579; Code 1915, § 1064; C.S. 1929, § 33-301; 1941 Comp., § 15-301; 1953 Comp., § 15-3-1.

Compiler's notes. — This section is also compiled as 4-8-1 NMSA 1978 as it relates to Eddy county.

The boundary lines of Chaves and Eddy counties have been changed since the counties were created. De Baca and Roosevelt counties were created out of northern and eastern portions of Chaves county, and Lea county was created out of the eastern portions of both Chaves and Eddy counties. The western boundaries of these counties were changed by 4-3-3 and 4-8-3 NMSA 1978. The boundary line between Chaves and Eddy counties remains the third standard parallel south as provided in 4-3-2 NMSA 1978.

The present boundary of Chaves county would seem to be as follows: commencing with the northwest corner of township 3 south of range 20 east; thence east [description from 4-6-1 NMSA 1978] on the township line to the northeast corner of township 3 south of range 20 east; thence south on the range line to the southeast corner of township 3 south of range 20 east; thence east on the township line to the southwest corner of township 3 south of range 27 east; thence north on the range line between ranges 26 and 27 east to the northwest corner of township 3 south of range 27 east; thence east on the township line to the northeast corner of township 3 south of range 29 east [description from 4-22-1 NMSA 1978]; thence south on the range line between ranges 29 and 30 east to the southeast corner of township 5 south of range 29 east [description from 4-22-2 NMSA 1978]; thence east on the said township line which is also the first standard parallel south, to the northeast corner of township 6 south of range 31 east; thence south on the range line to the southeast corner of township 7 south of range 31 east; thence east on the township line to the northeast corner of township 8 south of range 33 east; thence south on the range line between ranges 33 and 34 east to the southeast corner of township 8 south of range 33 east; thence west [description from 4-13-1 NMSA 1978] on the township line between townships 8 and 9 south to the northeast corner of township 9 south of range 31 east; thence south between ranges 31 and 32 east to the second standard parallel south; thence west on said standard parallel to the northeast corner of township 11 south of range 31 east; thence south between ranges 31 and 32 east to the third standard parallel south; thence west on the third standard parallel south [description from 4-3-2 NMSA 1978] to the range line between ranges 20 and 21 east, south of the third standard parallel south; thence south [description from 4-8-3 NMSA 1978] on said range line to the fourth standard parallel south; thence west [description from 4-3-3 NMSA 1978] on said standard parallel to the range line between ranges 15 and 16 east; thence north on said range line to the third standard parallel south; thence east on said standard parallel to the range line between ranges 16 and 17 east, north of the third standard parallel south; thence north on said range line to the township line between townships 13 and 14 south; thence east on said township line to the range line between ranges 20 and 21 east; thence north [description from 4-3-1 NMSA 1978] on said range line to the northwest corner of township 12 south of range 21 east; thence east on the township line between townships 11 and 12 south to the southwest corner of township 11 south of range 21 east; thence north on the range line between ranges 20 and 21 east to the second standard parallel south; thence north on the range line between ranges 20 and 21 east to the first standard parallel south; thence west on said standard parallel to the range line between ranges 19 and 20 east, north of the first standard parallel south; thence north on said range line to the point of beginning.

The sections in this article comprised art. 2 of ch. 24 of the 1915 Code. They were not reenacted by the inclusion therein, but were compiled for convenience. See the 1915 Code, p. 1665.

Section 2 of Laws 1889, ch. 87, read: "All that part of Lincoln county on the west side of the line described in the preceding section [compiled as 4-3-1 and 4-8-1 NMSA 1978] shall be and remain in the county of Lincoln."

Cross references. — For addition to Chaves county of eastern portions of Lincoln county, see 4-3-3 NMSA 1978.

For original boundaries of Lincoln county, see 4-14-1 NMSA 1978.