Clayton, New Mexico is the first town on the Santa Fe Trail in the land of Enchantment. It is close to the base of Rabbit Ear Mountains a major landmark on the Santa Fe Trail. Those first outcroppings of the Rocky Mountains were named for the sixteenth century Cheyenne Chief, Orejas de Conejo. He was killed in a battle on the slopes of the mountains and buried on the larger of the two peaks.
Clayton has long been a major stop on the trails of the west. Coronado passed through there on his way to Kansas. The Goodnight-Loving Trail with its large cattle drives, used Clayton for a stop over and resting place for the many herds of cattle driven over the famous trail.
In the latter days of the Santa Fe Trail, freight lines from the railroads in Kansas passed through here. Soon after the railroad reached Santa Fe, another railroad came to Clayton. The arrival of the railroad in 1887, probably signaled the birth of Clayton.
Freighting, by wagon, was major industry here at that time.