The City of Moriarty was named for the first
permanent family to settle in the community. Michael Timothy
Moriarty, his wife and their three children arrived (at what is now
Moriarty) in the fall of 1887, and homesteaded their land. Mr.
Moriarty had moved his family from their farm home in Iowa to avoid
the cold winters, which had aggravated his rheumatism. The first
Moriarty family home was located about a mile and a quarter west of
present day Moriarty. There were no railroads, no towns, and very
few settlers in the Estancia Valley. The area was suited for cattle
grazing, and Michael Moriarty became one of the many ranchers in
central New Mexico.
A post office was established in Moriarty in
1903, with Michael Moriarty as the first postmaster. Before the
railroad was built, the mail was brought to Moriarty by a horseback
rider from Chilili. The Santa Fe Central Railroad built a line in
this area in 1903; and in 1908, the line became the New Mexico
Central Railroad. The railroad was built between the communities of
Kennedy (southeast of Santa Fe) and Torrance, in southeastern
Torrance County: passing though Stanley, Moriarty, Estancia,
Willard, Progresso, and Cedarvale. This new passenger and freight
line was opened to provide connections between Santa Fe and El
Paso, and Santa Fe and Chicago via connecting lines at Torrance.
Following the arrival of the railroad, a rush of homesteaders from
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa cut the land into farms and
fields. The railroad company built a depot, opened a telegraph
office, and established a town which it called Moriarty. The
Moriarty Depot soon became the center attraction in the community.
Mr. Moriarty built the first store, which he rented to Dunlavy
Mercantile Company. Another early business was the Levi Hughes
store, which years later became the Moriarty Trading Company. The
new town also had a grocery store, two hotels, a livery stable, and
later a drugstore. The town also had a doctor in the early 1900's.
The commercial buildings of the original town of Moriarty were
located on present day Center Avenue. Many of the original
buildings were destroyed by fire in the mid-1920's.
In 1906, Mr. Moriarty and Pete Vigil were chosen
to obtain material, money and labor to build a school house. The
railroad company donated land on which to construct the building.
When the school was built in 1907, it also served as the center for
church activities. That first school was located in the vicinity of
the present day intersection of Girard Avenue and Eighth Street.
Also in 1907, the Moriarty Messenger began publishing a weekly
newspaper, and the Moriarty Commercial Club was organized to
attract business to the town and settlers to farms. As a result of
the drought of the early 1930's, farmers were forced to leave
Moriarty and the Estancia Valley. However, a new community named
Buford, for Buford Crossley, was built around the intersection of
U.S. Highway (Route) 66 and State Highway 41, approximately one
mile north of the original town site of Moriarty. Both areas were
combined into the City of Moriarty in 1953 when the City was
incorporated. Eventually, tourist traffic and the development of
irrigated farms led to the rejuvenated growth of this
community.
Route 66 was formed in 1926 by the Federal
Highway Act. Originally, Route 66 was located just west of Santa
Rosa with a route turning north toward Santa Fe. However, in 1937,
Route 66 was re-routed to NM Highway 6 in the Rio Grande valley and
passed through Moriarty. In the 1960's, Route 66 was superceded by
Interstate 40. Two I-40 interchanges were completed for Moriarty in
the 1970's, resulting in greater accessibility and the potential
for increased growth.
In 1975, the railroad tracks which had been
inactive for many years were removed and the right-of-way was sold.
While the railroad origins of the City were diminished, the
traditional gridded street pattern remained as evidence of the
railroad days of the past. Moriarty continues to prosper as a
service community for travelers; however, it now serves visitors as
a highway community rather than a railroad community.
This is a very high muggle area. Be careful.