Good day to remember Clovis' namesake

We’re pretty sure the city of Clovis was named for a Frankish king named Clovis.

There is no known documentation to prove this theory, but there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence.

An Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe document in 1906 provided a proposed name for the west-bound railroad station closest to Texico. That name was Clovis, described as “an old French name.”

In April 1907, railroad officials filed a Clovis townsite plat near the location of the station.

Media first tied the name to the Frankish King Clovis. In 1909, The Pony Post, a Clovis newspaper, published a poem called “The Story of Clovis.”

The poem concluded:

“Old Clovis has a namesake now —

“A city in New Mexico,

“A city of three thousand strong —

“And founded scarce two years ago.

“One time two towns who rivaled her —

“Melrose was one, and Texico —

“Grew clamorous for railroad shops,

“And worried all New Mexico.

“Then Clovis, like her dad of old,

“Saw that their wranglings were in vain.

“She seized the Sword of Enterprise

“And slashed their foolish hopes in twain.”

Decades later, we learn a Santa Fe Railway official’s daughter was supposedly reading about French history at the same time the railroad was looking to name the townsite for its newest terminal.

The Clovis Evening News-Journal on May 31, 1937, reported:

“The old-timers are positive ... this unidentified girl named Clovis after the first Christian King of France because ... she was impressed with the strength of this character.”

King Clovis’ character probably would be debated if he tried to run a country today. He beheaded enemies and once killed one of his own soldiers who displeased him during an inspection.

But today is a good day to remember our likely namesake.

He was 45 years old when he died on this date — Nov. 27 — in 511 AD.

David Stevens writes about regional history. Contact him at:

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