Marker Erected by: New Mexico Official Scenic Historic Marker.
County of Marker: Union County.
Location of Marker: US-64, roadside turnout, E. limits of Clayton.
Marker Text:
CLAYTON
Population 2,968 ~ Elevation 4,969
Trade caravans and homesteaders traveling the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail passed near here. Clayton was founded in 1887 and named for the son of cattleman and ex-Senator Stephen W. Dorsey, one of its developers. It became a major livestock shipping center for herds from the Pecos Valley and the Texas Panhandle.