Lon sported a postofice from 1934 to 1943and then the mail was sent to Ramon.In 1924 it was called Joneta for a Mrs Joneta Bagley, but in 1931 Ben Moseley established a general store and was appointed Post malster. He name the place for his son Lonnie. Submitted by: Samuel W McWhorter

Please note the following information with regard to Lon, New Mexico. Other than family writings, there has been little published about the tiny town that actually had quite an interesting history during its 20+/- year existence. The given name of "Ben" is incorrect for Mr. Moseley. Years ago, while researching in New Mexico, I was told that name was merely a guess from "someone's" memory. Postal contract records show the proper information. The following is a quick overview of Lon's history, but there are many more interesting occurrences that were recorded by Joneta and Jim Bagley, as well as my family, the Moseleys.

In 1924 James and Joneta Bagley moved to New Mexico from Texas and homesteaded a plat of land known as Raw Hide Flat. The Bagleys opened a post office and, shortly thereafter, a general mercantile, with a school room in the back of the store. The 9-10 students were taught by Miss Callie Franks. The town was renamed Joneta in 1926.

In 1931 my grandfather and grandmother, Jerome "Romey" Moseley and Minnie Leah Moseley moved from Concho County, Texas, took over the post office and small general store. Romey and Minnie had eight children, one of whom was named Lonnie (six years old at the time he came to New Mexico), hence the name change of the town to LON. Years later Mrs. Moseley wrote that the town could have just as easily been named Sherm, Jamie or Norm, the other boys names in the family, since Lonnie's name had been chosen by a coin toss.

Although Miss Franks, the school teacher, returned to Texas with the Bagleys, Romey and Minnie built, funded and ran a small, adobe-walled, two-room school where 15-25 children of all ages, grades and nationalities (Indian, Hispanic and Caucasian) attended classes. The classes, primarily reading and basic math, were taught by Minnie and an Indian/Hispanic lady identified in the family records only as "Hortencia."

In 1941, after several months of conflict with government officials, apparently regarding the lack of institutional education and qualifications of the school teachers, the school was closed and the students were given the option to travel 30 miles to Corona for classes. Interestingly enough, although the officials expressed concern about the un-credentialed teachers, in a letter dated September 1942, to one of the Moseley children, from one of the 12-year old children who went to the Corona school, the boy states that, because he was so advanced to the other children in his classes, he was told by the teacher that he could stay home and come back in a couple of years.

A few months later, in early-1943 a conflict arose between the Moseleys and government officials regarding numerous horses (40 or more) that Romey owned, bred and trained for local ranchers. According to family papers, because Romey was of Comanchee Indian decent (Mother Indian/Father Caucasian) and not living on a reservation, he was not allowed to possess the number of horses that he owned at the time.

In May 1943, in a fit of anger and frustration, Moseley gave nearly everything in the store and the horses that were left to his local rancher and Indian friends, closed the post office, packed his family and belongings into one pickup and a car and trailer and drove west, settling in Ashland, Oregon.

Neither the post office nor the store ever reopened. Portions of the walls of the school stood until the late 1960's. Only small pieces of the foundation of the school remain today.

Terry Eilers

I read an article about Lon New Mexico submited by Terry Eilers.

My grandmother was born in 1923.  Her maiden name is Tish May Raney.  Her mother,Doshey Raney, owned a homestead just 1 mile east of Lon on NM-247.  She attended the school in Lon.  She moved away in the late 30's when she married my Grandfather who grew up in Ramon NM.

My grandmother is 84 years old as still remembers stories of her life in Lon.  Would someone be interested in her story?

Just trying to keep the memory of Lon alive.
Asa