Constructed 1903.
The Pecos River, and particularly a structure called “The Flume,” are central to the history of the City of Carlsbad. In the 1860s, cattle drives moved from Texas up the river, taking livestock north. In 1887, Charles B. Eddy built the Halagueno diversion ditch on the Pecos River 3 miles above the later site of Avalon Dam in an attempt to attract foreign investors and settlers. A year later, former sheriff Pat Garrett (famous for killing Billy the Kid) and promoter Charles Greene joined the venture to create a system of canals and flumes for diversion of water to their properties. Eddy and his partners laid out plans for a new town on the south bank of the Pecos River, which was incorporated as the town of Eddy on September 15, 1888; renamed Carlsbad in 1899.
The Pecos River Flume was once featured in Ripley’s “Believe it or Not” as the only river that crosses itself! This aqueduct was originally constructed of wood in 1890 as part of the Southern Main Canal to carry irrigation water to dry areas from Lake Avalon. A flood destroyed the original structure in 1902, prompting the construction of a four-span, closed-spandrel concrete arch in 1903. Upon its completion, the new aqueduct ranked briefly as the largest concrete structure in the world. The Pecos River Flume is located off Callaway Drive on Westridge Drive. It is about one block northeast of U.S. Highway 285 near the Comfort Inn.
Carlsbad, NM
