EDDY

county, southeastern New Mexico, U.S., bordered on the south by Texas. Its western region is in the Sacramento section of the Basin and Range province, a rugged area where the Guadalupe Mountains rise to more than 6,000 feet (1,800 m). The county's far eastern region is flatland in the High Plains. Most of Eddy county lies in the Pecos River valley section of the Great Plains, with the Pecos River flowing southward through it. Lake McMillan is the largest of several impoundments on the Pecos, and Red Bluff Lake, where the river exits New Mexico, is the lowest point in the state, at 2,841 feet (861 m) above sea level. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (q.v.), Lincoln National Forest, and Brantley Lake and Living Desert state parks are all within Eddy county borders. Antonio de Espejo's 1582 expedition followed the Pecos River through the region. Mescalero and Lipan Apache Indians were dominant until the late 19th century. Between 1870 and 1881 the area east of the Pecos pastured some of the world's largest cattle holdings on the property of rancher John Chisum. The county was established in 1889. Agriculture (cattle, hay, chiles, cotton), potash mining, and, especially, oil and gas extraction are the bases of the economy. Carlsbad is the county seat. Area 4,182 square miles (10,832 square km). Pop. (1990) 48,605.