Human habitation in and around the Farmington, New Mexico area began with an ancient pueblo people known as the "Anasazi", a Navajo word meaning "ancient ones," who lived in the area over 2000 years ago.

The Anasazi in the Farmington area lived in pit houses, which consisted of a four-to-five foot pit dug into the ground in a circular design supported by a limestone plaster and structured upward by wooden beams. Tree branches, bark, brush and grass mixed with mud formed the outer shell of the structure offering protection from the sun and rain.

The Navajo displaced the Anasazi, and were themselves displaced by the Apache and the Utes who both still maintain a strong presence in the region.

During the mid-1870s, white farmers and ranchers established the city of Farmington because of its location near the hub of the La Plata, Animas, and San Juan rivers.

The discovery of oil and natural gas in the early 20th Century transformed small agricultural Farmington into the leading producer of oil and gas in New Mexico. Production slowed mid-century around the same time the United States Government authorized Operation Plowshare to test peaceful uses for nuclear weapons.

The 26-kiloton nuclear explosion 50 miles from Farmington codenamed "Gasbuggy" opened a natural gas well for exploitation, but at the same time irradiated the gas. Once news of the contamination leaked to the public the potential market dried up.

Today oil, gas, and coal are the leading industries that still influence this small community.

Narrative written by University of West Florida Public History Student, Ryan Broome.