Emmy Harvey, who operated her family's former B.E. Harvey Cotton Gin, will discuss the industry's evolution, local agriculture and a business that served the Mesilla Valley for generations.

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - A century after her family established one of the Mesilla Valley's longtime cotton gins, fourth-generation cotton ginner Emmy Harvey will share its history during a free public presentation Thursday, Nov. 12, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.

Harvey, a Las Cruces native who personally operated the former B.E. Harvey Ginning Company, will discuss how cotton ginning shaped southern New Mexico's agricultural economy and the families who depended on it.

The presentation, "Ginning in New Mexico and the History of the Harvey Cotton Gin," will run from 7 to 8 p.m. at the museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road. It is part of the Friends of the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum's monthly Culture Series.

A family business dating to 1926

Harvey's family built its first cotton gin in 1926 near what is now North Compress Road and Hadley Avenue in Las Cruces.

According to an interview abstract from the museum's Oral History Program, the original building burned in 1927 after stick matches fell into a cotton trailer. The gin was rebuilt along the railroad tracks in 1928.

As the business expanded, the family constructed a second, more modern gin across the street in 1949. The operation converted from a saw gin to a roller gin in 1963 and continued operating until 2006.

Harvey eventually took charge of the business, entering a leadership role traditionally held by men in both her family and the cotton-ginning industry.

"I had the privilege of running the operation myself as a fourth-generation cotton ginner, carrying on the family's 100-year tradition," Harvey said.

The former Harvey gin employed 25 to 30 workers during each ginning season. According to Harvey, it was one of approximately 14 cotton gins operating between Salem and Santa Teresa.

But the business served a social purpose as well as an agricultural one.

"In the early days, most farmers arrived with horse-drawn wagons carrying one or two bales of cotton," Harvey recalled. "They would whittle and visit with their neighbors while they waited for their turn. The gin was more than a business; it was also a gathering place and an important part of the agricultural community."

How cotton ginning changed over generations

The Nov. 12 presentation will use historic photographs and an interview format to trace the evolution of cotton-ginning technology and the industry's role in the Mesilla Valley.

Harvey will describe the progression from early mechanical cotton gins through coal- and steam-powered equipment to electric systems capable of processing larger quantities of cotton.

"Ginning evolved from the very rudimentary Eli Whitney-type cotton gins to coal and steam-powered gins, to more efficient electric gins with line shafts, to individually powered gin equipment," she said.

Harvey also hopes the presentation will help residents appreciate the work of farmers and agricultural workers whose contributions shaped southern New Mexico.

"Farming is a noble and needed profession, and it deserves our respect, as does our land," she said. "The men and women who work the land provide for all of us, and their dedication, resilience, and contributions deserve our respect and gratitude."

The Friends' 2026-27 Culture Series features monthly presentations exploring local history, agriculture, art and New Mexico traditions.

Additional information and the series schedule are available at farmandranchfriends.org.