Kenna
Unincorporated community
Kenna Store, formerly Midway Service Station, listed in National Register of Historic Places[1]
Kenna Location of Kenna in New Mexico
Coordinates: 33°50′32″N 103°46′19″W / 33.84222°N 103.77194°W / 33.84222; -103.77194[2]
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Roosevelt
Region	Llano Estacado
Founded	1902
Elevation [2]	4,462 ft (1,360 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
Zip code	88122
Area code	575
GNIS feature ID	915847[2]
Website	Office of the State Historian

Kenna is an unincorporated community in Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States.^[2] It is located on U.S. Route 70, 30 mi (48 km) southwest of Portales.

History

The settlement was originally known as Urton, probably named for two brothers who came to the region from the state of Missouri in 1884. A contractor by the name of Kenna camped in Urton during the construction of a roadbed for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Kenna's camp served as a stopping place for stagecoaches to exchange mail as well as passengers.^{[citation needed]}

In 1899, when the railroad was completed, the name Kenna remained for the camp. Established first as Urton in 1902 by the opening of a post office, the name was changed back to Kenna in 1906.^[3] E.D. Kenna, the vice president of the railroad, may have contributed to the final choice of a name.^{[citation needed]}

Kenna was one of the largest cattle shipping points in the state by 1909.^[3] At the peak of its development, the town had a bank, two hotels, several stores, a post office, and several saloons. By 1912, many homesteaders relinquished their claims due to the drought, and Kenna began to decline.^{[citation needed]}