city, seat (1889) of Chaves county, southeastern New Mexico, U.S. It lies along the Hondo River near the Pecos River. Founded as a trading post in 1871 by Van C. Smith, it was named for his father, Roswell, and developed as a ranching and agricultural centre supported by irrigation. The surrounding area produces cotton, truck crops, alfalfa, and livestock. The establishment of Walker Air Force Base in 1941 and the discovery of oil and natural gas in the 1950s stimulated Roswell's economic growth. The New Mexico Military Institute was founded there in 1891, and the city's museum houses paintings by Peter Hurd (Hurd, Peter) (born in Roswell). Bottomless Lakes State Park is just east of the city, and Lincoln National Forest is to the west. The supposed site of an extraterrestrial-spacecraft crash in 1947, Roswell now draws thousands of visitors to its annual UFO Encounter Festival, held in July. Inc. 1891. Pop. (1990) 44,654; (2000) 45,293.