1968 Map of Riley Camp

About this map

The high plains of Quay County come into focus in the late 1960s, revealing a landscape defined by ranching infrastructure and the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroad. The settlement of Bard and the namesake Riley Camp serve as primary points of human activity in this arid terrain, where water sources like Alamo Spring and Llano Spring dictated the placement of homesteads and cattle operations. A significant network of family-named landmarks, such as Charley White Windmill and Durham Windmill, illustrates how the land was managed and partitioned. The presence of Bard Cem and Boot Hill Cem provides essential touchpoints for genealogists tracing the early residents of this border region. This survey captures a specific moment when the rural economy relied heavily on wind-powered wells and the strategic drainage of the San Jon Creek and Arroyo Trujillo systems.