Jesus at Santa Rita Church - Riley NM - Ghost Town Youth T-Shirt

A weathered statue of Jesus stands on a pedestal outside of Santa Rita Mission Church in the Ghost Town of Riley, New Mexico.

When the town of Riley was first settled in 1880, it was called Santa Rita. Originally a colony of Mexican- American homesteaded farms, the town was granted a post office in 1890 and renamed Riley after a local sheep rancher. In 1897, after discovering coal and manganese deposits, Riley grew to around 150 people. It had four mines, two stores, a school, and a church. The mines eventually mined out. Then a drought and overgrazing made it next to impossible to farm the land. Finally, after 41 years, the post office closed in 1931, ending the town of Riley.

Today Riley is a ghost town. Not much is left but the shell of the old school, some adobe ruins, and the beautifully restored Santa Rita Church.

Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning

I'm a travel photographer that enjoys photographing United States architecture, nature, and transportation. As the 8th photographer in 4 generations of my family, I don't remember a time when photography was not part of my life. By the time I was five years old, I was standing on a stool in the darkroom, helping my dad develop pictures. It was my job to transfer the photos from the hypo to the water bath. I went to college for interior design. After I graduated, I had a long successful career as an art buyer and designer for a large home furnishings company. In 2006, I had a significant life change. My husband became a medical traveler, and I decided to put my career on hold to tag along. In the process, I found my roots again. What...