Welcome to Riley, NM
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Welcome to Riley, NM
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
I loved this welcome sign! Welcome to Riley, New Mexico, AKA Santa Rita.
That’s the school in the background.
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 since there was already another Santa Rita in the territory. 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. Unfortunately, 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.
The locals never warmed up to the name Riley, and over a hundred years later, it’s still known as Santa Rita around here.
Copyright 2022 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
April 28th, 2022
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