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Things To Do In Roy

Roy can be found in northeastern New Mexico, at the intersection of NM Hwy 120 (26 miles east of Wagon Mound at US Interstate 25, exit 387) and NM Hwy 39 (26 miles south of Abbott on US Hwy 56 and 68 miles northwest of Logan on US Hwy 54)

Village Of Roy Village Clerk
P.O. Box 8
Roy, NM  87743
485-2541

History

Map/Directions

My Visit To Roy

Further information on Roy.

Further information on Harding County.

Although there are several ways to get to Roy, so far, I've only traveled this one from US I-25.  Exit at Exit 387  (Wagon Mound) and travel east on State Rd 120 for 36 miles.  Warning: Although a very scenic drive on a nicely paved road, it does have very steep hills.

FROM US I-40:

Although there are several ways to get to Roy, so far, I've only traveled this one from US I-40.   Exit at Exit 300 (Newkirk) and travel north on State Rd 129 for 17 miles on this nicely paved road.  At this point, you may only turn right (6.1 miles to Conchas) or left on State Rd 104.  Turn left and travel west 25 miles (18 miles to Variadero).   Turn right onto State Rd 419 and travel east 49 miles on this windy road.  The road is very steep  (though not as steep as State Rd 120) towards the end for about 3 miles.  At this point, you may only turn right towards Mosquero or left on State Rd 39.  Turn left and travel north 14 miles (5 miles to Solano) to Roy.  Warning: Make sure you have enough gas in your tank and water in your radiator before traveling this route.

The Village of Roy was first settled in the late 1800's, a few miles west of town. It was moved to the present site to be near the Southern Pacific Railroad which was accommodating the many homesteaders moving in to file on claims of land. Named for its founders, the Roy brothers, the village was not incorporated until 1916 and has always functioned on an elected Mayor and council form of government.

Roy’s claim to fame is that Bob Wills wrote the song, "San Antonio Rose," while a resident here in 1927. Bob worked as a barber during the day in Roy and played with a dance band at night. He wrote a song called, "Spanish Two-Step," which fit the style of dancing most popular here, and this song later became the famous "San Antonio Rose." Also, Tommy McDonald, now in the Football Hall of Fame, began his football-playing career at Roy High School.

Many of the buildings in town are old, but sturdy, from the early years of the settlement. Several of these yesteryear buildings have been refurbished and made into attractive homes and places of business. The Floersheim building was a general store from 1897 until 1969, and now houses a Print Shop and several business rental units. The Mesa Theater still stands, equipped and in good condition. An early day hospital is now an apartment complex, and the Senior Citizens center once was the headquarters for the telephone company. The Village offices are presently located in a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project building, which was completed in 1936.

A newer building is the Harding County Community Center, which provides space for meetings, business and social gatherings, and the Harding county fair exhibits and activities. Adjacent to it are the newly remodeled Fair Barns and Rodeo Arena, where the Annual County Fair and 4-H Livestock events are held. Roy’s newest addition is a volunteer Fire Department Building, which as six bays and houses fire Trucks and two Rescue units.

The Roy Municipal School, K-12, has well-kept buildings and a spacious gymnasium. The school is noted for its State championships in the sports of volleyball, Basketball, Football and Track. Interactive Television is available at the school for students as well as members of the community.

The three denominations providing places of worship are the Catholic Church, Baptist Church, and the Methodist/Christian United Church.

Active organizations holding meetings in town are the American Legion and Auxiliary, Federated Woman’s club, Order of the Eastern Star, Solano Homemaker’s Club, Senior citizens, Harding county Fair Board, Northeastern New Mexico Livestock association, Pinon Cowbelles, Mounted Patrol Troop #15, 4-H Club, Roy Booster Club and school groups.

State offices available in Roy are the Motor Vehicle Division, State Land Office, Mesa Soil & Water District and Division of vocational Rehabilitation. A Federal office is Natural Resource Conservation Services and a County office is the Magistrate Court.

Local businesses include a bank, Feed Store, General Store, Tax Service, Repair & Supply, Cafes, Hotel, Apartments, Bed & Breakfast, Antique Shop, Auto Parts, Service Stations, Trailer Park, Health Center Clinic, Gift Shops w/local Crafters, Healthcare Service, Leather Shop, Trading Post, Oil, Gas and Propane Distributors, Bar & Lounge, Auctioneer and Appraisal Service, Print Shop and a Water Well Drilling and Construction Company. A Senior citizens Mealsite is also an active service.

Outlying industries supporting our economy are ranching and the Carbon dioxide production business.

The Village maintains two parks and the larger, near the school, is well equipped for recreation and gatherings. The Village is in the process of developing its newly acquired 640-acre Chicosa Park, a few miles from town.

Hunting, fishing, and camping facilities are available in near-by areas and attract many visitors in season.

The climate in Roy is mild to moderate, the elevation is 5890 feet, and the prevailing wind is from the southwest. The nearest Interstate 25, is 34 miles west on State Highway 120. State Highway 39 is the main thoroughfare through town north and south, and this is crossed by State Highway 120 going east and west. The nearest air terminal is Amarillo, 171 miles, or Albuquerque, 210 miles. The village is well policed by a full-time Marshall. A volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical teams and equipment are on call.

Although its population has dwindled to about 362, the Village of Roy attracts families to our good school, as well as many retirees and people seeking a healthier environment, as the village is noted for its clean air, pure well water, and peaceful atmosphere.

Sure, there are the typical few businesses, beautiful stars that multiply across the night sky, and ministers/priests that rotate among churches in several towns, but what makes this town so special?  First, the friendly down-to-earth people.  In this close-knit community, everyone knows each other by name and what they're doing.  As one girl commented, "My mom knows what I'm doing before I even do it."   Second, Roy is a beautifully serene small town.  I've met people who moved back to Roy, people who moved to Roy for the first time, and people who lived there over fifty years.  The only reason more people aren't moving here is because of the lack of jobs.  Even many of the young people of Roy who went away to college and have the opportunity to "get away" would rather come back to live, if jobs were available.  There's even an author who will be using Roy for inspiration of her next book, which is set in a beautiful small town.

For those who haven't lived in a small town, having the Motor Vehicle Division operating for only two days a week might sound inconvenient, but then there aren't any lines for you to waste your time on when it's opened.  You might also have a problem with the tongue-in-cheek philosophy of "I'm open when I'm here and closed when I'm not," but the business operator is usually near by if it's important enough.  And the people here are not demanding but are considerate of each other.  And, as Mimi, a newly arrived physician (the first full-time physician in a long time), pointed out, "I'm just as busy here as I was in the Houston area.  The only big difference is when you want some things, you have to drive to it, and when I'm done with work, I just have to walk next door to go home instead of driving."  And, as was pointed out to me, since the drive is long to the nearest big city, residents of Roy tend to make one trip to buy a lot of things, unlike city residents who make many trips to the store to buy small quantities of things each time (perhaps their one trip results in less driving time than the many trips city residents take to buy the same amount of things).  Since eating out is not done often, it seems to former city residents that fast foods taste better than it used to.   And families take trips to the city together, using this time to talk and see the beautiful country.

Finally, what makes Roy so special among every other place in New Mexico is its single school building that is currently used to educate 113 students from kindergarten through high school.  Of the 54 high school students, 18 are seniors.  Typically, this would spell disaster for any student planning on going to college but this is far from the case in Roy.  First, the education is above any I'm aware of.  In some courses, the students receive an interactive satellite transmission from a college instructor in Clovis.  These courses double as a high school and college course, thus allowing students to enter major universities as a sophomore after graduating high school.  Secondly, they have top-of-the-line equipment.  They have a first rate wood shop, a welding shop that allows them to work on equipment from local ranchers, and a autocad shop (for computerized architecture) with blueprint equipment that outclasses what I've seen in many of the Albuquerque blueprint businesses.  They have professional  multimedia and computer equipment that exceeds any school I'm aware of in New Mexico, including the Universities.  Thirdly, their athletes are not overlooked by universities.   Most of them receive scholarships for football, basketball, volleyball, and track and field.   And finally, the pièce de  résistance: a four-day school week.  The education is so good, instead of going to his local school, one student I spoke with drives over 60 miles every day to get his education in Roy.

If you're looking for some time to "get away from it all" or simply to see some beautiful scenery, take a trip out to Roy, New Mexico.  You can stay for a few days at the Hartley Guest Ranch, just south of Roy, or stay in town at the Mesa Hotel.    It's well worth the time.