Preserving the people, places, and stories of Lincoln County’s Northside
Northside History is a developing digital archive dedicated to preserving the history of the Capitan Mountains and the surrounding Northside country of Lincoln County, New Mexico.
Why This Matters
For generations, much of the Northside’s history has been preserved not in museums, but in family photograph albums, ranch records, letters, maps, newspaper clippings, Bibles, ledgers, and the memories of the people who have lived and worked here.
Northside History is being created to help ensure that these materials—and the knowledge that gives them meaning—are not lost.
What We Hope to Preserve
- Family and ranch photographs
- Letters, journals, diaries, and family Bibles
- Ranch records, ledgers, brands, and livestock history
- Deeds, maps, plats, and land records
- School, church, cemetery, and community history
- Newspaper clippings and locally printed materials
- Oral histories and firsthand recollections
- Stories of former settlements and places no longer marked on modern maps
- Names, dates, locations, and other identifying information connected to older materials
You Keep Your Originals
Families and ranches do not have to give away their original materials. Photographs and documents may be scanned or photographed and returned to their owners.
Before anything is published, we will discuss ownership, permission, family credit, and any requested restrictions. The purpose is to preserve this history carefully while respecting the people who have carried it.
The Northside
The project’s core area includes the Capitan Mountains and the surrounding ranching country, beginning around Capitan Gap and extending along the western, northern, and eastern sides of the mountain range toward Arabela.
Related materials from neighboring areas may also be included when they concern Northside families, ranches, schools, churches, land, livestock, commerce, migration, or significant historical events. These boundaries will continue to be refined with the help of people who know the country.
Help Preserve the Northside
If your family has photographs, papers, records, objects, or stories connected to the Northside, we would be grateful to hear from you.
You do not need to know whether something is historically important. A name written on the back of a photograph, the location of an old homestead, the origin of a ranch name, or a story passed down through a family may preserve information that exists nowhere else.
About the Project
Northside History was founded by Amanda (Bird) Whaley, whose family was ranching in Lincoln County before New Mexico became a state. Her background includes DNA analysis, investigative genetic genealogy, historical research, and evidence-based documentation.
The project grows from a personal commitment to the Northside and a belief that its history should be preserved with care, context, and respect for the families who have carried it.
Share Your History
Use this form to tell us briefly about your family, ranch, materials, or Northside connection. This is only an initial conversation; please do not send original documents or irreplaceable files.