Blackwater Draw Locality No. 1, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the most important archeological sites in the New World. The Blackwater Draw Museum has wonderful displays of bones and artifacts to educate adults and children in the history of New Mexico as well as the New World.

No vanishing mirage, Oasis State Park is true to its name. Tall cottonwoods and a shimmering pond sit among the shifting sand dunes. An abundance of birds and anglers are drawn to this watering hole, which the New Mexico State Park Division keeps stocked throughout the year. The fishing pond may be the main attraction but with hiking trails, picnic areas, campgrounds, a ballfield, and a playground, Oasis State Park has something for everyone.

When everyone in a community doesn’t agree as to the origin of its name, it makes for interesting information. Arch, New Mexico, on NM 88, 16 miles southeast of Portales, is one of those places. Some think it was named for President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Archibald. After all, the county was named for this president in 1903. Others say it was named for Arch Gregg, an early County sheriff. Some say it was named for Arch Williams, an early settler. The post office existed from 1903 to 1967, but now mail goes to Portales. Arch is yet another farming community on the plains of eastern New Mexico you can pass through without knowing it is there.

Nine miles north of Crossroads on NM 206 is another settlement at another crossroads, Milnesand. The first store was opened in 1910 by Mrs. Lillian Curl. Settlers from Texas and Oklahoma had arrived around 1913 and homesteaded in the area. In 1915, Mrs. Curl became the first postmistress. A merchant named Parker had a Model T chain driven truck, and he hauled freight between Milnesand and Portales. He would also take passengers at $5 each per trip. The unusual name, Milnesand, is due to the deep sandy soil and windmills on a nearby ranch; hence, it was called Mill-in-sand.

Spring waters gushing from a series of caves shaped like porches across a hacienda home gave Portales its name. It is also a door to human history with the discovery of artifacts and skeletons of mastodons dating back 11,000 years. Originally it was known as "Los Portales," portals to the Southwest United States.