The late 1880's were important years for a great number of pioneer spirited Texas families. For several years they had been hearing about the many opportunities that were to be had in the huge expanse of free land in the Territory of New Mexico. So it is no wonder that perhaps as many as twenty-five wagon trains of home-seekers left the Lone Star State during a period of three or four years and headed their teams west toward the Pecos and the mountains beyond.

Leading one of the first wagon trains during that year of 1885 was Elihu Joy, a pioneer in the truest sense, and a man who was to make much history in the settling of the Penasco Valley of Southern New Mexico.

In the same wagon train were other travelers, having much the same aspirations as Elihu Joy, and they were people whose names are predominant over the Sacramento Mountains today. Some of them are the Beard family, the Poseys, Reeves, Henderson, Arthurs, Walkers, and Campbells. A couple of years later, the Rhodes, Cox and Lee families came also, but the latter three families settled on the West side of the mountains. Most of the families, however, settled on the Penasco.

According to several old-timers living today, another group of immigrants, perhaps in another wagon train, also came into the valley and settled on the lover Penasco, near where the Joy group had stopped. The location was probably about fifteen miles below the present site of Elk. In this group were the York family: Harrison, James, Frank, & Meredith along with Jim Dockray and Bob Keith. The place they settled soon came to be known as "Yorktown." Later this group began to scatter out and move to other areas throughout the mountains and the settlement faded into oblivion.

Fay Turner of Roswell, daughter of Elihu Joy, said that her mother, who was a York, came with her father to New Mexico. "They were married before they left Texas." She said. "When the families started scattering out, Papa and Mama moved over into Sixteen Springs Canyon. Later they moved back to the Penasco between Mayhill and Elk where they bought a farm and ranch and this was where I was born.

that her mother had sat on the wagon seat, driving the team, while her father had ridden one of the horses pulling the wagon. "They tied logs to each side of the wagon so they would float better." she said.

Stating that the wagon train kept moving on west until the travelers arrived on the lower Penasco where the country appealed to them, Fay said that her parents settled on one side of the Penasco, while her grandparents settled on the other. "Soon the place became known as Yorktown." she said.

"One time the Mescalero Indians broke out of the Reservation and came to our place wanting food." Fay recalled. "Mama got scared and went across the creek to my grandparents’ place until the Indians went on through."

Fay said that this was not the last experience with the Mescaleros. "Indian raids were not unusual in those days." She said. When Papa first came out here the helped recover a herd of livestock that the Indians had driven off on one or two occasions. He never got into a gun battle with them though. We saw Indians from the Reservation quite often after we moved over to the Flying H. They would come off the Reservation and ride by our place. I learned how they used the Mescal plant to make alcohol and soap.

"My parents had ten children, seven girls and three boys. The oldest one died in about 1913 and Mama and Papa raised his children. Nancy, my mother, passed away in 1928.

Fay said that she married John Turner, who was a cowboy. "He worked for Cap Mossman on the Turkey Track and also punched cattle on the Flying H Ranch." she recalled. "Before my husband passed away he went to work at the oil refinery in Artesia. Later he worked for the New Mexico Highway Department and we settled in Roswell.

He was found by his son E. E. Joy, apparently the victim of a heart attack in the corral where he had been working with a herd of calves.

Even before he came to New Mexico, Elihu Joy had already experienced many days in cattle drives as he had assisted in driving a herd of cattle over the old Chisholm Trail across to Dodge City, Kansas. "My father also knew some of the old-timers of the Pecos Valley such as Jim Hinkle of Roswell, and Dave Runyan of Artesia." Fay related. Truly Elihu Joy and his family were the kind of people that made the West the greatest place in the world to live.

When Eliju Joy passed away, seven daughters and two sons survived him. The daughters were: Mrs Ella Coe of El Paso, Mrs. Maggie Deheart of Albuquerque, Mrs. Alma Mitchell, Mrs. John Turner of Artesia (Later of Roswell) and Mrs. Clayton McDonald of Artesia, Mrs Winnie Potter of Hope, and Miss Nettie Joy of Elk. The sons who survived at the time were W. R. And E. E. Joy, both of Elk.