Brantley State Park    (505) 457-2384         
                   New Mexico State Parks Division    (888) NM-PARKS

Brantley State Park located approximately 14 miles north of Carlsbad.  The lake was created in 1988 by a 4 mile long dam across the Pecos River.  The dam holds 42,000 acre feet of water.  The primary purpose of the dam is to protect downstream areas from floods and to provide irrigation water for local farmers and ranchers.  The lake also provides a variety of recreational uses, as well as fish and wildlife habitat.  The terrain features low rolling hills of sand and limestone, with creosote bush, desert grasses, mesquite, greasewood, cacti, and other Chihuahuan desert plants that can survive in the semiarid climate.

Day use area provides numerous covered picnic sites with BBQ facilities.  Children can enjoy a small playground close to the picnic sites.  Walking distance to boat launch and walking paths to the lake.  During the spring and fall months, anglers can catch Crappie weighing a pound or more and large mouth Bass that occasionally tip the scales at about nine pounds.  There are also Bluegills, White Bass, Channel Catfish and Walleye.  Birdwatchers will find during October through the middle of February water birds such as Mallards, Grebes, Northern Pintail, Pelicans, common Loons, Teal, Canada and Snow Geese.  Other species that inhabit the park are, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, Cactus Wrens, Western Meadowlarks, White-crowned Sparrows, Barn Swallows, Scaled Quail, Rufous Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfishers and Mourning Doves.  Texas Horned Lizards make their home in the park along with Black-Tailed Jackrabbits, coyotes, racoons and the occasional Mule Deer.
	The Visitor Center has exhibits and information on the park's plant and animal life.  Campground programs take place Saturday evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day with talks on various subjects, such as astronomy, the park's migratory birds.  Taking full advantage of southern New Mexico's spring winds is the "Go Fly a Kite" rally held in mid-March.  Each May or June, a kid's fishing clinic takes place with classes and contests.
There are full hook-up sites overlooking the lake with toilets and showers.	RV Sites also feature a covered picnic area.

The Pecos River valley was first visited by prehistoric Indians some 10,000 years ago and in more recent centuries by Apaches, Spanish explorers and Amglo-American ranchers.  The site of one of the wildest towns, "Seven Rivers", now lies under Brantley Lake.  Seven Rivers was founded in the late 1860s by settlers who traveled from Virginia by ox-wagon.  Seven Rivers was originally called "Dog Town", because of the area's large prairie dog population.  The name was changed to Seven Rivers for the spot where seven arroyos entered the Pecos River.  This soon became a popular stop for cattle drives and a trade center for local ranchers.

During its heyday in the 1880s, the town had a population of about 300, a post office, several stores, a hotel, a school and two saloons.  One reportedly had easily removable doors that served as stretchers for those who took second place in its frequent gun fights.  While many tales have been greatly exaggerated, historians have proof that Seven Rivers was a wild place. 

When Brantley Dam was built, graves in the old Seven Rivers Cemetery were relocated to Artesia, about 24 miles north.  Forensic scientists and anthropologists discovered that of the 14 bodies of men between 18 and 45 years old, 10 contained fragments of bullets or knives, including 2 with knives still in place.