The area that is now the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge was inhabited by the Piro Pueblo prior to Spanish arrival in 1598 in what is now the southwestern part of the United States.

This post became an important stop on El Camino Real and was at various times named "Joya de Sevilleta" and "La Jolla,".

In 1966, shortly before his death, Campbell established a foundation that eventually decided to preserve the land of Sevilleta by creating a wildlife refuge.

[3] Four major biomes unite in Sevilleta: Pinon-Juniper Woodlands, Colorado Plateau Shrub-Steppe, Chihuahuan Desert, and Great Plains Grasslands.

The refuge currently hosts the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, conducted by the University of New Mexico.