The
southern 
Antonito
was once the "mainline" of the infant Denver and Rio Grande railroads.
Today, Antonito is the main station for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic
Railroad - the highest and longest narrow-gauge railroad in the North
American continent - an authentic railroad trip to
José
Inez Taylor, co-author of the book Alex and the Hobo.
Once
home to the Denver Rio Grande Railroad where one set of railroad tracks
headed over the Cumbres Pass to Chama, and the other, once known as the
Chile Line, ran south to Espanola, New Mexico, Antonito was a busy and
bustling hub. The location was ideal for a new community. The San Antonio
River was easy to cross here, and the abundance of lava rock was also
appealing. Stonemasons were brought in to cut the lava rock to construct
the bridge abutments and cut stones for the new DRGRR Depot, which was
completed in 1880, with track laying operations beginning in February of
that year.
Welcome to the official Conejos County website!
We appreciate your interest in Conejos County, Colorado. We hope that
our site is useful in providing visitors and residents with valuable
information about Conejos County government and the community in which
we live. As you navigate around our site you will find useful
information for various services and community resources and answers
to frequently asked questions. We hope that this information is
helpful to you.
Geography of Conejos County:
Conejos County is located at
the southern end of Colorado’s beautiful San Luis Valley, the world’s
largest alpine valley. The county has an area of approximately
825,741 acres or 1,290 square miles (slightly larger than the state of
Rhode Island). The eastern portion of the county is characterized by
the nearly level valley floor which lies at an average elevation of
about 7,700 feet. The stunning San Juan Mountains rise from the
western portion of the county to a height of about 13,000 feet.
Conejos County is bounded by the Rio Grande (River) to the east and
the State of New Mexico to the south. Sixty-six percent of the county
is owned by state or federal entities, including the mountainous areas
that are part of the Rio Grande National Forest. Small towns and wide
open farms and pasturelands characterize the remaining thirty four
percent of the land that is privately owned. The county has five
municipalities- Manassa, La Jara, Antonito, Sanford and Romeo- Manassa
being the largest with a population of just over 1,000 people. As in
all agricultural areas of the West, water is the lifeblood of the
community. In addition to the Rio Grande, the county is traversed by
the Conejos, Alamosa, and San Antonio Rivers and La Jara Creek, as
well as hundreds of irrigation ditches that bring water to our fields.
History of Conejos County:
Conejos County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861. Although it was first called Guadalupe County it was renamed Conejos, the Spanish word for “rabbits”, one week later. The original boundaries of the county included much of the southwestern corner of Colorado. In 1874, most of the western and northern portion of the county was broken away to form parts of Hinsdale, La Plata and Rio Grande Counties. Conejos County achieved its modern borders in 1885 when its western half was taken to create Archuleta County. Today, County government is based in the community of Conejos.
Because it is the site of some
of the earliest settlements in Colorado, rural Conejos County contains
some important historical sites. The town of Antonito is home to the
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, a narrow gauge steam engine
railroad constructed in 1880 which makes the daily trek from Antonito
to Chama, New Mexico during the summer and fall. Just north east of
the town of Sanford is Pikes Stockade, the site where Zebulon Pike
raised the American flag in 1807 over what was then Spanish Territory.
The stockade was reconstructed using Pike’s journal and is maintained
by the Colorado Historic Society. Conejos, the County seat, is also
home to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Parish, the oldest parish
church in Colorado. The community of Manassa hosts Pioneer Days each
July. The event celebrates the arrival of Mormon pioneers and is one
of the largest events in the San Luis Valley. The Jack Dempsey
Museum, also located in Manassa, honors the “Manassa Mauler” who held
the world heavyweight boxing title from 1919 to 1926.
