Colfax County Courthouse (Springer, New Mexico)
Building
The arrival of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad caused the county seat of Colfax County to be moved from Cimarron to what would become Springer in 1881. The construction of a new courthouse began in 1879.
The building was constructed in Second Empire Style, and is a typical New Mexico Territorial courthouse. The symmetrical, two-story building has a pitched roof, arched windows, and projecting three-story tower. The courtroom was on the second floor, with the judge's chambers in the rear. A single brick jail cell was later added at the back of the building.
History
In 1885, the courthouse lawn was the site of one of the last gun battles of the Colfax County War.
In 1897, as the result of a referendum and legislative action, the county seat was moved from Springer to Raton, forty miles to the north. The county clerk in Springer refused to release the county records until officials removed them by force.
From 1910 to 1917, the courthouse was the first home of the New Mexico Reform School, which was later renamed the New Mexico Industrial School for Boys. After that, the courthouse was the site of the municipal offices and the Springer Public Library.
In 1965, Springer residents voted to make the building into a museum devoted to the history of the Santa Fe Trail.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ National Register of Historical Places - NEW MEXICO (NM), Colfax County
- ^ "Santa Fe Trail Museum & Historical Society". Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2008.
Further reading
- Pike, David (2004). Roadside New Mexico: a guide to historic markers. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 434 p. ISBN 0-8263-3118-1.