The Town of Manassa is the Statutory Town that is the most populous municipality in Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 991 at the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

History

Today, approximately half of Manassa's residents are of Spanish and Mexican heritage. Migration patterns demonstrate how people from northern New Mexico settled this area in the mid 19th century. Many are the descendants of colonists from the Spanish colonial period beginning in 1598 with Juan de Oñate's colonization of New Mexico. Most of the other citizens of Manassa are the descendants of the

Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

who founded Manassa in 1879, and named the town after Manasseh, a son of the Israelite Joseph. Manassa was located a short distance from two ranches purchased by the Mormons from Hispanos on the south side of the Conejos River, across from Los Cerritos. The selection of the land for the colony was made on the assurance that the railroad would soon be built nearby. However, one year later the railroad bypassed the colony, and instead passed through Romeo, just to the west.

Geography

Manassa is located in eastern Conejos County in the

San Luis Valley The San Luis Valley is a region in south-central Colorado with a small portion overlapping into New Mexico. The valley is approximately long and wide, extending from the Continental Divide on the northwest rim into New Mexico on the south. It co ...

in south-central Colorado at (latitude 37.174695 north, longitude 105.936359 west). Manassa's elevation is above sea level. The land within Manassa city limits is entirely flat, with rolling hills nearby. Foothills and mountains (taller than ) are farther in each direction, including the Sangre de Cristo Range to the east and the San Juan Mountains to the west. The U.S. Post Office ZIP code for Manassa is 81141, and the area code is 719. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Manassa experiences a semi-arid climate ( Köppen ''BSk'') with cold, dry winters and warm, somewhat wetter summers.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,042 people, 362 households, and 280 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 398 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 81.00% White, 0.48% African American, 1.63% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 13.24% from other races, and 3.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.75% of the population. There were 362 households, out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.33. In the town, the population was spread out, with 33.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,092, and the median income for a family was $26,827. Males had a median income of $23,295 versus $16,029 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,576. About 23.2% of families and 28.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.

Streets

Manassa's wide streets, such as those typically found elsewhere in towns started by

Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

, are fashioned in a grid system. The town fits perfectly in a township and comprises close to one square mile, made up of eight blocks by eight blocks for a total of 64 city blocks. From east to west, the streets are numbered First through Ninth. From south to north, the streets are named South, Jack, Morgan, Smith, Main (aka State Highway 142), Berthelson, Peterson, Dotson, and North. Manassa's mile-long Main Street is designated State Highway 142, connecting Romeo and

U.S. Route 285 U.S. Route 285 is a north–south United States highway, running 846 miles (1,362 km) through the states of Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. The highway's southern terminus is in Sanderson, Texas at an intersection with U.S. Route 90. US ...

to the west, with the historic town of

San Luis San Luis (Spanish for "Saint Louis") may refer to: Places Argentina * San Luis Province * San Luis, Argentina, capital of San Luis Province Belize * San Luis, Belize, in Orange Walk District Colombia * San Luis, Antioquia, a town and municipality ...

in Costilla County to the east. The

San Luis Hills The San Luis Hills are a group of small mountain ranges in Conejos and Costilla counties in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. The individual mountain ranges that make up the San Luis Hills include the Fairy Hills, the Brownie Hills, the P ...

are east of Manassa, on State Highway 142, between Manassa and San Luis.

Transportation

Travel connections to major cities are generally made at Colorado Springs, Denver, or Albuquerque. With daily flights to Denver, the nearest commercial airport is in Alamosa to the north. Alamosa, with a population of about 8,500, is the home of Adams State University and is also the main trading center for the

Schools and churches

Manassa students attend public schools in the North Conejos RE-1J School District. There is an elementary school in Manassa, but older students attend the district's middle school (Centauri Middle School) and high school (Centauri High School) about north and west of Manassa, just south of the town of La Jara. The high school teams are the Falcons, and the school colors are red and white. There are two churches in Manassa: St. Theresa of the Baby Jesus Roman Catholic Church, and a meetinghouse for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The oldest church in Colorado is located in nearby Conejos, about southwest of Manassa, near the town of

Antonito Antonito is a Statutory Town located in Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 647 at the 2020 United States Census. History Antonito began life as a sheep herding camp known as San Antonio Junction, referring to its ...

Pioneer Days

The community-at-large, and people from all over the San Luis Valley and beyond, celebrate Manassa Pioneer Days with a parade on two days, horse races, rodeo, motorcross races, demolition derby, fireworks, entertainment, barbecues, and 5K run. A carnival at Pioneer Days brings the Tilt-a-Whirl, bumper cars, a merry-go-round and other midway rides. Bandstand entertainment and vendor booths line Manassa's city park on Main Street. One of the oldest festivals in the state, the 132nd annual celebration was held in 2011 and is an annual event. The weekend-long affair is held on the weekend closest to July 24, in honor of the arrival of Brigham Young and fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah's

Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particula ...

Valley on July 24, 1847. The

, as they were commonly known, left their settlement in

Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and its ...

, and journeyed west seeking refuge from religious persecution. Each year, attendance at Manassa's Pioneer Days is estimated at close to 10,000 per day, with people coming from many parts of the country to visit family and friends and to enjoy the festivities.

Notable people

* Heavyweight champion boxer Jack Dempsey (aka The Manassa Mauler). The Jack Dempsey Museum is located on the town's main street. *

John Salazar John Tony Salazar (born July 21, 1953) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2005 until 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture in the ...

, served as Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture from 2011 to 2015 and U.S. representative from Colorado's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2011 *

Ken Salazar Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Mexico. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Ba ...

, Secretary of the Interior, former U.S. senator, Democrat, first elected 2004 for a six-year term. Former Attorney General for the State of Colorado.

Turquoise mine

Manassa turquoise is mined east of Manassa. It is known for its blue-green to green color with a golden or brown, non-webbed matrix. The Manassa mine is still in production and owned by the King family, thus the alternate name sometimes used for this turquoise. This stone is a favorite of many; the beautiful green color is very striking, excellent when used in gold. This site, originally mined by Ancestral Pueblo peoples, was rediscovered in 1890 by gold prospector I.P. King, and his descendants still work the claim. King's Manassa turquoise is best known for its brilliant greens and golden matrices, but blue and blue-green turquoise was found amid these deposits as well.

Media

Th
''Valley Courier Newspaper''
in Alamosa and th
''SLV Dweller''
"a website dedicated to all things San Luis Valley," are two media outlets covering events in and near Manassa.

Political representation

* Colorado State House District 32 (Ed Vigil, D-San Luis) * Colorado State Senate District 5 (Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village) * U. S. Representative District 3 (lauren Boebert, R-Rifle) * United States Senators: John Hickenlooper (D), and

Michael Bennet Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed t ...

(D)

References

External links

Town of Manassa contactsCDOT map of the Town of ManassaThe Manassa Project
information about the Manassa Pioneer Day Celebration

of video and quite a few photographs of Manassa and the surrounding area, as well as a collection of stories and articles from the ''San Luis Valley Dweller''

at City-data.com {{authority control Towns in Conejos County, Colorado Towns in Colorado Populated places established in 1879 1879 establishments in Colorado