The Town of Manassa is the
Statutory Town
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by ...
that is the
most populous municipality in
Conejos County,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, 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 servi ...
.
History
Today, approximately half of Manassa's residents are of Spanish and Mexican heritage. Migration patterns demonstrate how people from northern
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
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
Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador from New Spain, explorer, and colonial governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain. He led early Spanish expeditions to the Great ...
's colonization of New Mexico. Most of the other citizens of Manassa are the descendants of the
Mormon pioneers who founded Manassa in 1879, and named the town after
Manasseh
Manasseh () is both a given name and a surname. Its variants include Manasses and Manasse.
Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Ezekiel Saleh Manasseh (died 1944), Singaporean rice and opium merchant and hotelier
* Jacob Manasseh (die ...
, a son of the Israelite
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
.
Manassa was located a short distance from two ranches purchased by the Mormons from Hispanos on the south side of the
Conejos River
The Conejos River is a tributary of the Rio Grande, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 31, 2011 in south-central Colorado in the United States. It ...
, 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
Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...
, just to the west.
Geography
Manassa is located in eastern Conejos County in the
San Luis Valley 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
, country= United States
, subdivision1= Colorado
, subdivision2_type= Counties
, subdivision2=
, parent= Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Rocky Mountains
, borders_on=
, geology=
, age=
, orogeny= Fault-block mountains
, area_mi2= ...
to the east and the
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
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 United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.
Manassa experiences a
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''BSk'') with cold, dry winters and warm, somewhat wetter summers.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
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
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.48%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.63%
Native American, 0.10%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.19%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 13.24% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 3.36% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
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 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
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $12,576. About 23.2% of families and 28.6% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, 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, 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
Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...
and
U.S. Route 285 to the west, with the historic town of
San Luis in
Costilla County to the east. The
San Luis Hills 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
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
,
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, or
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. With daily flights to Denver, the nearest commercial airport is in
Alamosa
Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colora ...
to the north. Alamosa, with a population of about 8,500, is the home of
Adams State University
Adams State University is a public university in Alamosa, Colorado. The university's Adams State Grizzlies athletic teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
History
Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's college. Billy ...
and is also the main trading center for the
San Luis Valley.
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
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, and a
meetinghouse for
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
. The oldest church in Colorado is located in nearby
Conejos, about southwest of Manassa, near the town of
Antonito.
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
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...
and fellow members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah's
Great Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. The
Mormon pioneers, as they were commonly known, left their settlement in
Nauvoo, Illinois, 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
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...
(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 C ...
, served as Commissioner of the
Colorado Department of Agriculture
The Colorado Department of Agriculture is the principal department of the Colorado state government that manages agriculture, food safety, agriculture-related consumer protection, and conservation districts. Kate Greenberg was appointed as Commi ...
from 2011 to 2015 and U.S. representative from
Colorado's 3rd congressional district
Colorado's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Colorado. It takes in most of the rural Western Slope in the state's western third portion, with a tendril in the south taking in some of the southern port ...
from 2005 to 2011
*
Ken Salazar, 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
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula . It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of year ...
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
Alamosa is a home rule municipality and the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,806 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is the commercial center of the San Luis Valley in south-central Colora ...
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
John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. (; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd governor of Colorado from 2011 to 20 ...
(D), and
Michael Bennet (D)
See also
*
Outline of Colorado
**
Index of Colorado-related articles
This is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. State of Colorado.
0–9
* .co.us – Internet second-level domain for the State of Colorado
* 4 Corners
** 4 Corners Monument
* 6th Principal Meridian
* 10-mile Range
* 10th ...
*
State of Colorado
**
Colorado cities and towns
***
Colorado municipalities
The U.S. State of Colorado has 272 active incorporated municipalities, comprising 197 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments. At the 2020 United States Census, 4,299,942 of the 5,773,714 Colorado residents (74.47%) ...
**
Colorado counties
The U.S. State of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Two of these counties, the City and County of Broomfield and the City and County of Denver, have consolidated city and county governments. Denver serves as the state capital. Counties are ...
***
Conejos County, Colorado
Conejos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,461. The county seat is the unincorporated community of Conejos.
Being 50.7% Hispanic in 2020, Conejos was Colorado's largest Hispa ...
*
San Luis Valley
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