Springer (New Mexico)

Colfax County

Springer is a small town in Colfax County in the U.S. state of New Mexico.

Geography

Springer is located 50 kilometers south of Raton, 30 kilometers south-east of Cimarron and about 150 kilometers northeast of Santa Fe. The Interstate 25 highway is tangent to the town in the west.

History

The area was initially an occasional meeting place of the natives, and was later used by Spanish shepherds for grazing their flocks of sheep. After the Mexican-American War, the region belonged to the American territory. The landowner Lucien B. Maxwell sold his known as the Maxwell Land Grant land to English and Dutch investors and the Maxwell Land Grant and Railway Company was founded. When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was planning to expand its route, it became clear that the nearby and much larger town of Cimarron would not lie on the railway track. A native of Iowa Attorney Frank Springer, who worked closely as president of the Maxwell Land Grant and Railway Company with the managers of the Atcheson Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, offered to the new railway line a free right of way, wood for bridge construction, pure spring water and to provide coal for the supply of locomotives as well as financial aid available. Out of gratitude for his efforts, the city was named in his honor " Springer ". From 1881 to 1897, the city was then county seat of Colfax County. In the following period historically valuable buildings were built, such as the Brown Hotel. Other buildings such as the Mills House, the R. H. Cowan Livery Stable and the former Colfax County Courthouse, which is now a museum are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Brown Hotel

Downtown Springer, 2008

The city is now also active in tourism and offers tours to the leading in passing nearby the historic Santa Fe Trail.

Demography

In 2012 a population of 1006 persons was determined, which means a decrease of 21.7% compared to the year 2000. The average age of the residents was 48.7 years in 2012, slightly above the average of New Mexico, which was 45.5 years.

64.8 % of today's residents are Hispanic origin. Other immigrant groups during the beginnings of the town came to 9.6% from Germany, and 5.6% from Ireland.