Manassa, Colorado

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 who founded Manassa in 1879, and named the town after Manasseh,[8] 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 3 miles (5 km) to the west.[9]

Manassa is located in eastern Conejos County in the San Luis Valley in south-central Colorado at 37°10′29″N 105°56′11″W (latitude 37.174695 north, longitude 105.936359 west).[10]

Manassa's elevation is 7,683 feet (2,342 m) above sea level. The land within Manassa city limits is entirely flat, with rolling hills nearby. Foothills and mountains (taller than 14,000 feet (4,300 m)) are farther in each direction, including the Sangre de Cristo Range to the east and the San Juan Mountains to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.93 square miles (2.4 km²), all land.[7]

Manassa experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cold, dry winters and warm, somewhat wetter summers.

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 1,042 people, 362 households, and 280 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,110.9 people per square mile (428.0/km²). There were 398 housing units at an average density of 424.3 per square mile (163.5/km²). 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 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.

Satellite photograph showing the layout of Manassa's streets. Farmland and ranches abound in all directions, giving way to foothills and high mountains.

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 and U.S. Route 285 3 miles (5 km) to the west, with the historic town of San Luis in Costilla County 29 miles (47 km) to the east. The San Luis Hills are east of Manassa, on State Highway 142, between Manassa and San Luis.

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 24 miles (39 km) 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 San Luis Valley.

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 10 miles (16 km) 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 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Manassa, near the town of Antonito.

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 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.

Secretary of the U. S. Department of the Interior and former U. S. Senator Kenneth L. Salazar, D-Colorado

• Heavyweight champion boxer Jack Dempsey (aka The Manassa Mauler). The Jack Dempsey Museum is located on the town's main street.[15]
• John Salazar, 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, 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.

Massive turquoise in matrix with quartz from a mine in Mineral Park, Arizona

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.

The Manassa area has long been known for its beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry and also for the production of fine pewter items made by Steve and Christina Sutherland at their store, Destiny Pewter, on main street.

While some turquoise has been mined in the low hills east of Manassa, most of the jewelry industry in Manassa, and nearby, has utilized and polished the raw turquoise found in the copper and silver mines of Arizona and Nevada. Additionally, coral from the seas and other semiprecious cabochons and cut stones have been added to silver and gold jewelry.

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

• 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 (Scott Tipton, R-Cortez)
• United States Senators: Cory Gardner (R), and Michael Bennet (D)

• Outline of Colorado
  • Index of Colorado-related articles
• State of Colorado
  • Colorado cities and towns
    • Colorado municipalities
  • Colorado counties
    • Conejos County, Colorado
• San Luis Valley

• Town of Manassa contacts
• CDOT map of the Town of Manassa
• The Manassa Project, information about the Manassa Pioneer Day Celebration
• Comprehensive Collection 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
• Manassa at City-data.com