Trinidad

History

Trinidad was first explored by Spanish and Mexican traders, who liked its proximity to the Santa Fe Trail. It was founded in 1862 soon after coal was discovered in the region. This led to an influx of immigrants eager to capitalize on this natural resource. By the late 1860s, the town had about 1,200 residents. Trinidad was officially incorporated in 1876, just a few months before Colorado became a state. In 1878 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached Trinidad, making it easier for goods to be shipped from distant locations. In the 1880s Trinidad became home to a number of well-known people, including Bat Masterson, who briefly served as the town's marshal in 1882. By 1900 Trinidad's population had grown to 7,500 and it had two English-language newspapers and one in Spanish. In 1885, Holy Trinity Catholic Church was constructed. In the early 1900s, Trinidad became nationally known for having the first woman sports editor of a newspaper, Ina Eloise Young. Her expertise was in baseball, and in 1908 she was the only woman sportswriter to cover the World Series. During the same time, Trinidad was home to a popular semiprofessional baseball team that was briefly coached by Damon Runyon. On August 7, 1902, the Bowen Town coal mine, six miles north of Trinidad, experienced a horrific gas explosion, killing 13 miners. It was one of the worst mining disasters so far in the state; conditions in the mine provided the impetus for several labor strikes. At one point in late 1903, an estimated 3,000 miners, members of the United Mine Workers of America, went on strike. In 1904 Trinidad experienced several disasters. In mid-January a fire destroyed two blocks of the town's business section, causing more than $75,000 in damages. In late September, the Trinidad area and…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Trinidad is situated in the Purgatoire River valley in far southern Colorado at an elevation of . The city lies 13 mi north of the New Mexico state line. On the northern end of the town is Simpson's Rest, a prominent bluff named for early resident George Simpson, who is buried atop it. North Avenue leads to a rut-prone county road to the top of Simpson's Rest for overviews of the city. The vista from Simpson's Rest includes Fishers Peak, a prominent mountain of in elevation, southeast of the city. To the northwest are the prominent Spanish Peaks. Trinidad experiences a semiarid climate, with hot summers and cold winters. Summer days are hot, but due to Trinidad's high elevation summer nights are cool, and temperatures drop sharply after sunset. Winters are cold, but milder than in many mountain towns in Colorado. In the winter, daytime highs are usually above freezing, but temperatures below are possible, especially at night.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  632
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  592
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  510
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  435
• Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

  Aphelocoma woodhouseii (S.F.Baird, 1858) · Aves
  420
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  354
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  328
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  326

Largest nearby schools

• Fisher's Peak Elementary School
  Elementary · TRINIDAD · 403 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Hoehne Schools
  Other · TRINIDAD · 319 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Trinidad High School
  High · TRINIDAD · 213 students · 15.2:1 ratio
• Trinidad Middle School
  Middle · TRINIDAD · 180 students · 16.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-08-17
  8 km SW of Walsenburg, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2026-08-16
  12 km NNW of Walsenburg, Colorado
• M 2.6 — 2026-08-06
  15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
• M 3.4 — 2026-07-27
  31 km S of Weston, Colorado
• M 3.7 — 2026-07-06
  32 km SSW of Segundo, Colorado
• M 3.8 — 2026-07-06
  34 km SSW of Segundo, Colorado