San Juan County, NM
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The history of the region begins with ancestral people and the traditional and contemporary lands of the Diné (Navajo), Pueblos, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Apache peoples while weaving together the journeys of those who have migrated to this beautiful region, discovering and embracing a fresh start or a new life.
The San Juan Basin holds the remnants of the earliest people to live in the area in preserved lands such as Chaco Culture National Historical Park, holding evidence of the Ancestral Puebloans as well as Mesa Verde National Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, and Canyon de Chelle. The people inhabiting the area seem to have been thriving in the land around the 12th century, AD. The long-abandoned structures leave researchers working to learn about the culture, architecture, and people to this day. The cause of ancient people leaving the lives and structures they built here is still a mystery.
The first record of non-native inhabitants and claim to the area dates to 1598 when Spain claimed a portion of present-day New Mexico as Santa Fe de Nuevo México, a kingdom of the Spanish Empire in New Spain. In 1610, La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís (modern-day Santa Fe, NM) replaced San Juan de los Caballeros (near modern Española) as the capitol city of the kingdom and has remained the oldest state capitol in the US. France and Spain both laid claim to portions of the territory with various political boundary shuffles until 1850 when the New Mexico territory was formed and stretched from California to Texas. Both states have the same boundaries as they do now.
In 1850, the Four Corners area was all part of Rio Arriba County, which stretched from the eastern to western borders of the territory. In 1863, the territory was split and created the familiar boundaries of southern Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. About that time, part of Rio Arriba County was split to cover the area of present-day San Juan and Rio Arriba counties- but in 1887 (25 years before New Mexico Statehood) Rio Arriba County was split in two, forming San Juan County. San Juan County (the organization) has served the people of the area since then.
In 1890, an election was held to end the controversy. Junction City received 255 votes; Aztec 246; Farmington 1; and Mesa City received no votes. In 1891, a judge ordered the city of Aztec to move all county records to Junction City. The records were moved and the controversy ended -- but not for long.
Officials in Aztec proclaimed the election illegal. A presiding judge in the district investigated the election process and found discrepancies and illegal activities during the election. In August of 1892, Aztec was once again named as the seat of San Juan County. The county rented a room from a local businessman for $10 a month, which was occupied by the Probate Clerk.
In early March of 1895, the County Commissioners ordered the Clerk to remove all books, papers, and other property belonging to San Juan County that had been housed in the Probate Clerk's office to a building that had been rented for county offices.
In November of that year, County Commissioners Samuel E. Koontz, J.E. McCarty, and J.V. Lujan, along with L.C. Grove (County Clerk), and Joe Prewitt (Deputy) met W.H. Williams, John A. Koontz, and A. Villman, commissioners who had been appointed by Governor Miguel Antonio Otero to build a courthouse in Aztec. They reported to the commissioners that all the money that had been approved for the construction had been used.
The clerk was instructed by the commission to take charge of the building and to move all county records into the new courthouse as soon as possible. The commission met in the new courthouse for the first time on April 6, 1903.
As the years went by, more and more people discovered the beauty of living in the Four Corners, and the population of San Juan County grew. In the 1900s, the county was largely agricultural, with fruit orchards and vegetable farms creating a canvas of color.
By 1905, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad had built a railroad through the area and the county seat became a shipping point for sheep and cattle.
As San Juan County continues to grow and prosper, the County Commission and elected officials, with the help of dedicated support staff, are committed to keeping a friendly small-town atmosphere while providing business and citizens with the best in services, public safety, and family values.