Conejos

Formed November 7, 1861 (17^th county)

Conejos County (7,467), Conejos* (46), Manassa (949)

The tan brick and stone facility has a Native American flare to its appearance.  The building was built in 1981 at County Road 13 and County Road G6 in rural Conejos.  United States Highway 285 is ½ mile east of the site.  H. E. Whitlock, Inc., were the designers of the Spanish Pueblo style building.  The county is one of the original 17 counties formed on November 7, 1861.  It is the 17^th county.  Hinsdale, La Plata, Rio Grande, and Archuleta counties were originally part of Conejos County.  Guadalupe was the first county seat.  There was an 1891 version of the courthouse in Conejos.  Conejos is named for the Conejos River.  Conejos is derived from the Spanish for “rabbits.”  The center of the county is 31.3 miles Northwest of Conejos nearer La Jara. 

Conejos County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Four District Court Judges serve Conejos, Alamosa, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties and a Trial Court Judge, clerk, and county attorney serve Conejos County (judicial.)  The county is in the far south part of the state on the border with New Mexico.  The Continental Divide forms the western border and the Rio Grande forms the eastern border.  Pueblo, Colorado is northeast of the county.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Rio Grande, Alamosa, and Costilla counties and New Mexico and Archuleta County.  

The area of the county is 1290.2 square miles.  The county is 36 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 41 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.8 persons per square mile making it 43 out of 64 in the state.  Conejos County has 46.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  The county is overall rectangular in shape.  The unincorporated town of Conejos is located in the southeast quarter of the county.  Manassa is in the eastern part of the county.  Conejos is the county seat although it is unincorporated.  Manassa is the largest city.  Conejos is .6% of the county population while Manassa is 12.7% of the county population.  United States Highway 285 crosses north to south in the eastern side of the county, Alamosa County to New Mexico.  The county and county seat are pronounced KOE-NE-HOZ.