Ortiz, Colorado facts for kids
Ortiz is a small, quiet place in Conejos County, Colorado, in the United States. It's not a city or a town with its own local government, but a community where people live. For many years, until around 1885 or 1890, Ortiz was known by a different name: "Los Piños." People aren't exactly sure when the name changed, but it was sometime in that period.
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History of Ortiz
How Ortiz Grew
After the year 1868, raising sheep and selling wool became very important for the people living in the Ortiz area. This helped the community to start growing. When the Denver & Rio Grande Railway was built, it made the local economy much stronger. More people moved to Ortiz after 1880, and the population got bigger.
Important Buildings and Services
Over time, Ortiz gained several important places. A public school opened, so children could learn. There were also mission schools run by Baptist and Presbyterian groups. For adults, there were stores where they could buy things and even places to relax.
The first Catholic church in Ortiz was built in 1895. Later, in 1938, a new church was built to replace it. This is the same church building you can still see in Ortiz today.
The Name and Decline
A post office was set up in Ortiz in 1890. It stayed open until 1943. The person who started the post office, J. Nestor Ortiz, gave the community his family name.
However, in the early 1900s, the sheep and wool business started to slow down. This made Ortiz's economy weaker, and the community began to shrink. Today, the old church building is one of the main things left from Ortiz's busier past. It was fixed up and restored in 1990, helping to preserve a piece of its history.
Population and New Neighbors
The Amish Settlement
In 2020, a family from the Amish community moved near Ortiz. They settled just south of the border between Colorado and New Mexico. In 2021 and 2022, several more Amish families joined them.
These families created a brand new Amish settlement. It was the very first one in New Mexico. Even though this new settlement is in New Mexico, it is named after Ortiz. This is because there isn't another town or community very close by in New Mexico to name it after.
