Trinidad, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Trinidad, Colorado
Home rule municipality
Trinidad from the Simpsons Rest Overlook
Location of the City of Trinidad in Las Animas County, Colorado
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Las Animas County
City	Trinidad
Incorporated	December 30, 1879
Government
• Type	Home rule municipality
Area
• Total	9.38 sq mi (24.31 km2)
• Land	9.38 sq mi (24.31 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	6,030 ft (1,840 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,329
• Density	873.73/sq mi (337.37/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP code	81082
Area code(s)	719
FIPS code	08-78610
GNIS feature ID	2412094
Website	City Website

Trinidad from the Wormhole Loop Trail.

Trinidad is a city in Colorado, United States. It is the main city and county seat of Las Animas County, Colorado. In 2020, about 8,329 people lived there.

Trinidad is located about 21 miles (34 km) north of Raton, New Mexico. It is also 195 miles (314 km) south of Denver. The city sits right on the historic Santa Fe Trail.

Trinidad is home to Trinidad State College. This is the oldest community college in Colorado.

History of Trinidad

Early Beginnings

Spanish and Mexican traders first explored the area where Trinidad is now. They liked its location near the Santa Fe Trail, a famous trading route. The town of Trinidad was started in 1862. This happened soon after coal was found in the area. Many people moved there, hoping to make money from this important natural resource.

By the late 1860s, about 1,200 people lived in Trinidad. The town officially became a city in 1876. This was just a few months before Colorado became a state. A big event for the town happened in 1878. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached Trinidad. This made it much easier to ship goods to and from far-off places.

In the 1880s, some well-known people lived in Trinidad. One was Bat Masterson, who was briefly the town's marshal in 1882. By 1900, Trinidad's population had grown to 7,500. It had two newspapers in English and one in Spanish.

Trinidad's Role in Sports History

In the early 1900s, Trinidad became famous for having the first woman sports editor of a newspaper. Her name was Ina Eloise Young. She was an expert in baseball. In 1908, she was the only woman sportswriter to cover the World Series.

Around the same time, Trinidad had a popular semi-pro baseball team. The famous writer Damon Runyon even coached it for a short time.

This photo was taken in Trinidad, Colorado, on Labor Day, September 2, 1907. It was before the final game between the Denver All Stars and the Trinidad baseball team. Ina Eloise Young is believed to be sitting in the center of the front row, above the white dog. Her parents are next to her. This was a great spot to keep score and write about the game. Damon Runyon might be standing on the far left with other important people.

Challenges and Growth

On August 7, 1902, a gas explosion happened at the Bowen Town coal mine. This mine was six miles north of Trinidad. It was a very sad event, and 13 miners lost their lives. This disaster led to several strikes by miners. They wanted better working conditions. In late 1903, about 3,000 miners went on strike. They were members of the United Mine Workers of America.

In 1904, Trinidad faced more challenges. In January, a fire destroyed two blocks of the business area. This caused a lot of damage. Then, in September, heavy rain caused severe flooding. The flood destroyed the Santa Fe railroad station. It also wiped out every bridge in town. Despite these problems, Trinidad kept growing. Many new buildings were built downtown. These included a new library, a city hall, an opera house, and a new hotel.

Modern Times

Drop City, a community for artists, was started in 1965. It was about four miles (6 km) north of Trinidad. Students and filmmakers from the University of Kansas and University of Colorado Boulder created it. Drop City became known as the first rural "hippie commune." It gained attention from magazines like Life and Time. Drop City was left empty by the early 1970s. However, it inspired many other similar projects across the country.

Geography and Climate

Location of Trinidad

Trinidad is located at 37°10′15″N 104°30′23″W / 37.17083°N 104.50639°W / 37.17083; -104.50639. The city covers about 6.3 square miles (16.3 km2) of land.

Trinidad is in the Purgatoire River valley. This is in the very southern part of Colorado. The city is about 6,025 feet (1,836 m) above sea level. It is also 13 miles (21 km) north of the New Mexico border.

On the north side of town is Simpson's Rest. This is a tall bluff named after an early resident, George Simpson, who is buried there. You can drive up to the top of Simpson's Rest for great views of the city. From there, you can see Fisher's Peak, a mountain about 9,600 feet (2,926 m) tall, southeast of the city. To the northwest, you can also see the famous Spanish Peaks.

Trinidad's Climate

Trinidad has a semi-arid climate. This means it has hot summers and cold winters. Summer days are warm, but because Trinidad is high up, summer nights are cool. Temperatures drop a lot after the sun sets. Winters are cold, but often milder than in many other Colorado mountain towns. In winter, daytime temperatures are usually above freezing. However, temperatures can drop below 0°F (–18°C) at night.

Population of Trinidad

In 2000, about 9,078 people lived in Trinidad. The population density was about 1,439 people per square mile (556 per km2). The city had 3,701 households. About 29.5% of these households had children under 18. The average age in the city was 39 years old.

Economy and Transportation

Trinidad's Economy

Gas fields southwest of Trinidad

For many years, Trinidad was home to miners. These miners worked in the coal mines of the Raton Basin. Major companies like Colorado Fuel and Iron operated here. The coal mines are now closed. However, since the 1980s, companies have been drilling new gas wells. They extract natural gas from the coal layers underground.

Trinidad's location has always made it a popular stop for travelers. It is at the base of Raton Pass. This is along the Santa Fe Trail. People traveled through here by foot, horse, wagon, and then by train. Today, Interstate 25 is the main road between Colorado and New Mexico. It goes right through Trinidad.

In the early 1900s, Trinidad was important for the start of the labor movement. Later in the century, the town's economy changed. It saw good times and bad times as the oil industry grew and slowed down.

Getting Around Trinidad

The Amtrak Southwest Chief at Trinidad station

• Roads: Major roads include I-25 and US 160.
• Trains: The Trinidad (Amtrak station) is served by the Southwest Chief train. It is also a junction for several BNSF Railway lines.
• Air: The city has the Perry Stokes Airport.
• Buses: Local buses offer rides around Trinidad. Greyhound Lines also serves Trinidad on its route between Denver and Albuquerque. Another bus service, Limousine Express, connects Trinidad to Denver and El Paso. Trinidad is also part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on the Trinidad-Pueblo Outrider line.

Education

• Trinidad State College is a college located in Trinidad.

Sports

The Trinidad Triggers are a professional baseball team. They play in the independent Pecos League. This league is not connected to Major League Baseball. They play their home games at Trinidad Central Park.

Notable People from Trinidad

• Buster Adams, a major league baseball player.
• Felipe Baca, an early settler of the area.
• Casimiro Barela, a State Senator and Justice of Peace.
• Dana B. Chase, a photographer.
• Bennett Cohen, a film director.
• John Gagliardi, a native of Trinidad and a very successful football coach.
• Erick Hawkins, a modern-dance choreographer and dancer.
• Snatam Kaur, a singer of Sikh religious music.
• Cissy King, a dancer on The Lawrence Welk Show.
• Ronnie Lane, a rock musician who lived in Trinidad.
• Bat Masterson, a famous gunfighter and town marshal in the 1880s. His brother, Jim, was also a marshal.
• M. Mike Miller, a travel writer and politician.
• Arthur Roy Mitchell, a Western artist. Many of his works are at the Mitchell Museum.
• Erskine Sanford, an actor known for his work with Orson Welles.
• Alice Ivers Tubbs, a frontier gambler.
• Thomas Wilson, a composer.
• Ed Wolff, an actor and circus giant.
• Ina Eloise Young, the first female sports editor.

Images for kids

• 

  This photograph was taken in Trinidad, Colorado on Labor Day, 2 September 1907 prior to the final game of a three-game series between the Denver All Stars baseball team and the Trinidad baseball team.

See also

In Spanish: Trinidad (Colorado) para niños