Las Animas, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 City Hall (2010) | |
 Flag | |
 Location withinBent County andColorado | |
| Coordinates:38°4′1″N103°13′33″W / 38.06694°N 103.22583°W /38.06694; -103.22583[2] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Bent |
| Incorporated | May 15, 1886[3] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jim Collins[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.67 sq mi (4.33 km2) |
| • Land | 1.63 sq mi (4.21 km2) |
| • Water | 0.046 sq mi (0.12 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,898 ft (1,188 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,300 |
| • Density | 1,400/sq mi (550/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code | 81054[7] |
| Area code | 719 |
| FIPS code | 08-43660[2] |
| GNIS ID | 195526[2] |
| Website | City website |
Las Animas is thestatutory city that is thecounty seat of, the most populous community in, and the only incorporated municipality inBent County, Colorado, United States.[2] The city's population was 2,300 at the2020 United States census.[6] Las Animas is located on theArkansas River, just west of its confluence with thePurgatoire River (or "Purgatory River"), in southeast Colorado east ofPueblo, near the historicBent's Fort.
According to legend, the town and the Purgatoire River were named after a group ofconquistadores, probably part ofCoronado's expedition, who died without thelast rites sacrament of a priest. According to Catholic belief, their souls would go toPurgatory as a result. The original Spanish name forLas Ánimas ("The Souls", in Spanish) was purported to be[citation needed]La Ciudad de Las Ánimas Perdidas en Purgatorio, "The city of lost souls in Purgatory." According to author Morris F. Taylor, though, this is not consistent with Spanish Catholic belief, but a French Catholic belief.[8] The Spanish version,El Río de las Ánimas Perdidas en Purgatorio, was considered an embellishment of the French version. No 19th-century map shows this full Spanish name or any translation of it. Existing maps have different names for the river:Río de Las Ánimas, Purgatory River, and "Picatoire", a corruption ofPurgatoire (which today is anglicized as Picketwire). French fur traders of the 19th century referred to the river as thePurgatoire. Another anglicization was the Pick of Ware.
Gantt's Picket Post, also known as Fort Gantt, was built near the present-day Las Animas in 1832, operating as a trading post until 1834.[9] The secondFort Lyon military post was built in Las Animas in 1867. It operated until 1897.[10]
Water is a central issue in Las Animas. Like many cities in southeastern Colorado, Las Animas competes with wealthier cities on theFront Range for the water to sustain life and the local agricultural economy. Developers and municipalities have capitalized upon drought and low crop prices by buying water from desperate farmers. As this water is diverted upstream to serve the larger cities, Las Animas loses access to this important resource.
Because of the poor quality of the city's water supply, areverse-osmosis filtration plant was installed in the mid-1990s.[11] The loss of minerals in the water resulted in the collapse of many water mains, which had been supported by mineral deposits that formed on the insides of the pipes.[citation needed]
Las Animas is located in northwest Bent County at38°4′1″N103°13′33″W / 38.06694°N 103.22583°W /38.06694; -103.22583 (38.066980, -103.225937),[12] along theArkansas River.U.S. Highway 50 is the main highway through the city, leading west 82 miles (132 km) to Pueblo and east 36 miles (58 km) toLamar.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km2), of which 0.039 sq mi (0.1 km2), or 2.75%, is covered by water.[13]
Las Animas is often one of the warmest cities inColorado, but winters can still be quite cold. The record low temperature in Las Animas of −32 °F (−35.6 °C) occurred most recently on January 28, 1948. The record high temperature for Las Animas is 114 °F (45.6 °C) and occurred most recently on June 24, 2012.[14] Each year there are roughly 83 afternoons that hit 90 °F (32.2 °C) or hotter, with 22 reaching at least 100 °F or 37.8 °C. The record for lowest maximum temperature was on December 20, 1924, when the high was −8 °F (−22.2 °C). On the other end of the spectrum, Las Animas’ hottest minimum temperature occurred August 2, 1935, with a low of 89 °F (31.7 °C).
| Climate data for Las Animas 1991-2020 normals, extremes 1893- | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) | 85 (29) | 94 (34) | 100 (38) | 106 (41) | 114 (46) | 114 (46) | 110 (43) | 106 (41) | 99 (37) | 90 (32) | 88 (31) | 114 (46) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 47.8 (8.8) | 51.6 (10.9) | 61.8 (16.6) | 69.6 (20.9) | 79.2 (26.2) | 90.0 (32.2) | 94.5 (34.7) | 91.7 (33.2) | 84.6 (29.2) | 71.3 (21.8) | 58.2 (14.6) | 47.6 (8.7) | 70.7 (21.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 19.3 (−7.1) | 28.1 (−2.2) | 36.8 (2.7) | 47.5 (8.6) | 57.8 (14.3) | 63.0 (17.2) | 61.1 (16.2) | 51.9 (11.1) | 37.4 (3.0) | 24.9 (−3.9) | 16.0 (−8.9) | 38.3 (3.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −32 (−36) | −31 (−35) | −26 (−32) | 5 (−15) | 17 (−8) | 32 (0) | 32 (0) | 34 (1) | 22 (−6) | −1 (−18) | −14 (−26) | −32 (−36) | −32 (−36) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.38 (9.7) | 0.32 (8.1) | 0.78 (20) | 1.36 (35) | 1.69 (43) | 1.81 (46) | 2.63 (67) | 1.82 (46) | 0.93 (24) | 1.10 (28) | 0.40 (10) | 0.36 (9.1) | 13.58 (345.9) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.9 (9.9) | 2.3 (5.8) | 3.3 (8.4) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.5 (3.8) | 1.9 (4.8) | 2.9 (7.4) | 16.2 (41.1) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 2.7 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 57.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 8.5 |
| Source 1: NOAA[15] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NCEI[16] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 52 | — | |
| 1890 | 611 | 1,075.0% | |
| 1900 | 1,192 | 95.1% | |
| 1910 | 2,008 | 68.5% | |
| 1920 | 2,252 | 12.2% | |
| 1930 | 2,517 | 11.8% | |
| 1940 | 3,232 | 28.4% | |
| 1950 | 3,223 | −0.3% | |
| 1960 | 3,402 | 5.6% | |
| 1970 | 3,148 | −7.5% | |
| 1980 | 2,818 | −10.5% | |
| 1990 | 2,481 | −12.0% | |
| 2000 | 2,758 | 11.2% | |
| 2010 | 2,410 | −12.6% | |
| 2020 | 2,300 | −4.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
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As of thecensus[17] of 2000, 2,758 people, 1,091 households, and 716 families resided in the city. The population density was 2,134.2 inhabitants per square mile (824.0/km2). The 1,264 housing units had an average density of 978.1 units per square mile (377.6 units/km2). Theracial makeup of the city was 74.87% White, 0.91% African American, 2.86% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 15.34% from other races, and 5.44% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 42.6% of the population.
Of the 1,091 households, 31.0% had children under 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were not families. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the age distribution was 27.3% under 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 117.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,157, and for a family was $29,815. Males had a median income of $26,168 versus $23,250 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $13,893. About 19.7% of families and 25.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 39.3% of those under 18 and 14.4% of those 65 or over.
Las Animas sits along the Mountain Branch of theSanta Fe Trail and served as the major city in southeast Colorado until theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad established operations inLa Junta, 20 miles (32 km) to the west of Las Animas.
Las Animas celebrates an annual Santa Fe Trail Day, a celebration of the pioneers and traders who used this trail. This local holiday is the oldest student council-sponsored event in the US. The Las Animas High School Student Council organizes the day, with assistance from the Bent County Chamber of Commerce. Festivities have included a parade, a costume contest,square dancing, ademolition derby, and a traditional "Ranchburger" lunch, as well as many other activities. From 2002 and forward, students have spread out events over a two-day period, sometimes making this a weekend event. The event originally occurred/started on the last Friday in April.
As the event moves into another milestone, these, too, are milestones in the event's remarkable resilience:
•April 26, 2002, is the official start of a multiday event, spreading over the weekend.
•April 24, 2009, Las Animas celebrated its 75th Annual Santa Fe Trail Day with special guests, those who previously were the Santa Fe Trail Day Crowned Queen and those who had been previously elected Student Council President, as far back as 1944 attended.
•April 24, 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic, marked the first time in its history the town would not permit the community parade.
•Events were planned for April 26–28, 2024, in recognition for the 90th-anniversary commemoration.
Built in 1916 to replace the old Columbian School (1887), Columbian Elementary School was the only building ofSpanish architecture style in Las Animas. It was also the only open-courtyard school in the state of Colorado. In 2004, it was added to theNational Register of Historic Places because of its significance, and, needing renovation for continued use, it was on the 2004 Colorado Preservation, Inc. List of Endangered Places.[18][19][20][21] As attempts were made to preserve the building, a modern facility was built to the west, inhabiting what was the playground and open area for the now demolished original structure. Though it was evaluated by outside sources as being unfit for the building's intended use, the city hired a demolition firm to remove the materials, though it was found to have had asbestos in the building materials, and from residents who witnessed the structure fall, there was only minimal containment.
Considered by the School Board and all but a handful of citizens to be too costly to renovate, this 90-year-old building was demolished on February 21, 2006.[19] Following demolition, the school was delisted on July 26, 2006.[18][22] The city constructed a new elementary school just west of the old school location.
Las Animas is incorporated into the Bustang's network. It is part of Lamar-Pueblo-Colorado Springs Outrider line.[23]
Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Las Animas include fur trader and rancherWilliam Bent,[24] actor and singerKen Curtis,[25] and editor and arts patronMari Yoriko Sabusawa.[26]
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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