Geographics

2.7 sq miles

65th largest city in New Mexico

10,348th largest city in the United States

120 miles north of Santa Fe, NM

Demographics

Population: 986

Hispanic: 54.39%

White: 29.43%

Native American: 12.48%

African American: 3.7%

• Originally inhabited by Indigenous Peoples, including the Anasazi and Puye People

• Area was colonized by Spanish settlers in the late 1500s

• Land grants were given to prominent citizens to establish Spanish rule throughout New Mexico

• In 1848, after the Mexican American War, the land grants were administered by the U.S. Government (Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo)

• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo caused many landowners to lose their land and opened the Rio Chama Valley for Anglo land settlers. 

• In February 1880, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad began construction of the San Juan extension

• Railroad service to Chama began February 1881 causing Chama to become a boomtown

• Main industries included logging, silver and natural gas mining, and sheep and cattle ranching

• The Great Depression and the terrible winter of 1931-1932 nearly destroyed the sheep ranching industry

• Due to the Sherman Act in 1893 and its devastating effect on the silver mining industry, the railroad became mostly stagnant. 

• In 1969, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was given permission to abandon the railroad to Chama. 

• Most of the track was dismantled but, in 1970, preservationists in Colorado and New Mexico were able to save the track leading from Chama, NM to Antonito, CO

• In 1971, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad began its tourist trips on the longest and highest narrow-gauge railroad

• Chama is now a primarily tourist town, with a unique blending of Native American, Spanish, and Anglo cultures. 

New Mexico

Colorado