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Primero, Colorado

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Coordinates: 37°08′33″N 104°44′30″W / 37.14250°N 104.74167°W / 37.14250; -104.74167
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Primero
Mining ghost town
Catholic church in Primero built by CF&I, 1914[1]
Catholic church in Primero built by CF&I, 1914[1]
Primero is located in Colorado
Primero
Primero
Location within the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 37°08′33″N 104°44′30″W / 37.14250°N 104.74167°W / 37.14250; -104.74167
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyLas Animas
Elevation
6,814 ft (2,077 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes
81233 [2]
GNIS feature ID194641[3]

Primero is a ghost town in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States.[3] The community was a company coal mining town for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company during the early 20th century.

Description

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The mining community was one of the first in the region, hence the name.[4] In 1921, the mine employed roughly 275 miners.[5] The town eventually came to contain 175 total buildings, including one Catholic and one Protestant church, a high school, and other amenities.[6] The Protestant church, Union Protestant, was dedicated in April 1917 and hosted cultural events along with worship.[7][8]

The coal produced at the Primero mine was largely employed in steel manufacturing, including at the CF&I plants at Pueblo–the Minnequa Steel Works–and Segundo.[6] The closing of the steel works had an adverse effect on the demand for coal from the Primero mine, playing a role in the 1921 labor dispute between CF&I miners and the Company.[5] During the duration of its operation, the mine produced 8,177,567 tons of coal.[6]

History

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Miners in Primero recover casualties from the 31 January 1910 explosion that killed 75 at the Colorado Fuel & Iron mine

A post office called Primero was established in 1901, and remained in operation until 1933.[9]

An explosion at the Primero mine killed 75 miners on 31 January 1910.[10] The mine explosion has been cited as a relevant example of the unsafe conditions prevalent in CF&I mines in the years prior to the 1913-1914 Strike. On 8 November 1910, an explosion at the Victor-American Fuel Company mine at Delagua killed 76. Miners from Primero helped for survivors and recover bodies from the rubble.[11]

In September 1913, a strike was called by the independent United Mine Workers of America union against CF&I. Over the next several months, sporadic violence saw deaths, including Primero. The violence escalated to 20 April 1914, when Colorado National Guard and company-supported militia committed the Ludlow Massacre against striking miners, leading to further violence in what is known as the Colorado Coalfield War.

Following the strike, CF&I–helmed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and under the advisory of future Prime Minister of Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King–implemented a series of reforms intended to promote support for the Company. Among these were investments in new town infrastructure in communities owned by CF&I. Among the structures built was a Catholic church, which, until the completion of the nearby Protestant church, housed the liturgies of multiple denominations.[1][12] Bishop John Henry Tihen, bishop of the Diocese of Denver, visited the church in Primero in May 1921. During the visit, he confirmed 17 children in the town.[13]

During World War I, at least 48 men from Primero joined the United States military. The town also contributed $34,900 ($550,000 in 2015) in liberty bonds during the Third Liberty Loan.[14]

In 1921, a labor dispute over pay changes saw miners strike for several months, from 23 August through November. During the strike–referred to by the Company as a "closure"–saw a large number of the mine's employees leaving Primero.[5] In part, the fight over the wages pertained to whether those at Primero would be represented by their choice of the UMWA–membership of which was then prohibited by CF&I–or the company union that was a part of the Company's Industrial Representation Plan. Ultimate, Colorado's Industrial Commission sided with the company in prohibiting membership to the UMWA and enforcing CF&I's wages that were negotiated with the company union.[15]

The town was depopulated in 1928, and by 1 August 1933 all assets were either sold or dismantled.[6]

See also

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  • Segundo, Colorado, the second Spanish numerically named town established by Colorado Fuel & Iron
  • Tercio, Colorado, the third Spanish numerically named town established by Colorado Fuel & Iron

References

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  1. ^ a b Seligman, Edwin R. A. (November 5, 1914). "Colorado's Civil War and Its Lessons". Frank Leslie's Weekly. Accessible Archives. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "Primero - Cultural Feature (Locale) in Las Animas County". CO HomeTownLocator. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Primero, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 13, 1978. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  4. ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 42.
  5. ^ a b c "Primero". Colorado Fuel and Iron Company Industrial Bulletin. Vol. VI, no. 5. Denver: Colorado Coal and Iron Company. November 14, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Hatton, Blake; Specht, Abbie. "PRIMERO- COLORADO FUEL AND IRON'S MODEL TOWN". Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Hatton, Blake; Specht, Abbie. "Protestant Church". Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "Primero". Colorado Fuel and Iron Company Industrial Bulletin. Vol. VI, no. 3. Denver: Colorado Coal and Iron Company. June 25, 1921. p. 12. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  10. ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (February 14, 2006). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 1-135-94859-3.
  11. ^ "Death at Delagua". World Journal. Huerfano, Las Animas. November 15, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Hatton, Blake; Specht, Abbie. "Catholic Church". Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Bishop Visits Mines". Colorado Fuel and Iron Company Industrial Bulletin. Vol. VI, no. 3. Denver: Colorado Coal and Iron Company. June 25, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Hatton, Blake; Specht, Abbie. "Primero and World War I". Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "The Industrial Commission Upholds Wage Agreement Between Company and Miners". Colorado Fuel and Iron Company Industrial Bulletin. Vol. VI, no. 5. Denver: Colorado Coal and Iron Company. November 14, 1921. p. 1. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
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