History
editCanada Alamosa
editWhat became Monticello was at first some farms established by 1863 in the upper part of the valley through which Alamosa Creek ran, named Cañada Alamosa.[1] These farms were owned by residents of San Ygnacio de la Alamosa, commonly called Alamosa, at the confluence of the creek and the Rio Grande. After the flooding of 1862 destroyed their feilds along the river they began new feilds upstream.
After flooding by Alamos Creek destroyed San Ygnacio in 1867, many of its residents moved up the valley to the new town, called Cañada Alamosa, that had been organized sometime between 1864 and 1866.[2]: 33–46
Monticello
editIn 1881, Cañada Alamosa was renamed Monticello, after Monticello, New York, the former home of an influential early settler.[3] A post office called Monticello has been in operation since 1881.[4] [5]
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Monticello Canyon
- ^ Wilson, John P., Between the River and the Mountains: A History of Early Settlement in Sierra County, New Mexico, Report #40, John P. Wilson, Las Cruces, New Mexico, August 1985
- ^ Harris, Linda G. (2003). Ghost Towns Alive: Trips to New Mexico's Past. UNM Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8263-2908-0.
- ^ "Sierra County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ The Origins of Sierra County:Political and Economic Roots by James B. Sullivan, pp,6-13, SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW, Doña Ana County Historical Society, Volume IX, No.1, Las Cruces, New Mexico January 2002