On the Trail with Sheriff Will Diaz – Conejos County – 7

Conejos County actually exists. It was one of the original 13 counties when Colorado, still a territory, formed. At one time, it covered much of the southwestern part of the state. it’s shrunk a lot since, having been carved up into a dozen or so other counties.

It was home for a long time and it’s the stage Will Diaz plays his adventures out in.

There are several principal towns in it, and we looked at two so far, La Jara and Capulin.

Now, we’ll look at others.

CONEJOS/GUADALUPE-

The unincorporated communities of Conejos and Guadalupe are separated by little more than the Conejos River.

Guadalupe was to have been the county seat when the then territory of Colorado was subdivided up into the counties. Its name of course would been Guadalupe County. That changed a week later when the name was changed to Conejos (Spanish name for Rabbit). I’m not sure why the name was changed despite there being a lot of rabbits about. With a stroke of a pen, the county seat was moved across the river in Nov of 1861.

One of the cool things about the community is the church of “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” It’s the oldest church in Colorado. There have been a couple of fires associated with it. But each time the damage has been repaired, and it remains in use to this day.

Once upon a time, a life size Penitente Cross hung in the church. From what I learned about it; we got a new priest who found it in the attic of the church. Hand-carved and probably as old as the church, it represented a major work of art for the area. As Penitente art goes, it was mind boggling. It was so gruesome it was actually beautiful and gives a great feel for the death Jesus died. it was displayed in the church, a representation of the heritage of the people who settled here.

Someone broke into the church in the early ’90s and stole this incredible and priceless artifact. It’s one of the few cases I’ve worked that remains unsolved. I spoke with a man who collected such things, and he put out feelers to see if it turned up. It never has and the theory is that it’s long since been destroyed. If so, whoever took and destroyed it committed a crime right up there with the Nazis stealing and destroying art. It’s my hope and prayer that it’s in someone’s garage or attic and someday it’ll be found and returned.

A replacement cross was made by local artist Bernal Martinez and hangs in the church today.

In the Early 80s, a fire destroyed the old courthouse. It was an arson and to date, the arsonist has not been identified. The speculation as to why it was burnt has ran rampart. Some theories suggest an attempt to stop something moving through the courts. Or perhaps, someone wished to destroy records. Of course, it could be it was caused by someone who just liked fire.

I was a witness to the event and trust me, it was a circus.

A new courthouse was constructed and remains in use to this day.

In Event Horizon, Will’s buddy Jonesy comments on the new courthouse. Will tells him about how the old one burnt down. Jonesy asks what it looked like, and Will says, “Like Norman Bates lived there!”

The Sheriff’s Office I use in my stories was behind the courthouse. It was State of the Art when built in the 40s. But as the years rolled by, it was increasingly difficult to make it meet jail standards. It was closed and a new office built about a mile away.

The new Courthouse. Many of the courthouse scenes in the novels happen here.

Guadalupe, which is right across the river from Conejos, was one of the first communities founded in the San Luis Valley. It was also the site of the first flour mill constructed in Colorado. This happened when Lafayette Head, along with fifty Mexican families founded the community of Guadalupe in 1854. Most of the people residing there today can trace their lineage back to the first people to arrive there.

I don’t think anything remains of the mill, but I may be wrong on that.