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History · Manassa

Manassa dates to 1851, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1880.

1851founded
0on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Manassa began

When was Manassa founded?

1851

Manassa dates its founding to 1851 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 250 in 18802020 census: 947175 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1879.The full story ↓

What stands out about Manassa’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Manassa are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Manassa’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Manassa’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Manassa came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Manassa.

Read it all →

Migration patterns demonstrate how people from northern New Mexico settled the area around Manassa in the mid 19th century. Many early settlers were the descendants of colonists from the Spanish colonial period beginning in 1598 with Juan de Oñate's colonization of New Mexico. Today, approximately half of Manassa's residents are of Spanish and Mexican heritage. Most of the other citizens of Manassa are the descendants of the Mormon pioneers who founded Manassa in 1879, and named the town after Manasseh, a son of the Israelite Joseph. Manassa was located a short distance from two ranches purchased by the Mormons from Hispanos on the south side of the Conejos River, across from Los Cerritos, Colorado.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Manassa, 1851 to 1967

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1851
    FoundingManassa is established
  3. 1879Post officeThe Manassa post office opens
  4. 1895Born hereJack Dempsey is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Manassa, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Mormon pioneers historical marker2023Mormon pioneers historical markerManassa Town Hall2023Manassa Town HallLDS meetinghouse in2023LDS meetinghouse inSt Therese of the Child Jesus - Manassa, Colorado, 20162016St Therese of the Child Jesus - Manassa, Colorado, 20…Manassa Stake House - Manassa, Colorado, 20162016Manassa Stake House - Manassa, Colorado, 2016San Antonio River Aerial - Between Manassa and Sanford Colorado2014San Antonio River Aerial - Between Manassa and Sanfor…Manassa, Colorado2012Manassa, ColoradoCOMap-doton-Manassa2005COMap-doton-Manassa
On the map

Manassa on the map, 1967 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Manassa. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Manassa on the 1967 USGS mapManassa on the 1982 USGS map1967Manassa sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Manassa.

People over time

Manassa, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,042

Between 250 and 1,042 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Manassa’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Manassa’s history

What year was Manassa founded?

In 1851, according to Wikidata. Manassa’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1880 counted 250 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.