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History · Chamisal

Chamisal dates to 1751, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1940 on.

1751founded
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chamisal’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chamisal began

When was Chamisal founded?

1751

Chamisal dates its founding to 1751 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1904.

2020 census: 255275 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1904.

What stands out about Chamisal’s past

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

Older than the countryEstablished in 1751, 25 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Chamisal, 1751 to 1940

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1751
    FoundingChamisal is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1904Post officeThe Chamisal post office opens
  5. 1940In the archiveDaughter of Spanish-American farmer ironing
The story so far

Chamisal, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Chamisal yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Chamisal is a census-designated place (CDP) in Taos County, New Mexico. It is located along the scenic High Road to Taos. As of the 2020 census, Chamisal had a population of 255. Chamisal was founded by settlers on the Las Trampas Land Grant which dates back to 1751.

Chamisal was established in 1751. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 310 to 255 (-18%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Chamisal, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s6 items
Daughter of Spanish-American farmer ironing1940Daughter of Spanish-American farmer ironingDaughter of Spanish-American farmer washing1940Daughter of Spanish-American farmer washingRussellembroidery1940RussellembroideryRusselloven31940Russelloven3Spanish-American girl washing wool1940Spanish-American girl washing woolWashing along the irrigation ditch1940Washing along the irrigation ditch
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Daughter of Spanish-American farmer ironing
Retake this viewDaughter of Spanish-American farmer ironing, 1940

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Chamisal’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Chamisal

Nobody well known was born in Chamisal itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
C
Chiara AureliaAmerican actress · b. 2002
Scott TiptonAmerican politician · b. 1956
David HykesAmerican music therapist · b. 1953
A
Al HurricaneAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1936
Chief OurayUte chief · b. 1833
Benigno C. HernándezAmerican politician · b. 1862
Help out

Finish Chamisal’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDaughter of Spanish-American farmer iro…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Chamisal’s history

What year was Chamisal founded?

In 1751, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Chamisal’s post office opened in 1904.

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 (6), 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.