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History · San Jon

San Jon dates to 1902, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1950.

1902founded
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Christian M. Mericle · CC BY 3.0
Quick answers

How San Jon began

When was San Jon founded?

1902

San Jon dates its founding to 1902 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 362 in 19502020 census: 195124 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1906.The full story ↓

What stands out about San Jon’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 San Jon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start San Jon’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How San Jon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of San Jon.

Read it all →

The village was founded in 1902 and grew after the arrival of the railroad in 1904. It was once an important local commercial center and stop on U.S. Route 66 and home to numerous tourist-oriented businesses, such as gasoline service stations, cafes, and motels. However, when Interstate 40 bypassed the village in 1981, the local economy declined, leading most of those businesses to shut down. Today, only one motel is still in operation, and all of the gas stations and dining establishments are centered around the I-40 interchange on the north side of town. Former establishments include The Old Route 66 Truck and Auto Parts garage, Smith's Café, and the Circle M Motel.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

San Jon, 1902 to 1968

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902
    FoundingSan Jon is established
  3. 1906Post officeThe San Jon post office opens
  4. 1968On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

San Jon, decade by decade

Today5 recent
DempsterSanJon22017DempsterSanJon2San Jon Motel In the Morning2014San Jon Motel In the MorningSan Jon New Mexico Water Tower2004San Jon New Mexico Water TowerNMMap-doton-SanJon2004NMMap-doton-SanJonSan Jon New Mexico 20032003San Jon New Mexico 2003
On the map

San Jon on the map, 1968 to 1981

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

San Jon on the 1968 USGS mapSan Jon on the 1981 USGS map1968San Jon 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 San Jon.

People over time

San Jon, census by census

01002003004001960198020002020Peak: 411

Between 195 and 411 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to San Jon

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

See all →
Paul BrinegarAmerican actor · b. 1917
John L. Kane Jr.United States federal judge · b. 1937
D
Danny VillanuevaAmerican football player · b. 1937
Jimmie V. ReynaAmerican judge · b. 1952
P
Primo VillanuevaAmerican former gridiron football player · b. 1931
V
Van HowardAmerican musician · b. 1929

Questions about San Jon’s history

What year was San Jon founded?

In 1902, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. San Jon’s post office opened in 1906, and the census of 1950 counted 362 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 (5), Wikipedia, 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.