Last updated: September 30, 2022
Place
St. Joseph's Church and Cemetery
Photograph by Thomas H. Simmons, courtesy of Colorado State Historic Preservation Office.
Quick Facts
Location:
19895 County Road 8, Capulin, Colorado 81124
Significance:
Ethnic Heritage; Hispanic; Social History; Architecture; Art
Designation:
100003276
MANAGED BY:
St. Joseph's Church and Cemetery in Capulin, Colorado, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2018 for its connection with more than a century of ties to an overwhelmingly Hispano parish.
Beginning in the late 1840s-early 1850s, Hispanos from northern New Mexico began the Euro-American settlement of the San Luis Valley of present-day Colorado. The newcomers were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic and they soon raised village churches and brought Spanish and religious-inspired place names to the land.
The Capulin area was settled in the 1860s and an initial Catholic church was built in 1878. Members of the church led the movement to build the present church in 1912-13 and contributed money, time, and labor toward its construction. Skilled Hispano craftsmen from Colorado and New Mexico cut and laid the stone for the walls and tower. St. Joseph's strengthened the religious life of the people of Capulin and the surrounding area of northern Conejos County by serving as the site of weddings, funerals, christenings, seasonal feasts, and other events.
The Church is a small, L- shaped stone and concrete building on a 3.4 acre plot of land and has several additions to its original design, all built between 1912 and the 1960s. Inside is a large amount of American-made stained glass, an Italian-made Gothic altar, and several religious statues from various locations. The church is still in operation.
Beginning in the late 1840s-early 1850s, Hispanos from northern New Mexico began the Euro-American settlement of the San Luis Valley of present-day Colorado. The newcomers were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic and they soon raised village churches and brought Spanish and religious-inspired place names to the land.
The Capulin area was settled in the 1860s and an initial Catholic church was built in 1878. Members of the church led the movement to build the present church in 1912-13 and contributed money, time, and labor toward its construction. Skilled Hispano craftsmen from Colorado and New Mexico cut and laid the stone for the walls and tower. St. Joseph's strengthened the religious life of the people of Capulin and the surrounding area of northern Conejos County by serving as the site of weddings, funerals, christenings, seasonal feasts, and other events.
The Church is a small, L- shaped stone and concrete building on a 3.4 acre plot of land and has several additions to its original design, all built between 1912 and the 1960s. Inside is a large amount of American-made stained glass, an Italian-made Gothic altar, and several religious statues from various locations. The church is still in operation.