Primero, Colorado: The Life and Death of a Company Town
Colorado, Fuel, & Iron Company (CF&I) began construction of Primero, Colorado in 1901. Primero was positioned about 15 miles west of Trinidad, Colorado at the site of the most promising coal deposits in the region. While CF&I built other towns and opened other mines, Primero quickly proved to be the wealth producer for which the company officials hoped. During the first twenty years, Primero set new production records as coal miners and their families struggled to survive in the hostile environs of coal country. In the 1920s coal production fell off markedly and in 1928 the company closed the town and the mines down for good. For a quarter century thousands of citizens lived and worked in Primero. In 1913-14 miners struck against the company and suffered through one of the most severe winters in Colorado history. In the good years John D. Rockefeller, Jr. built a church, a clinic, schools, band stands, and supported other community activities. In the end the mines played out and the people moved on. Today the north wind blows down through the canyons and frequent rain and snow storms have their way on the foundations that remain. The ruins are silent now. The people are gone.
Las Animas County Mining Disasters
Primero was a mining camp operated by CF&I from 1901 to 1928. At its peak, Primero’s mines produced 3,000 tons of coal a week and employed an average of 600 men at a time, 60% of whom were foreign born.
View of the abandoned coal mining town of Primero, a Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation town, Las Animas County, Colorado. The windows and doors have been removed from the houses.
View of the abandoned Primero two story school with broken windows, Las Animas County, Colorado; taken after the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation closed the mine.
View of Primero, a Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation coal town, Las Animas County, Colorado.
View of Primero, after the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation closed the coal mine, Las Animas County, Colorado. The mine was located in the hill in the center of image.
View of the aftermath of the mine explosion at Primero Mine which occurred January 31, 1910 at 4:30 p.m. Shows spectators, destroyed buildings and equipment, and an undamaged mine building.
View of the employee bathhouse at the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company coal camp of Primero. The building is a one story structure with a stucco exterior, porch entry, and shingled roof. A shed addition is attached to the side of the building. Powerhouse smokestacks are in the distance.
View of the elementary school in the mining town of Primero. Shows a two story wood frame with a covered entry and cupola. The sign above the door reads: “Gass School. District No. 61. Primero.”
View shows two young miners driving an ore train full of coal from one of the Primero coal mines.
View of the miner’s club house in Primero. Shows a two story wood frame building with a front porch.