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History

In 1598, an expedition of nearly 500 Spanish colonists arrived, led by Juan de Oñate. Crossing the Rio Grande at El Paso, the Oñate expedition encountered the first native people in the Socorro area. These were the pueblos of Senecœ, Qualacœ, Teypama, Pilabo and others. These were the friendly Piro Indians.

For the help or “succor” the Piros gave the Spaniards, Oñate named the Pueblo of Pilabo, “Socorro.” Before continuing their journey northward to Santa Fe, several families and two Franciscan friars remained behind, making Socorro the first European settlement in what is today the U.S.

During the 1600s, Spanish colonists poured into “New Spain,” arriving along El Camino Real, the 1,500-mile trail from Vera Cruz and Mexico City to Santa Fe. During this time, a large mission was built in Socorro to serve the Christianized Piro Indians.

Spanish occupation of New Mexico temporarily ended in 1680 when the Pueblo Indians rebelled against the harsh Spanish rule. The Spanish military, and many of the colonists fled southward, leaving many pueblos and villages, including Socorro, abandoned.

The reoccupation of New Mexico began in 1698. Except in Socorro, the King of Spain prohibited settlement south of present-day Belen, due to the constant raids by the Apache. Eventually, in 1803, Father Miguel Zepeda and several families were sent to rebuild Socorro and the mission.

In 1823, the Spanish empire fell and the region became part of Mexico. In 1848, New Mexico became a territory of the U.S. The Army built forts along the Rio Grande from Las Cruces to Santa Fe. Fort Craig, south of Socorro, was built in 1854 to protect travelers and caravans along El Camino Real.

In late 1861, 3,000 Confederate soldiers arrived at El Paso. On February 21, 1862, Confederate and Union forces clashed south of Socorro in the Battle of Val Verde. In late April, the Union Army recapitulated Socorro.

With the arrival of the railroad in 1882, El Camino Real became obsolete. By the mid-1880s, the “Indian Wars” had come to an end. Most of the forts were closed. Some of the soldiers from Fort Craig settled in and around Socorro County, which now flourished with ranches and cattle trails.

Also in the early 1880s, precious ores were discovered in the area. Nearly overnight, Socorro and Magdalena became mining boom towns. The mines and the nearby towns quickly grew. Soon, the New Mexico School of Mines was established in Socorro.

With the devaluation of silver and other factors, the area mines closed as quickly as they opened. By the mid-1890s, Socorro’s population had greatly diminished. Those that remained were largely the old, established families who remained as ranchers, farmers and merchants.

Many of the area mines were reopened during World War II. Tons of manganese, used to strengthen steel, were shipped from area mines. Following the war, Socorro again began to grow. Captured German rockets were tested on the White Sands Proving Ground southeast of Socorro, which later became White Sands Missile Range. The School of Mines, now known as the esteemed New Mexico Tech, expanded from mining and geology to include petroleum recovery, physics, lightning research and other scientific specialties.

In 1975, the Plains of San Agustin, west of Magdalena, was chosen for the site of the Very Large Array (VLA). Headquartered in Socorro, it is the world’s largest radio telescope. The Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) has been completed atop the Magdalena Mountains. In addition to astronomy, Socorro is also world-renowned for research centers ranging from the IRIS/PASSCAL Seismology center to the EMRTC explosive research facilities.

From the Spanish occupation beginning in 1598, to the Piro Indians who lived here for centuries before that, Socorro is the oldest inhabited community in the United States. Socorro remains a community that blends the traditions of old with today’s cutting-edge of science.