Trinidad in Las Animas County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Trinidad Schools and the Sisters of Charity
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2025
1. Trinidad Schools and the Sisters of Charity Marker
During the first decade of Trinidad's existence, education for children was intermittent and haphazard. Several private schools started, but all lasted only a few weeks or months. Although the creation of Las Animas County, with Trinidad as its seat in 1866, laid a framework for a public school system, not much was done until 1870.
In 1868, pioneer Felipe Baca, who had donated the land on which the Catholic Church stood, offered to give more land for a parochial school if the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati would be responsible for the school's operation. The Sisters arrived in 1870 and had just organized the parochial school when the County School Board asked if they would also operate a public school. They agreed and thus, began Colorado's School District #1 in Trinidad. The school, a two-story adobe, was known as the Sister's Academy.
The Sisters of Charity continued to run Trinidad's public schools until 1892. As the area's population increased, more schools were built in many parts of the city, and most of the students were taught by lay teachers.
The present building for Trinidad Catholic Schools, one of Colorado's few parochial schools including grade and high schools, was built in 1922 and later enlarged.
Erected by Trinidad Historical Society.
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Location. 37° 10.12′ N, 104° 30.423′ W. Marker is in Trinidad, Colorado, in Las Animas County. It is on Church Street just west of North Convent Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 Church Street, Trinidad CO 81082, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West, on the Great Plains, on the Southern Plains, and on the Santa Fe Trail Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, and the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dedicated to Catholic World War II Veterans of Las Animas County (a few steps from this marker); Coal Miners' Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Coal Miner's Canary (within shouting distance of this marker); A Clash of Cultures (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Mountain Called Fisher's Peak (about 300 feet away); Corazσn de Trinidad National Historic District (about 300 feet away); Invasion by the United States Army (about 300 feet away); The Santa Fe Trail (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Trinidad.
Also see . . .
1. History of the Sisters of Charity in Trinidad, Colorado (pdf)
2. Marker detail: St. Josephs Academy
Excerpt: In 1870, the Sisters of Charity opened Holy Trinity School in a six-room adobe built by Felipe and Dolores Baca. Initially they had 30 pupils, but their numbers increased when they accepted responsibility for the public school as well as boarders at St. Joseph Academy. A total of 444 Sisters of Charity lived and worked in Trinidad for 138 years.(Submitted on August 5, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Trinidad Brick in Time: Holy Trinity Convent and School (World Journal).
(by Ruth Stodghill & Lisa Glorioso, 7/13/2023) Excerpt: In 1869, the Sisters of Charity arrived in Trinidad and established the first public school in town; in 1867, they built a boarding school on the corner of Church and Convent streets named St. Josephs Academy.(Submitted on August 5, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
In 1916, the Sisters of Charity set out to build a new parochial school. According to the Trinidad Evening Picketwire, The structure would be one of the finest in this section of the West and would be provided with school rooms for every department of educational work of modern design and appurtenance. The first phase of the construction project was completed in 1921 at a cost of $63,000.
In 1922-23, a community center was added to thestructure. Plans for the basement included bowling alleys, pool rooms, and showers, while the upper stories would include an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,050 and a moving picture booth. The cost for the community center addition was $55,000, with the mortgage on the facility not paid off until 1944 due to the economic impact of the Great Depression.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 20253. Trinidad Schools and the Sisters of Charity MarkerLooking northeast; North Convent Street crosses in the background.
In 1946, the third and final addition was constructed, consisting of fourteen rooms and completing the plans for the complex originally drafted in the 1920s. The three-story building consisted mostly of office space and was dedicated to the veterans of World War II. The last construction to occur on the site was completed in 1965, during which the 1922 portion of the building was remodeled to include eight classrooms and a library for the high school.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2025
4. Trinidad Schools and the Sisters of Charity Marker
Looking north across Church Street; the former Holy Trinity School building is in the background.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2025
5. Holy Trinity School building (dedicated 1946)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2025
6. Holy Trinity Catholic High School & Community Hall (1922)
It is across Church Street, just west of the marker.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2025
7. Holy Trinity School & Community Complex
Looking northeast along Church Street.
From Trinidad Brick in Time: Holy Trinity Convent and School, by Ruth Stodghill & Lisa Glorioso:
Once the cleanup portion of the project is completed, the Holy Trinity Convent and School building will be restored as apartments, a hostel, and a bar/restaurant, including more than thirty new guest rooms. The plan is to create a vibrant, mixed-use building for the community and visitors to enjoy.
From Trinidad Brick in Time: Holy Trinity Convent and School, by Ruth Stodghill & Lisa Glorioso:
Once the cleanup portion of the project is completed, the Holy Trinity Convent and School building will be restored as apartments, a hostel, and a bar/restaurant, including more than thirty new guest rooms. The plan is to create a vibrant, mixed-use building for the community and visitors to enjoy.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 4, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 388 times since then and 213 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 5, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
