A history of Columbus,
since 1891
Postcards, papers and photographs of Columbus from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Columbus was established in 1891 just across the Mexican border from Palomas, Chihuahua, and named after 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus. In 1902, the village center was moved 3 miles (5 km) north when the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad built its Columbus station. This station is now converted into a museum run by the Columbus Historical Society.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Columbus’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewBase de los Estados Unidos, 1915: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Columbus
See all 6 →
Columbus, decade by decade
CommonsBase de los Estados Unidos1915
CommonsEngineers unload equipment at Columbus, (New Mexico)1915
Commons1st Aero Squadron - Airplane Arrival1916
Commons1st Aero Squadron - Columbus NM Military Camp1916
Commons1st Aero Squadron - Columbus NM Preparing Takeoff1916
Commons1st Aero Squadron - Columbus NM Train Arrival19161990s
1 historic place in Columbus
Columbus has 1 listing on the National Register, and they protect 9 historic buildings, because Village of Columbus and Camp Furlong alone counts 9. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier, which fewer than 3% of listings reach.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Base de los Estados Unidos (1915) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.