San Juan County Index Archive

The San Juan County Index was published weekly between 1890 and the summer of 1912 in Aztec, New Mexico.  The July 24, 1890, issue stated that a reader could obtain a one-year subscription for $2.00 or six months for $1.00; by February 23, 1894, a subscriber would pay $2.00 for one year, $1.25 for six months, or 75 cents for three months; and by January 13, 1899 a reader could get one year of the paper for $2.00, six months for $1.00, or three months for 50 cents.  The January 13, 1899, issue stated that the Index was the “Official paper of San Juan County,” a region known for irrigated farming.  However, irrigation projects on the San Juan River developed gradually over many years, and the region’s population grew slowly as a result.   By 1889, only 25,000 to 35,000 acres of farmland were irrigated in all of New Mexico Territory. Although six early newspapers were launched in the San Juan River Valley, the small population and troubled economic times meant that only two survived until the turn of the century: the San Juan County Index and the Junction City Times.  Several publishers helmed the Index prior to 1900.  The Junction City Times, founded in 1891, underwent several publisher changes as well; two years later it moved to Farmington and changed its name to the San Juan Times.

After 1900, irrigated farming increased dramatically in the San Juan Valley, and the population grew correspondingly. The railroad arrived in 1905 giving residents access to markets in Colorado, Chicago, and points farther east. These improvements led to a massive influx of pioneer farmers and, subsequently, more merchants and journalists eager to grab a share of the increasingly available profits. Additional newspapers were launched at Aztec, including the San Juan Democrat, which emerged in 1906 as the chief competitor to the San Juan County Index.