“The county courthouse here was burned early Wed. morning, March 2, 1910. The building and furniture were totally destroyed. It was a two-story brick structure with the county offices on the first floor and court room on the second floor. It was built in 1881 at a cost of $25,000. The cause of the fire is unknown. It was discovered about 3:40 a.m. The alarm was sounded and practically the whole town responded, but as the courthouse stood nearly half a mile from the town hall where the fire apparatus is kept, the flames had gained so much headway by the time the engine and hose cart reached the scene that all efforts were fruitless.

There were two steel vaults and a large safe in the building in which the county records were kept. The records in the vault in the clerk’s office have been removed to the county jail and it was found that they were not injured in the least. The treasurer’s vault and the county judge’s safe have not been opened yet but it is thought their records are safe also.

The building was insured for $12,000 and the furniture and fixtures for $3,000.

The clerk and treasurer have opened up offices in the abstract office and bank for a few days till other arrangements can be made. The commissioners will meet in a few days and business will be soon running as smoothly as ever; although under some inconvenience to the officers.” 

(The above article was printed in the “Crescent” after the first courthouse burned in the 1000 block of Christy Ave. which is presently the site of the home of Joe and Jennie Lujan).

At the time when the original courthouse was built, Otto Mears was in favor of having it located on property which he owned — “Mears Addition” in the town of Saguache. After the fire, Otto had his way — our present courthouse is located on property that was the Otto Mears store and home.

Otto Mears carried a lot of weight in decisions pertaining to early day Saguache, but in locating the first courthouse he lost out to Nathan Russell who also “carried a big stick”. The first courthouse was built in the “Russell Addition.” Both Otto Mears and Nathan Russell, along with John Lawrence, Prudencio Garcia, Nathan Ward and several other pioneers came to Saguache shortly after the Civil War. It seems to me that those olde boys “could do anything they were big enuf to do.”