About Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?
Red River, Taos County, N.M. (1900-190?)

Red River Prospector

The Red River Prospector was published weekly from August 23, 1900, through at least August 1, 1907, in the mountain town of Red River, New Mexico, which sits over 8,500 feet above sea level. The editorial page of the April 25, 1901, issue stated that readers could obtain a one-year subscription for $1.50, six months for 75 cents, or three months for 40 cents. The Prospector, as the name suggests, focused primarily on mining news, although readers could expect to find other territorial and local news coverage within its pages as well.  Politically, the Red River Prospector leaned toward the Republican Party.

Originally, the settlement of Red River was known simply as River City to the fur trappers, explorers, and prospectors in the area. Later it was called Red River City, and several signs referred to it as such despite the fact that the town consisted of roughly two dozen shacks. Eventually the ambitious description “city”' was dropped. Red River’s population grew as prospectors carved hundreds of gold, silver, and copper mines into the mountains. The mines soon fell short of expectations, but homesteaders stayed in the region after miners went searching for profits elsewhere. Journalism arrived relatively late to Red River compared with other towns in New Mexico Territory. Only one newspaper commenced publication prior to 1900, and only four newspapers were launched before the 1940s. Most went out of business quickly, often in less than a year. Although the exact date that it folded is unknown, the Red River Prospector had the longest run of any of these early papers.

Provided by: University of New Mexico