County of site: Santa Fe County
Location of site: NM-14, The Turquoise Highway, N. of Golden
Built: 1830's
Restored: 1960
Diocese: Santa Fe
Phone: (505) 471-1562 Built With: Stucco
Today a missionary church site
"Michael R. Montano is an extraordinary person. He has undertaken, with the help of the parishioners he mobilized, the reconstruction of the historic church in Golden, New Mexico. Originally built in the 1830s, the San Francisco Catholic Church is one of the most photographed sites along New Mexico’s historic scenic byway known as the Turquoise Trail. Abandoned for twenty years, the tiny church now holds Mass every Saturday afternoon.
"While the area had long been occupied by Native Americans and Spaniards, two small mining settlements, Real de San Francisco and Placer del Tuerto, were established there in the 1820s. Gold was discovered in 1825, and miners swarmed in as the first gold rush west of the Mississippi got underway. The two communities eventually merged and became known as Golden. By 1928 the population had plummeted and the post office closed, leaving Golden a ghost town with only a few residents. Today, the village is once again growing. New homes are sprouting, and some of the old ones are being restored." ~ Arizona State University
" ... San Francisco de Assis Church has Mass Saturday afternoons at 4:00. (505) 471-1562.
"Fiesta de San Francisco de Assis - 1st Saturday of October 11:00 - 3:00 pm. The annual fiesta at the historic church in Golden will begin with Mass, followed by a procession lead by Matachines dancers. Graves in the cemetery will be blessed, and then the procession will continue around the area and return to the church. This ritual drama originated in medievial Spain. Food and raffle tickets will be for sale, and a cake walk will complete the day of celebration of the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. (505) 471-1562." ~ Turquoise Trail Association
"he church of San Francisco de Asis, located in Golden, New Mexico, was built in 1830 near a local mining camp. Today, the Mission-style adobe church is one of the few remaining buildings from that time.
"Leaving Tijeras and traveling north along route 14, one soon comes to the town of Golden. Golden was established shortly after placer gold (loose gold that can be sifted out of gravel and sand) was discovered on the southwest side of the Ortiz Mountains in 1825. Within a few years, a mining camp was built near the site of modern-day Golden, and a gold rush ensued that brought hundreds of new settlers and prospectors to the area. In 1830, the church of San Franciso de Asis was built near the camp. Today, the charming structure is one of the few remaining buildings from that time, and its Mission-style adobe exterior makes it one of the most photographed buildings on the Turquoise Trail. ... " ~ The Elks Magazine, by Elise Warner, December 2019/January 2020