"The name "Chuichupa" means in the Indian tongue, "The place of the mist." The title is not inappropriately applied to this little Mormon colony situated on the great back bone of the Sierra Madre Range which divides the waters that flow into the Pacific from the streams that find their way into the Gulf of Mexico far to the east. Eight thousand feet above the sea level, she nestles among the forests grown hoary with age and receives to her bosom the crystal streams as they pass from their haunts above on their way to join the mighty ocean. The streams teem with mountain trout. Some idea of these mountain colonies as a fisherman's paradise may be gained from a report given me by an old friend, Theodore Martineau, a one time resident of this region. Mr. Martineau affirms that upon one occasion he pulled from a stream 300 beautiful trout in four hours' time. The forest are alive with wild game of all varieties to tempt the hunter from nearly every land. Here feeds the deer while the turkey cock gobbles and struts about. Not far away are the bear and the cougar seeking their prey while myriads of birds with their varigated plumages flit from bough to bough undisturbed by the cracking of timber and other noises from below.

Chuichupas lies near the western border of Chihuahua, eighty-five miles southwest of Casas Grandes, thirty-five miles south of Colonia Garcia, and in the same direction, from Colonia Pacheco, forty-five miles. It is typically a dairy country though oats, potatoes, and many other varieties of vegetables are profitably raised and that, too, in many instances without irrigation.

The founding of the colony occurred in April 1894, when Benjamin Johnson, Edwin H. Austin, James H. Carlton and son, Ben L. Johnson and Wallace Edwin Staley of Colonia Dublan pitched camp here in search of a new home and a few days later were joined by Sixtus Johnson, David E. Johnson, and John McNeil.

The name first applied to the new colony was "Mariano", but soon it was changed to Chuichupa by which designation it has been known to the present. As in the case of the Garcia tract, the Chuichupa purchase was made from Senor Telesforo Garcia of Mexico City. And as the titles to the Garcia lands were transferred to the Mexican Colonization and Agricultural Company through the instrumentality of President Anthony W. Ivins in order to save the property to the colonists who had fallen behind in their payments - so was a transer of title to the Chuichupa tract secured by the same compay through President Ivins for the same purpose. The acreage under the Chuichupa purchase totaled 6,250 and cost the settlers 40 cents per acre in gold.

The ecclesiastical organization of Chuichupa evolved in the same order as was characteristic of the other colonies - from the simple to the complex. Sixtus Johnson presided over the group from the time of his arrival in the spring of 1894, until June 9, 1895, when he was succeeded by Benjamin J. Johnson who bore the title of presiding elder. As a branch of the Church, Colonia Chuichupa was attached to the Colonia Pacheco ward until Colonia Garcia was advanced to the status of a ward in 1898, when it was transferred to the Colonia Garcia ward. Such was its status until it became a ward in November, 1900. The ward organization was effected under the direction of Apostle Abraham O. Woodruff and members of the Stake Presidency, Anthony W. Ivins and Helaman Pratt. George M. Haws was honored with the position of bishop while his counsellors were Benjamin J. Johnson and Samuel J. Brown. The auxiliaries were completely organized with the following men and women in charge.

Isabel M. Johnson was called to preside over the Relief Society with Lena Brown and Sara Martineau to serve as counsellors. The Sunday School was placed under the leadership of Henry A. Martineau, superintendent, and John W. Brown and Francis L. Johnson as his assistants. The Young Men's organization had as its president Joel H. Martineau, who was assisted by Samuel Brown and George A. Martineau, while the Young Women's Association had as its presiding officers Sarah E. Russell, president, and Sarah E. Brown and Mary E. Christiansen as her assistants. Arletta Cox was called to act as president of the Primary Association and was to be assisted by Nora Carlton and Alice Judd.

Copyright 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org