Organ, New Mexico
| Organ, New Mexico | |
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| Census-designated place | |
Organ as seen from the San Agustin Pass looking north/west
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 Organ, New Mexico
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| Coordinates: 32°25′32.4″N 106°35′48″W / 32.425667°N 106.59667°WCoordinates: 32°25′32.4″N 106°35′48″W / 32.425667°N 106.59667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State |
 New Mexico
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| County | Dona Ana |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.863 sq mi (2.24 km2) |
| • Land | 0.863 sq mi (2.24 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,084 ft (1,550 m) |
| Population (2010) | 323 |
| Time zone | Mountain (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | DST (UTC-6) |
| Area code(s) | 575 |
Organ is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 323.
Organ was started as a mining camp prior to the American Civil War. However, it was not officially established as a community until 1883. President Chester A. Arthur granted the 40-acre (160,000 m2) parcel of land under congressional approval through a federal land grant to the Organ Mining Corporation in 1883. Mining operations near Organ produced gold, lead, iron, silver and other minerals. Actual mining in the Organ town site was prohibited. The largest production mine was the "Torpedo Mine". Organ originally had its own school, constable's office, community center, town square, post office, hotel, business district and cemetery. Organ also had two large mining furnaces for smelting ore and a geological assay office belonging to the mining company. In 1885 Organ's population was over 1,500 people.
In the 1930s the mines in the area became inundated with water and were no longer feasible for use, and with the onset of the Great Depression, mining operations ceased. However, with the opening of White Sands Missile Range and the testing of the nuclear weapons in 1945, Organ began to thrive again as a community providing homes and leisure services to military personnel and government contractors only a short distance from the main military post. Organ is very active supporting the military and White Sands Missile Range still.
Today, Organ is under the direct jurisdiction of Doña Ana County and the County Probate Judge as directed in the presidential order of 1883, because it was never incorporated. The state government recognizes Organ as an independent community under New Mexico State House Bill 523 of the 44th State Legislature in 1999, which recognized "Traditional Historic Communities". For this reason, Organ cannot be annexed by any municipality according to the provisions directed under this house bill.
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