History:

In 1889, Socorro was a mining boom town, wild, raucous, and, at a population of about 4500, one of the largest towns in New Mexico. The Territorial Legislature, wanting to boost New Mexico's economy, decided to found a School of Mines to train young mining engineers, and Socorro was the ideal location. Silver and lead ores taken from the nearby Magdalena Mountains were processed at the smelter owned by German immigrant Gustav Billings, and the new School of Mines would allow young mining engineers to train near the eventual site of their work.

The New Mexico School of Mines (NMSM) proudly opened its doors on Sept. 5, 1893, with one building, two professors, and seven students. Courses offered included chemistry and metallurgy.

The college grew a bit, but remained small through the next couple of decades, with a curriculum that focused on mining, metallurgy, chemistry, and related fields. For a while, around the turn of the century, the School of Mines also served as Socorro's "prep school" or high school, for anyone who wanted more than the eight grades of education which the local school system then offered.