Colfax is a city in Jasper County, Iowa, United States.

Colfax is located approximately 24 miles east of Des Moines.

The town was founded in 1866, and was named after Schuyler Colfax, vice president under Ulysses S. Grant.

[2] Newton is the county seat; both were named after Revolutionary War soldiers.

The first large scale coal mine in Jasper County was the Watson No.

1 Mine, 5 miles southeast of town, connected to the Rock Island by a long railroad spur.

From 1881 to 1900, the Jasper County Coal and Railway Company operated a number of mines north of Colfax.

[6] United Mine Workers local 56 was organized in Colfax in 1899; by 1907, it had 352 members.

[8] In the process of drilling for coal in 1875, a well containing high mineral content was discovered near Colfax.

The city flourished with this new discovery, and over the next four decades, thousands of people visited the town to partake in the healing powers of the fourteen mineral springs there.

Nine hotels offering mineral baths and spa treatments opened to house guests, and four bottling companies opened to produce bottled mineral water for the masses.

[9] The booming business of the city's mineral springs industry declined and died out as the Great Depression swept the country.

27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.