Some counties did not even have a formal courthouse, with the district court (which was only in session a few days a year) renting rooms when necessary to conduct its business.
A handful of early courthouses are still standing, including notable examples in Cimarron, Lincoln, and Mesilla.
New Mexico's public buildings began to grow in scale and ambition in the 1880s, spurred by the arrival of the railroad.
With skilled workers, modern building materials, and more advanced construction techniques now available, larger and grander county courthouses emulating those in the eastern states were seen as points of civic pride.
The next wave of courthouse construction occurred between 1934 and 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs made large amounts of federal funding available for public works projects.