Guadalupe County, New Mexico: History
Guadalupe County was named after Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) or after the Mesita de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Plain). The county was created from the southern portion of San Miguel County February 26, 1891, by an act of the New Mexico Territorial Legislature. The original county seat was Puerto De Luna, but was moved north to Santa Rosa in 1903. That same year, after the popular Spanish–American War of 1898, the county's name was changed to Leonard Wood County after the Presidential physician, Major-General in the Rough Riders, and recipient of the Medal of Honor. The name was later changed back to Guadalupe County. The County contains whole, or parts of, several previous Spanish land grants to include the Aqua Negra, the Jose Perea, the Anton Chico, and the Preston Beck land grants.