The first Immaculate Conception Church was built as a gift from Lucien and Luz Maxwell in memory of their deceased children, Verenisa and Julian. Dedicated by Jean Baptiste Lamy, the first Bishop of Santa Fe, the church was initially a mission attached to the parish of La Junta in Watrous. Over the next century the church would alternately be a mission under other parishes, or, at times, a parish responsible for other missions. In 1879, it became a parish responsible for several area missions and a new building was built, at which time the property was deeded to the parish by the Maxwell Land Grant & Railway Company for one dollar. By 1883, it had again become a mission under the Springer parish. In 1909, the church was enlarged and the following year the new bell tower was added. In 1954, the church again became its own parish, responsible for churches in Eagle Nest, Black Lake, and Rayado.