Near Wetmore in Custer County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Hardscrabble

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2020

1. Hardscrabble Marker

Inscription. Much of this area's early history occurred on nearby trading posts and settlements, which lived and died leaving little trace of their existence. Such was the post built one mile west by Maurice Leduc in the 1830's and the village of Hardscrabble established in the 1840's by traders and trappers below the fork of Hardscrabble and Adobe creeks. Hardscrabble's walls and flat-roofed adobe houses formed a protective square in the middle of country long fought over by the Ute and Arapaho Indians. Villagers traded with anyone who happened by, but the tiny community was too far removed from the main-traveled Santa Fe trail to survive. By late November, 1848, when John C. Fremont and his men briefly visited Hardscrabble on their way west in search of a central railroad route through the mountains, the village was almost deserted.

Erected 2007 by Forrest Dorman; Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical & Historical Society; and Fremont/Custer Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 38° 15.871′ N, 105° 5.264′ W. Marker is near Wetmore, Colorado, in Custer County. It is

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at the intersection of Colorado 67 (at milepost 2) and County Road 19C, on the right when traveling south on Colorado 67. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wetmore CO 81253, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Comanchería

and also the Republic of Texas.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Hardscrabble (here, next to this marker); Cuerno Verde (here, next to this marker); Hardscrabble Canyon Stratum (approx. 1.8 miles away); Wetmore (approx. 1.8 miles away); The Hard Land, Independent People (approx. 1.8 miles away); Cliffhangers and Headbangers (approx. 6.1 miles away); Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway (approx. 6.1 miles away); Rio Grande Railroad Viaduct (approx. 8.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wetmore.

More about this marker. Marker is replica of one originally installed in 1969.

Also see . . . Hardscrabble, Colorado. By Legends of America. (Submitted on July 19, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 7, 2020

2. Hardscrabble Marker

Hardscrabble Pass, Colorado image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Wikipedia

3. Hardscrabble Pass, Colorado

Hardscrabble Pass (elevation 9,085 feet) is a mountain pass in South-Central Colorado. It lies between the Wet Mountain Valley to the west and the Arkansas River valley to the east. The pass traverses the Wet Mountains. Colorado 96 runs over the pass, linking the towns of Wetmore to the east and Westcliffe to the west — Wikipedia

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,012 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 19, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.