You are Standing Where the Ute Indians Once Lived

You are Standing Where the Ute Indians Once Lived. . Pikes Peak backcountry was a hunter's paradise, and the native Ute people were constantly challenged by the Plains Indians for possession. Fierce warriors, the Utes endured and are the only tribe based in their Colorado homeland. Kit Carson witnessed a battle between the Comanches and the Utes in 1852 in the meadow in front of you. All along the north side of Florissant Canyon, you can still see traces of the Ute War Trail., Most of Teller County's major roads were once Ute Indian trails. If you look carefully, you can still see Ute Prayer Trees and Medicine Trees on the roadsides. Highway 24 began as one of the major Ute Indian trails, becoming a wagon road during the 1860s gold rush, then a rail bed for the Colorado Midland Railroad in 1887., Captions , Top left: Ute Indians called Ute Pass "the doorway into the Red Earth Mountains.” Ute Scouts led De Anza's Spanish army into the Florissant Valley in 1779, where they encamped. They then led the Spanish down Ute pass in pursuit of their enemies, the Comanche. Denver Public Library , Middle left: This photo of Chief Colorow's buffalo robe shows a total of sixteen rectangles painted on it. Each of these rectangles symbolizes a battle waged at a fort such as Fortification Hill. Denver Public Library , Bottom left: Judge Castello's Ute Trading Post was a favorite visiting place for the Ute Chief Colorow (Co-LORE-oh) and his band. He relished Mrs. Castello's freshly baked biscuits, naming her "Little Biscuit.” He returned her hospitality by showing her how to send smoke signals from the top of Fortification Hill in case of an emergency. Colorado Historical Society , Center: Trusted friend of the Ute, Judge James Castello established a Ute Trading Post here in 1870. Colorado's gold and silver mines soon drew prospectors along the Ute Pass Trail (now Highway 24) to this region. In 1873, Castello established a post office, naming it Florissant for his home town in Missouri. Kimmett Collection , Right: Ute Indians, a nomadic people, occupied most of Colorado from A.D. 500 until 1880. They remained in one area several months each year, hunting wild game and gathering seasonal plants. The Pikes Peak area was home to the Tabeguache band, "The People of Sun Mountain.” In this photo, their chief, Ouray, was one of the most famous Ute chiefs. Denver Public Library . This historical marker is Near Florissant in Teller County Colorado