South Fork in Rio Grande County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Explorers
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 26, 2024
1. Explorers Marker
Few Spaniards glimpsed the uppermost reaches of the mysterious Rio Grande del Norte — and those who did, did so by chance. In 1694 Diego de Vargas came nearly as far north as present-day Alamosa while detouring around hostile Pueblos, and Juan Bautista de Anza passed within a few miles of here in 1779 on his way to the Arkansas Valley, but that was the extent of Spanish exploration. In 1807 Lt. Zebulon M. Pike led the first U.S. investigation of the upper Rio Grande; unfortunately, the river still belonged to Spain. Pike supposedly mistook it for the Red River — but might have “erred” on purpose in order to spy on a continental rival? Spanish officials certainly thought so, hauling the entire party off to a Mexican prison.
The search for a cross-country railroad route finally led Anglo explorers toward the remote sources of the Rio Grande. Lt. John C. Frémont entered the San Juan Mountains about fifty miles northeast of here in 1848, but heavy December snows turned the expedition back and killed eleven of its thirty-three members. In 1853 Edward Beale and Gwin Heap led a scouting party sponsored by private interests who favored a central Rockies rail corridor; no surprise, then that these pathfinders-for-hire declared the San Juans eminently railworthy. But Capt. John Gunnison came to the opposite conclusion after leading
this page online
[photo captions]
• After successfully establishing the San Francisco presidio for the Spanish crown in 1776, army officer Juan Bautista de Anza (1735-1788), was rewarded with the governorship of New Mexico — a post he held for nine years.
• Lt. Zebulon M. Pike (1779-1813)
• Artist’s depiction of Frémont and his men caught in a Rocky Mountain snowstorm.
Erected 1996 by Colorado Historical Society, Colorado Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1694.
Location. 37° 40.835′ N, 106° 32.724′ W. Marker is in South Fork, Colorado, in Rio Grande County. It can be reached from U.S. 160 at milepost 191.4, 0.1 miles west of County Road 50, on the right when traveling west. The marker is in the Shaw Creek CDOT Rest Area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 25313 US Highway 160, South Fork CO 81154, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Colorado High Rockies, in the San Juan Mountains, and in the San Luis Valley. It is also 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 New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 26, 2024
2. Explorers Marker
This is the left one of two markers on the northeast side of the interpretive kiosk.
Also see . . .
1. Juan Bautista de Anza (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was an expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as one of the founding fathers of Spanish California and served as an official within New Spain as Governor of the province of New Mexico.(Submitted on March 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Governor Anza led a punitive expedition against the Comanche group of Native Americans, who had been repeatedly raiding Taos during 1779. With his Ute and Apache Native American allies, and around 800 Spanish soldiers, Anza went north through the San Luis Valley, entering the Great Plains at what is now Manitou Springs, Colorado. Circling "El Capitan" (current day Pikes Peak), he surprised a small force of theComanche near present-day Colorado Springs. Pursuing them south down Fountain Creek, he crossed the Arkansas River near present-day Pueblo, Colorado.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 26, 20243. Shaw Creek Rest Area Interpretive KioskLooking southwest; the rest area is in the background.
2. John C. Frémont: Fourth expedition (1848–1849) (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: In October 1848 Frémont embarked with 35 men up the Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas rivers to explore the terrain. Already a foot of snow was on the ground at Bent's Fort, and the winter in the mountains promised to be especially snowy. Part of Frémont's purpose was to demonstrate that a 38th parallel railroad would be practical year-round. On November 25 at what is now Florence, Colorado, he turned sharply south. By the time his party crossed the Sangre de Cristo Range via Mosca Pass, they had already experienced days of bitter cold, blinding snow and difficult travel. Some of the party, including the guide Wootton, had already turned back, concluding that further travel would be impossible. Although the passes through the Sangre de Cristo had proven too steep for a railroad, Frémont pressed on. By December 12, on Boot Mountain, it took ninety minutes to progress three hundred yards. Mules began dying and by December 20, only 59 animals remained alive. It was not until December 22 that Frémont acknowledged that the party needed to regroup and be resupplied. They began to make their way to Taos in the New Mexico Territory. By the time the last surviving member of the expedition made it to Taos on February 12, 1849, 10 of the party had died and been eaten by the survivors.(Submitted on March 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 143 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
