South Fork in Rio Grande County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

South Fork Country

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 26, 2024

1. South Fork Country Marker

Inscription.

South Fork Country. . , While in Saguache in 1874, Alfred Packer was arrested on murder charges involving cannibalism. He escaped, but was caught, tried twice, sentenced to forty years in prison, and later pardoned. Though Packer was not incarcerated in the Saguache County Jail, today it adjoins a regional museum. , The silver boom in the 1880s saw Bonanza become the center of the Kerber Creek Mining District. Today the Rio Grande National Forest is creating an off-highway interpretive loop exploring this rugged country. , Created by forces of wind and sand, the Great Sand Dunes National Park at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is an unexpected natural phenomenon. You can visit the ever-changing dunes throughout the year. , The Silver Thread Scenic and Historic Byway travels through the Upper Rio Grande River Valley and crosses the Continental Divide twice. Creede, Lake City, and South Fork are historical complements to this extraordinary route. , The 17-mile Bachelor Historic Tour traces Creede’s legacy through silver mines and ghost towns from the 1890s to the 1980s. , Wagon Wheel Gap was once a popular stage station and tourist resort between Del Norte and the mining camps of the San Juans., Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway winds its way through the land once under the rule of the Spanish Empire. Travelers along this route can visit San Luis, Colorado’s oldest community, and one of the territory’s first military posts, Fort Garland. Los Caminos Antiguos means the Ancient Roads. , Exhibits at the Rio Grande Museum and Cultural Center in Del Norte highlight both the natural wonders of the San Luis Valley and the cultures that have shaped its history. , Reconstructed by the Colorado Historical Society, Pike’s Stockade was originally erected in the winter of 1806-7 by Lt. Zebulon M. Pike and his party of eleven men. Spanish soldiers captured Pike here and escorted him to Chihuahua, Mexico, on charges of trespassing on Spanish Territory.

While in Saguache in 1874, Alfred Packer was arrested on murder charges involving cannibalism. He escaped, but was caught, tried twice, sentenced to forty years in prison, and later pardoned. Though Packer was not incarcerated in the Saguache County Jail, today it adjoins a regional museum.

The silver boom in the 1880s saw Bonanza become the center of the Kerber Creek Mining District. Today the Rio Grande National Forest is creating an off-highway interpretive loop exploring this rugged country.

Created by forces of wind and sand, the Great Sand Dunes National Park at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is an unexpected natural phenomenon. You can visit the ever-changing dunes throughout the year.

The Silver Thread Scenic and Historic Byway travels through the Upper Rio Grande River Valley and crosses the Continental Divide twice. Creede, Lake City, and South Fork are historical complements to this extraordinary route.

The 17-mile Bachelor Historic Tour traces Creede’s legacy through silver mines and ghost towns from the 1890s to the 1980s.

Wagon Wheel Gap was once a popular stage station and tourist resort between

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Del Norte and the mining camps of the San Juans.

Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway winds its way through the land once under the rule of the Spanish Empire. Travelers along this route can visit San Luis, Colorado’s oldest community, and one of the territory’s first military posts, Fort Garland. Los Caminos Antiguos means the Ancient Roads.

Exhibits at the Rio Grande Museum and Cultural Center in Del Norte highlight both the natural wonders of the San Luis Valley and the cultures that have shaped its history.

Reconstructed by the Colorado Historical Society, Pike’s Stockade was originally erected in the winter of 1806-7 by Lt. Zebulon M. Pike and his party of eleven men. Spanish soldiers captured Pike here and escorted him to Chihuahua, Mexico, on charges of trespassing on Spanish Territory.

Erected 1996 by Colorado Historical Society, Colorado Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 37° 40.835′ N,

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 26, 2024

2. South Fork Country Marker

This is the right one of two markers on the northeast side of the interpretive kiosk.

106° 32.725′ 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 as the crow flies: Traveling to South Fork (here, next to this marker); Explorers (here, next to this marker); Gateway of the Rio Grande (here, next to this marker); A Passport Through Time (approx. 5.3 miles away); Living on the Byway (approx. 5.3 miles away); Watchable Wildlife

Shaw Creek Rest Area Interpretive Kiosk image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 26, 2024

3. Shaw Creek Rest Area Interpretive Kiosk

Looking southwest; the rest area is in the background.

(approx. 5.3 miles away); Rio Grande — A River of Life (approx. 5.3 miles away); Mark M. Jones, AIA (approx. 10½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in South Fork.

Also see . . . Alfred Packer (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Alfred Griner Packer (1842–1907) was an American prospector and self-proclaimed wilderness guide who confessed to cannibalism during the winter of 1874. Though no clear or definitive evidence has been found to this day, and despite in-depth research about proof of his deeds, he is one of the four persons historically convicted for cannibalism in the United States.
After emerging as the sole survivor of a six-man party who had attempted to travel through the San Juan Mountains of the Colorado Territory, he eventually confessed to having lived off the flesh of his companions, giving more than one version of his account as to the circumstances. After his story was called into question, Packer escaped jail and hid from justice for nine years. He was eventually tried, convicted of premeditated murder, and sentenced to death. Packer won a retrial and was eventually sentenced to 40 years in prison
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on five counts of voluntary manslaughter.
On June 19, 1899, Packer's sentence was officially upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. Nevertheless, he was paroled on February 8, 1901, by Colorado Governor Charles Thomas, following a campaign that was initially spearheaded by an old acquaintance of Packer's named Duane Hatch, who petitioned for his release for nearly a decade. Packer had served 18 years of his 40-year sentence.

(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 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 18, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.