Trinidad

Trinidad. Scenic Highway of Legends. , Welcome to Colorado. You have reached a traditional jumping-off point , one used for centuries by people traveling into this region. Native Americans passed this way seasonally on their way to and from hunting grounds. Spanish explorers marched through in their quest for glory and gold in the 1600s and 1700s. Fur trappers came through on the Santa Fe Trail in the 19th century, followed by railroad builders, prospectors, soldiers and countless others. , Today, Trinidad is a portal to exploration for tourists and travelers. And there's no better place to start exploring than the Scenic Highway of Legends. It's a microcosm of everything Colorado has to offer , all the landscapes, cultures and characters packed into one 80-mile drive. , Enchanted Peaks , Of all the landmarks on the Scenic Highway of Legends, none loom as large as the Spanish Peaks. They occupy the center of the byway just as, for many centuries, they have occupied a central place in legend and lore. To Native Americans, the peaks were "Huajatolla" (Waha-to-ya), or "breasts of the Earth" , an earthly paradise where the world began, a Garden of Eden. Spanish conquistadores believed the Peaks concealed secret mines and hidden treasures. The same myths tantalized American gold seekers two centuries later. , Trinidad sits on a geographic frontier, the border between mountains and plains. It also has long been a cultural junction, bringing together people from a wide diversity of backgrounds. In the first half of the 19th century the Santa Fe Trail brought Americans, Mexicans and traders from the United States to this spot. By 1900, when Trinidad had become a coal-mining center, the population included immigrant workers of more than 32 nationalities. , All these threads are woven together throughout southern Colorado , in the architecture, cuisine, languages and, above all, in the stories. As you tour the Scenic Highway of Legends, you'll see how each culture has left its mark on the region , and how they all interacted to produce a human landscape as rich and compelling as Colorado's geography. , Death by the River , Trinidad sits beside the Purgatory River, named for a legend about ill-fated Spanish soldiers. On an expedition east of here in 1594, they disobeyed orders and went off in pursuit of adventure and treasure. The men fought among themselves, and their commander was murdered. Some of the party returned to Mexico, and the rest of the disorganized group fell prey to a Comanche attack. More than two centuries later, some Mexican merchants on the Santa Fe Trail found the doomed Spaniards’ armor next to the river. Because the soldiers died without receiving last rites, the stream became known as "El Rio de las Animas Perdidos en Purgatorio" , the River of Souls Lost in Purgatory. , [photo captions] , . Indian Paintbrush along the byway , . The abandoned coke ovens at Cokedale are among the sights on the Scenic Highway of Legends , . The Bloom Mansion, seen above, is part of the Trinidad History Museum, and the Colorado Historical Society. It is located at 312 E. Main St. or call 719-846-7212