Trinidad in Las Animas County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The Mountain Called Fisher's Peak
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2025
1. The Mountain Called Fisher's Peak Marker
The flat-topped mountain visible between the buildings, looking south on Commercial Street, was an important landmark for wagon trains on the Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail.
This landmark guided them to the foot of Raton Pass over which they had to climb. The mountain is called Fisher's Peak, though the name may be inaccurate.
Geologically, the Peak and Raton Mesa behind it are erosional remnants, protected by a cap of hard basalt, a lava flow that solidified almost 8 million years ago when all this land was level with the Peak. Since then, erosion has lowered the rest of the landscape, and the Peak now looms over Trinidad.
The controversy over the mountain's name stems from the Maxwell Land Grant whose northeast corner was marked by Fisher's Peak. The land grant owners laid claim to this flat-topped mountain, though many pioneers testified that it was actually Raton Peak, and Fisher's Peak was a small conical mountain near the New Mexico Border. The case was appealed twice to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 1887 and reconfirmed in 1895 in favor of the land grant company, giving it an additional 260,000 acres.
This left many homesteaders west of here, including some who had titles from the U.S. Land Office, with the bitter choice of leaving or buying their land from Maxwell Land Grant Company.
this page online
Erected by Trinidad Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Law Enforcement • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Santa Fe Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.
Location. 37° 10.158′ N, 104° 30.374′ W. Marker is in Trinidad, Colorado, in Las Animas County. It is on North Commercial Street just north of Church Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 213 North Commercial Street, Trinidad CO 81082, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Mountain West, on the Great Plains, on the Southern Plains, and on the Santa Fe Trail Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, and the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Invasion by the United States Army (within shouting distance of this marker); Dedicated to Catholic World War II Veterans of Las Animas County (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Capital of Open Range Ranching (about 300 feet away); The Santa Fe Trail (about 300 feet away); The Aultman Studio (about 300 feet away); Corazσn de Trinidad National Historic District (about 300 feet away); Trinidad Schools and the Sisters of Charity (about 300 feet away); The Barela Building (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Trinidad.
Also see . . .
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2025
2. The Mountain Called Fisher's Peak Marker
Looking south along Commercial Street; Fishers Peak is visible in the distant background, centered over Commercial Street.
1. Fishers Peak (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Fishers Peak is a spur of the Ratσn Mesa, which reaches the highest elevation of the collective mesas of the Ratσn formation commencing at the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, a subset of the Rocky Mountains, from the west, 90 miles eastward to the Oklahoma border. The prominent 9,633-foot mesa is located 5.5 miles south by east of the Town of Trinidad in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. Fishers Peak is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude.(Submitted on August 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Fishers Peak State Park (Colorado Encyclopedia).
(by Shaun Rose) Excerpt: Colonization of the Fishers Peak area was made possible by opening the Santa Fι Trail. After the Mexican-American War, Euro-American and Hispano colonists began raising cattle and sheep in the vicinity of Raton Mesa. This provided a reliable protein source for hungry miners and travelers along the Santa Fι Trail until the trade route dried up and was replaced by railroads after the Civil War.(Submitted on August 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)In 1859 Hispano colonists built the first cabins near the site of present-day Trinidad, and by 1871 the city had a population of about
1,000, making the Fishers Peak area a place of permanent human occupation for the first time. The first coal mines in the area opened with rail connections in the 1870s, and by 1882 Trinidads population had reached 4,000. It doubled again by 1910, as coal production soared. Mining and railroad activities dominated and exploited the Fishers Peak environment from the late 1870s until about 1930. Ranching near Fishers Peak revived as an essential supporting industry for coal mining and later surpassed it in importance, as coal extraction waned over the course of the twentieth century.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 20253. Fisher's PeakLooking south along Commercial Street; Fishers Peak is visible in the distant background, centered over Commercial Street.
3. Fishers Peak: A Brief History of Colorado's Newest State Park (historycolorado.org).
(By Devin Flores, 7/9/2020) Excerpt: In the far south of Colorado, near the border with New Mexico, there is a distinctive range of tall, flat-topped mesas that stretch from northwest to southeast like the reaching arm of the Sangre de Cristo range. The highest of these mesas is striking against the sky at 9,633 feet, it is higher than any point in North America east of it. It rises from the surrounding forest like a castle, steep-walled and prominent, and for millions of years it has loomed large(Submitted on August 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)over the valley below. Fishers Peak is one of the most recognizable landmarks in southern Colorado and has been for centuries.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 20254. Fisher's PeakLooking south to Fishers Peak from the south side of Trinidad.The peak overlooks Raton Pass, a key mountain pass along the Santa Fe Trail leading to the town of Raton, New Mexico. It was a key landmark, helping to mark the location of the pass for travelers making the long 900-mile journey from trade centers on the Missouri River. This pass has been in regular use for overland travel and shipping since the late 1700s when the trail was a major economic artery between the United States and the northern provinces of New Spain and later Mexico. It is still in use today as the route taken by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and Interstate 25.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 228 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
