Welcome to Colorado
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Antonito Country

Welcome to Colorado, also, Antonito Country. . , [left panel] , Colorado's vast plains, rugged mountains, and grand plateaus, so magnificent in their beauty and variety, seem at times to overshadow the state's history and people. But look closely. The story of Colorado is every bit as dramatic as the physical terrain. Many peoples have helped sculpt Colorado's past: the ancestral Puebloan peoples, whose civilization dates back thousands of years; the Utes, who occupied the Rockies for centuries; the numerous other native peoples who lived in this region; Hispano pioneers, the state's first permanent non-Indian settlers; and the men and women who came here and built cities, dug mines and planted farms. Colorado's natural endowment is world-renowned. But the state's history, like the land on which it unfolds, features its own breathtaking peaks and valleys, its own scenes of improbable awe and splendor. , A new generation of roadside markers is in place to help you experience the history of Colorado in all its color and fullness. Produced by the Colorado Historical Society, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration in collaboration with local partners, these illustrated signs introduce you to people and events as large and colorful as the state itself. Every mile you travel in Colorado has stories to tell; the markers help you chart your journey through the past. For an in-depth view, visit the Colorado History Museum in Denver, the Colorado Historical Society's various regional museums, and the county and local museums found throughout Colorado. , [right panel] , The Silver Thread Scenic and Historic Byway travels through the upper Rio Grande Valley and crosses the Continental Divide. Creede, Lake City, and South Fork are historical complements to this extraordinary scenic byway. , Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is the home of the oldest parish in Colorado. Parishioners built the first adobe and wood church in 1857. It burned in 1926 and was immediately replaced by the building that stands today. , Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway is Spanish for the Ancient Roads. This byway takes visitors through lands once crossed by native peoples and Spaniards, and to places settled by Hispano and Anglo pioneers. , From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad travels through dramatic mountain scenery between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico , crossing the state line no less than thirteen times! , Pike’s Stockade, a reconstruction by the Colorado Historical Society, was erected in the winter of 1806-7 by the explorer Zebulon M. Pike and his party of eleven men. Spanish soldiers captured Pike here and escorted him to Chihuahua, Mexico, for trespassing on Spanish territory. , The Stations of the Cross Shrine features a series of powerful bronze sculptures on a high mesa overlooking the town of San Luis. Built by volunteer labor and donations of the Sangre de Cristo parish, a short trail leads to a grotto, chapel, and education building. , Created by the forces of wind and sand, the Great Sand Dunes at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are an unexpected natural phenomena. You can visit the ever-changing dunes throughout the year. , The Colorado Historical Society’s Fort Garland Museum is a restored frontier adobe fort that served the San Luis Valley from 1858 to 1883. Once commanded by Kit Carson, today the fort interprets the lives of frontier soldiers and Hispano settlers.