Poncha Springs Country

Poncha Springs Country. . , The Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway travels through spectacular scenery and is surrounded by some of the state’s highest peaks. In the nineteenth century, these mountains yielded some of Colorado’s biggest mining fortunes. , On the outside, the Healy House and Dexter Cabin display two extremes of nineteenth-century architecture. Inside, they both contain fine furnishings and lavish appointments, a testament to the mining wealth that built Leadville. , As the backbone of the Rocky Mountains, the Continental Divide separates the water flowing to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. , Listed on the National Register of Historic sites, St. Elmo served as a transportation and supply hub for hundreds of surrounding mining camps. Today, this well-preserved ghost town is a community mainly of summer residents. , The Alpine Tunnel, about six miles northeast of Pitkin, provided train passage beneath the Continental Divide from 1882 to 1910., The silver boom in the 1880s saw Bonanza become the center of the Kerber Creek Mining District. Today, the Rio Grande National Forest has created an off-highway interpretive loop exploring this rugged country. , In 1874, Alfred Packer was sent to Saguache while awaiting trial 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 houses a regional museum. , The world’s highest suspension bridge allows visitors to cross the Arkansas River over the Royal Gorge. This 1,053 foot deep chasm stopped Lt. Zebulon Pike dead in his tracks in 1806. The bridge was built in 1929.