San Luis in Costilla County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Colorado's Earliest Settlements
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
1. Colorado's Earliest Settlements Marker
Hispano pioneers founded Colorado's first permanent settlements. Settlers began pushing northward from Taos toward present Colorado in the early 1800s, and in 1844 the Mexican government gave the Sangre de Cristo land grant to two Taos residents. The Costilla area of the grant was permanently colonized in 1849. Farther north on the grant San Luis was founded in 1851, other settlements soon occurring nearby. Because of hostile Utes and Apaches, houses were built in defensive plazas with windowless exterior walls. Fort Massachusetts (1852) and its successor Fort Garland (1858) were established by the U.S. Army to protect these villages, many of which were developed into towns that survive today. When gold was discovered in Colorado in 1858, the well-established farms of the San Luis Valley provided produce for the new supply-starved camps. Today the valley is an important agricultural area of the state.
Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Highways through the Robert S. Ellison Memorial Fund, 1972.
Erected 1972 by State Historical Society of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Highways.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles
this page online
Location. 37° 12.52′ N, 105° 25.485′ W. Marker is in San Luis, Colorado, in Costilla County. It is on Main Street (State Highway 159) 0.2 miles north of 9th Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located on the west side of the Centennial High School grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 14644 Colorado Highway 159, San Luis CO 81152, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s 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 walking distance of this marker: Welcome to San Luis (approx. 0.2 miles away); La Sierra (approx. 0.4 miles away); Faith on the Frontier (approx. 0.4 miles away); Oldest Town in Colorado (approx. 0.4 miles away); Welcome to El Valle de San Luis (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hispano Folkways (approx. 0.6 miles away); San Luis (approx. 0.6 miles away); Acequias (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Luis.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
2. Colorado's Earliest Settlements Marker
Looking east from Main Street; Centennial High School is in the background.
1. History of Colorado (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: On April 9, 1851, Hispanic settlers from Taos, New Mexico, settled the village of San Luis de la Culebra, then in the New Mexico Territory, but now Colorado's first permanent European settlement.(Submitted on August 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. San Luis, Colorado (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The Town of San Luis is centuries younger than the pueblos and villages of northern New Mexico because Hispanic settlers were wary of venturing north of the 37th parallel north for fear of Ute and Comanche raids. Armed traders traveled the Old Spanish Trail through the area in the early 19th century. San Luis was in the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant awarded by the government of New Mexico to the Carlos Beaubien family in 1843. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo annexed northern Mexico to the United States in 1848, and the Compromise of 1850 created the U.S. Territory of New Mexico.(Submitted on August 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Hispanic settlers from the Taos Valley established several small villages along the Rio Culebra in the San Luis Valley and officially took possession of this portion of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant on April 9, 1851. The United States Army established Fort
Massachusetts in 1852 and Fort Garland in 1858 to provide protection for the settlers in the valley. The village of San Luis remained part of the Territory of New Mexico until 1861 when the Territory of Colorado was established. Colorado became a state in 1876 and the Town of San Luis was incorporated in 1885.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 246 times since then and 80 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on August 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
