Paonia in Delta County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Dominguez-Escalante Expedition
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 20, 2025
1. Dominguez-Escalante Expedition Marker
On July 29, 1776, ten men set forth on an expedition from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to look for a route to Monterey, California. Father Francisco Domínguez was the leader of the expedition and Father Silvestre Escalante kept the diary. With Indian guides the explorers arrived near this spot on August 31, 1776.
Erected by North Fork Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Hispanic Americans. In addition, it is included in the Dominguez y Escalante Expedition series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 31, 1776.
Location. 38° 52.109′ N, 107° 35.882′ W. Marker is in Paonia, Colorado, in Delta County. It is at the intersection of 3rd Street and Grand Avenue, on the right when traveling east on 3rd Street. The marker is part of the mural that spans the north side of the building at this address. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 240 Grand Avenue, Paonia CO 81428, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Western Slope. It is also in the American Mountain West and in Colorado
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Grand Ave. — A Look Back (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Escalante's Diary (approx. 4.3 miles away); West Elk Loop (approx. 7.9 miles away); Hotchkiss Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. 8 miles away); Hotchkiss Memorial Hall (approx. 8.2 miles away); First Hotchkiss School Bell (approx. 8.2 miles away); In Memory of James L. Heath (approx. 8.2 miles away); Hotchkiss-Crawford Historical Museum (approx. 8.2 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Domínguez–Escalante Expedition (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The Domínguez–Escalante Expedition was a Spanish journey of exploration conducted in 1776 by two Franciscan priests, Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, to find an overland route from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to their Roman Catholic mission in Monterey, on the coast of modern day central(Submitted on January 12, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)California. Domínguez, Vélez de Escalante, and Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, acting as the expedition's cartographer, traveled with ten men from Santa Fe through many unexplored portions of the American West, including present-day western Colorado, Utah, and northern Arizona. Maps and documentation produced by the expedition aided future travelers. The Domínguez–Escalante route eventually became an early template for the Old Spanish Trail, a trade route from Santa Fe to Pacific Coast settlements.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 20, 20252. Dominguez-Escalante Expedition MuralThe marker is part of the mural that spans the north side of the building.
2. Domínguez–Escalante Expedition Journal, August 31, 1776.
Excerpt: On the 31st we set out from El Rio de Santa Rosa toward the north-east, went a league and a half over good country, and arrived at another medium-sized river, which comes down from the same sierra like the previous one and with it enters into the San Xavier, and we named it Rio de Santa Marla, in the leas and bends of which there is all that is needed for the founding and subsistence of two settlements.(Submitted on January 12, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 20, 2025
3. Dominguez-Escalante Expedition Mural
North Fork Historical Society
Mural Artist: G. Allen
Mural Artist: G. Allen
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 20, 2025
4. Dominguez-Escalante Expedition Mural
Dominguez and Escalante near Olathe, Colorado, August 27, 1776.
This portion of the mural is near the northwest corner of the building.
This portion of the mural is near the northwest corner of the building.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 83 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 12, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
