Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Putting Down Roots
| | Collegiate Peaks Scenic and Historic Byway | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 22, 2025
1. Putting Down Roots Marker
Farms and ranches dotted the upper Arkansas River valley as early as 1864. The Mahon, Loan, and Bard families established some of the first ranches, portions of which are now part of Buena Vista. The area's first farmer, Dr. Frank Mayol, raised vegetables and hay that he sold to placer miners. Enterprising landowners also supplied timber and charcoal to the mining districts.
In 1917 a farmer named Denny Isabel decided to grow head lettuce. His crop flourished and he made a tidy sum from its sale. By 1921, area farmers were planting 13,000 acres of lettuce.
Lettuce was an ideal crop for the valley the high altitude and cool nights helped plants grow large, compact heads. A good one-acre field could produce nine thousand heads of lettuce, generating up to $500.
The Colorado Co-op Lettuce Association was formed in 1921 to market its crop under the name Buena Kist. Buena Vista was soon known as The Head Lettuce Capital of the World and first celebrated Head Lettuce Day in 1922. The annual event took off and evolved into the Collegiate Peaks Stampede Rodeo, still one of the best small-town rodeos in the west.
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Main Street Commerce
Despite BV's reputation as a lawless mining camp, a stable community grew. Goods and workers arrived daily by stagecoach and rail.
The first store stood at today's Hi Rocky, soon joined by livery stables, barber shops, hotels, smithies and sawmills. Churches, schools, and the Chaffee County Times newspaper proved the town was here to stay.
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Winter ice was cut from the BV Ice Lake north of town and stored in sawdust. At harvest time, lettuce was trucked to the BV lettuce warehouse and packed in ice, for speedy shipment on the Denver & Rio Grande RR.
The 1939 Rodeo Parade on Mate Street kicked off the Collegiate Peaks Stampede Rodeo, as it does today.
On BV's Main Street false front wood buildings went up quickly but fire was a constant threat. (Even the firehouse burned in 1934!) So by 1885 more brick was used, and these dignified late 19th century buildings line BV's East Main Street today.
Buena Vista
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 22, 2025
2. Putting Down Roots Marker
Looking west from US Highway 24 across the south end of McPhelemy Park. The Historic Buena Vista Railroad Depot is partially visible in the right background. This marker is the center one of three interpretive panels at this location.
1806 The Zebulon Pike Expedition camped three miles east of today's highway bridge over the Arkansas River and explored the area.
1864 The first farms and ranches in the upper Arkansas Valley appeared along Cottonwood Creek on the east bank of the Arkansas River.
1872 Silver was discovered at Chalk Creek on Mount Princeton.
1879 Chaffee County voters chose Buena Vista as their county seat.
1880 The first church meeting was held in a harness shop. Chaffee County Times printed its first issue. The Buena Vista Bucket Brigade formed to fight fires.
1881 The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad reached Buena Vista on its way to Leadville.
1891 The first bank in Buena Vista was incorporated.
1892 Authorized in 1890, the Colorado State Reformatory opened just south of town for juvenile offenders, with buildings surrounded by a wooden stockade.
1894 Electricity, telephone service, arc streetlights came to BV. Several parcels of land were donated for parks, schools and a cemetery.
1917 Antero Hotel adjacent to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs was enlarged and refurbished. Guests arrived by Cadillac from the Buena Vista train depot.
1922 Colorado Cooperative Lettuce Growers Association formed in Buena Vista, and the annual Head Lettuce Day Festival began.
1923 The Byrd Colony began near Mt. Princeton Hot Springs.
1926 Round Up Ranch for Boys opened, a popular boys camp through 1951.
1928 Voters elected to move the Chaffee County seat to Salida from Buena Vista.
1932 The BV Courthouse became the town's main school upon completion of the new courthouse in Salida.
1951 Frontier Ranch opened when Young Life took over Round Up Ranch.
1968 The new Buena Vista High School opened.
1974 The first BV area commercial whitewater rafting company began to offer trips down the Arkansas River, beginning a multimillion-dollar recreation economy. Buena Vista Heritage formed to develop a historical museum in the Old Chaffee County Courthouse, which was threatened with demolition.
1978 The State Reformatory became the Buena Vista Correctional Facility, a medium security state prison.
1991 The Whipple Trail System was built, accessed by a new pedestrian bridge over the river at the foot of East Main Street.
1999 The Buena Vista Correctional Complex added a minimum restriction facility, with a total capacity for 1,259 offenders.
2004 The first engineered whitewater playhole was constructed.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.
Location. 38° 50.517′ N, 106° 7.975′ W. Marker is in Buena Vista, Colorado, in Chaffee County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 24 and West Main Street, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 24. The marker is beside the sidewalk, at the southeast corner of McPhelemy Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 220 US Highway 24 North, Buena Vista CO 81211, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley, in the Colorado High Rockies and on the Continental Divide. 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mountain Getaways (here, next to this marker); Historic Vistas (here, next to this marker); William Joseph Walsh (a few steps from this marker); World War I Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Grace Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Town Hall (about 400 feet away); Historic St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church (approx. Ό mile away); Chaffee County Jail (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Buena Vista.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 68 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
