Language carries the culture. Read in English, the meanings here may differ from those of the traditional Spanish language of this area. The language, reminiscent of sixteenth century Spain, is a cornerstone of the culture. For half a century . . . — — Map (db m282900) HM
This memorial is the
property of the State of Colorado
Cumbres Pass
Near Continental Divide between the
waters of the Rio Grande and the San Juan
”Cumbres” is Spanish for “Summits”
Altitude 10,022 Feet
Railroad . . . — — Map (db m125500) HM
[Español]Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos (S.P.M.D.T.U.) 26 de Noviembre 1900 ————— Los Primeros Oficiales De La Sociedad Protección Mutua De Trabajadores Unidos Celedonio E. Mondragón — Presidente . . . — — Map (db m281555) HM
Deeply rooted in the Catholic religion, the Hispano settlers of the San Luis Valley shared unique spiritual beliefs. On the edge of the frontier, they were extremely isolated with only the occasional priest visiting to administer mass, rites, or . . . — — Map (db m282974) HM
Frederick Fitzjarrald Haberlein (1944-2018), grew up at the Conejos Ranch on the Conejos River just west of Antonito. He graduated from Antonito High School and then attended Colorado State University on an art scholarship where he graduated with a . . . — — Map (db m282918) HM
Because our locomotives are powered by steam, they drink a lot of water.
When the D&RG laid the track, crews built tanks at about ten-mile intervals. The first water tank at Osier was built in 1880. The present tank is a replacement. Both were . . . — — Map (db m282850) HM
The D & RG paid attention to comfort.
Tourists meant revenue and potential new settlers. Ads boasted special excursion trips through the scenic Rockies. In the 1930s, the San Juan refitted its 1880s vintage passenger cars with closed vestibules . . . — — Map (db m282835) HM
“It is believed that the penitente lay fraternity was founded in the 13th century by followers of St. Francis of Assisi in Europe. The practice of penance and strong devotion came to the Western Hemisphere with the Spaniards and made its way . . . — — Map (db m291779) HM
Ranchers relied on the D& RG to ship livestock to Denver, Kansas City, and other markets.
In 1935 alone, shippers ordered 1,087 stockcars, most double-deck sheep cars. From the 1880s until the 1950s, ranchers drove grazing livestock into . . . — — Map (db m282833) HM
You have entered the land of the Rio Bravo del Norte, the northernmost outpost of sixteenth century Spain. To the Spanish people, the San Luis Valley was a wild and unexplored place known only to the Native people. Amid the beauty and towering . . . — — Map (db m293899) HM
Until the railroad arrived, there was no town where Antonito exists today. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) had originally intended to establish its southern operations in the village of Conejos. Settlers there, some of the earliest to the . . . — — Map (db m282935) HM
The Section House, built in 1881, provided living quarters for railroaders stationed here.
A cook, sometimes the forman's wife, prepared food for everyone at the site. Larger than many on the Cumbres route, Osier's section house had rooms to . . . — — Map (db m282852) HM
Rising Rockies!
The Rocky Mountains started uplifting about 65 million years ago, during what's called the Tertiary Period of the Cenozoic Era.
As they rose, the mountains often fractured along fault lines, which are still visible. About 35 . . . — — Map (db m282827) HM
Antonito grew out of the race to build the first railroad through the southern Rockies. The Denver & Rio Grande Western arrived in 1880, built the town, then kept pushing westward over a rugged, remote stretch of the San Juan Mountains. To save . . . — — Map (db m280799) HM
In a great race to reach the gold and silver mines of Silverton, the San Juan Extension of the Denver & Rio Grande built a railroad over Cumbres Pass. In 1880, a narrow gauge railway was the quickest and cheapest way to transport people and . . . — — Map (db m293898) HM
Once the tracks had been laid through Cumbres Pass toward Chama and Durango, another building crew arrived at Cumbres Pass to construct the facilities the railroad would need to operate its trains. In 1881, a little settlement took shape. . . . — — Map (db m282868) HM
The horse represented more than a new mode of transportation to the American Indian — it represented a new way of life. The animals began filtering north from Spanish settlements in the seventeenth century, and the once-impenetrable great Plains . . . — — Map (db m280794) HM
“Over 100 years ago my uncle, Alejandro Garcia, a rancher, gathered cows near here. He always carried his geologist pick with him on his horse, and given the opportunity, he would stop to investigate the land looking for gold, silver, or other . . . — — Map (db m293897) HM
Fred Warshauer was born in the Province of Posen in 1859 — a part of modern day Germany and Poland. He was Jewish and fled Europe to avoid being drafted into the Prussian army. He lived in poverty until coming to the United States and settling in . . . — — Map (db m282911) HM
¡Bienvenidos Caminantes! Come! Take a walk with us. We know an old song, El Caminante, which tells of taking a long walk along the ancient roads. Like the first prehistoric inhabitants, you too are a “caminante”, or one who . . . — — Map (db m293990) HM
What is a National Heritage Area? A national heritage area is a region recognized by the United States Congress for its unique qualities and resources — natural, scenic, cultural, historic, and recreational. Rich in history, religion, . . . — — Map (db m282922) HM
[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 . . . — — Map (db m280985) HM
This tract was selected by Bishop Machebeuf, for the first permanent church in Colorado. Here was built a jacal (picket) church, later replaced by a larger church. The first parish of Colorado was erected 100 years ago with Our Lady of Guadalupe as . . . — — Map (db m281594) HM
The bunkhouse provided sleeping quarters for the men who did seasonal track work, snow removal, and improvement to the railroad.
Built in 1880, it was an adjunct to the section house. Some crews were served by bunk and kitchen cars on work trains . . . — — Map (db m282849) HM
We burn coal to boil water to make steam, to drive the pistons, to turn the wheels, to make our locomotives go, go, go!
Coal was the lifeblood of the D&RG and still fuels the C&TSRR. Coal platforms like this one dotted the line. Crews shoveled . . . — — Map (db m282855) HM
Built in 1880, the depot is small because Osier handled very little freight and passenger business. Nevertheless, the agent issued all-important train orders and processed message traffic each day of the year. Furnishing included a telegraph desk, . . . — — Map (db m282863) HM
At 9,637 feet, Osier was one of the D&RG's most remote stations.
As early as 1882, it operated as one of the few open train order telegraph offices along the Cumbres Pass route and was especially busy during stock shipping season and winter snow . . . — — Map (db m282866) HM
Foot paths and unpaved toll roads led early travelers through these mountains prior to the coming of D&RG.
In 1878, Osier marked the halfway point from Conejos, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, on the Park View-Ft Garland toll road. You can . . . — — Map (db m282865) HM
How do you turn around on a one-track railroad?
The D&RG used three methods. Tracks configuring a "wye" allowed a locomotive to leave the main line, then back around another curved track to end up heading in the opposite direction. A loop track, . . . — — Map (db m282854) HM
Bob Howsam was born February 28, 1918 in Denver, Colorado. His parents, Lee and Mary, moved the family to La Jara in 1926 to produce honey. Bob was an All Valley basketball player for the La Jara Wildcats in 1936. He attended the University of . . . — — Map (db m294492) HM
District Number 1Organized January 25, 1915, for the betterment of rural education. The first consolidated school in the San Luis Valley. ——— This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado ——— Monument erected by The State Historical . . . — — Map (db m281581) HM
“Swift, deep and wide ran the Río Grande through the San Luis Valley. Untapped by irrigation, crossing the Río Grande was a death defying experience for anyone who attempted it. The 1694 de Vargas entrada is the first record of a Spaniard . . . — — Map (db m294494) HM
“Swift and wide ran the Rio Grande through the San Luis Valley. Untapped by irrigation, crossing the Rio Grande was a death defying experience for anyone who attempted it. The 1694 de Vargas entrada is the first record of a Spaniard successfully . . . — — Map (db m294497) HM
Established in 2006 through an act of Congress, the purpose of the Rio Grande Natural Area is to “conserve, restore and protect the natural, historic, cultural, scientific, scenic, wildlife and recreational resources” of the lower Rio Grande in . . . — — Map (db m294498) HM
This monument is dedicated to Mary Celia Dempsey mother of William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey born June 24, 1895
He fought his way to become
world heavyweight champion on July 4, 1919
and became known as the legendary "Manassa Mauler"
My . . . — — Map (db m80896) HM
In 1878, Mormon pioneers came from the southern states and Utah, settling first at Los Cerritos. In 1879, they organized the town of Manassa, built homes, a school house, and place of worship from native logs. Settlements of Ephraim (1879) and . . . — — Map (db m281593) HM
“In order to survive the Valley's first of many harsh winters, the earliest settlers needed to build shelter quickly. Jacales were constructed by digging a trench, setting vertical posts and covering them with adobe stucco. Annual travelers . . . — — Map (db m291699) HM
Near here, on the banks of the Conejos River, Zebulon M. Pike built a log stockade in early February, 1807, and for the first time raised an American flag over what is now Colorado. Pike's trek of 1806-07 was the second official United States . . . — — Map (db m22701) HM
