State Historical Society of Colorado Markers

Southeast Colorado - Arkansas Trade Routes

Baca, Bent, Crowley, El Paso, Fremont, Heurfano, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo, and Teller Counties

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Big Timbers
Bent County
8.5 miles east of La Junta on south side of US-50 at roadside park.
N 38°02'17" W 103°23'57"
Wooden sign replaced by new two-panel sign.
photos taken 8/14/08
        
Bent's Old Fort - Arkansas River Country
(Text from original wooden sign.) Big Timbers. Beginning about 25 miles down the Arkansas River from the mouth of the Purgatoire, a belt of giant cottonwoods stretched eastward for another 25 miles along both banks of the river. The lush grass , abundant game, plentiful wood, and fresh water made it a favorite camping place for Indians. Zebulon Pike passed through here in November, 1806. Surveyors and traders, following the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail, paused at Big Timbers to rest or to trade with the Indians. Although Bent's Old Fort was located a few miles up river, William Bent maintained trading stations in the Big Timbers and in 1853 built his new stone fort there. After the removal of the Indians in the 1860's, the area was opened to settlement, and the Big Timbers furnished building material for settlers' cabins and wood for their cookstoves. Erected 1965.

Boggsville
Bent County
Two miles south of Las Animas on east side of CO-101.
N 38°02'30" W 103°12'46"
photos taken 8/14/08
        
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Boggsville. Established in 1866. Named for Thomas O. Boggs, first settler on this site. Home of Kit Carson and John W. Prowers, noted pioneers. Seat of Bent County, 1870. Site of first public school in southeastern Colorado. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J.N. Hall Foundation and by Mary Prowers Hudnall, citizens and school children of Las Animas. May 3, 1946

Colorado City
El Paso County
Colorado Springs - In Bancroft Park on W. Colorado Avenue at 24th St.
N 38°50'48" W 104°51'41"
photos taken 3/26/08
        
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Colorado City. Founded here in August, 1859, then in El Paso County, Kansas. So named because at the gateway to mines thought to be on the Colorado River. Incorporated with Colorado Springs on June 11, 1917. The First Capital of Colorado, so designated by the first territorial legislature, 1861. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J.N. Hall Foundation and the city of Colorado Springs, 1940.

Log House
El Paso County
Colorado Springs - In Bancroft Park on W. Colorado Avenue at 24th St.
N 38°50'49" W 104°51'42"
photos taken 3/26/08
           
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Log house from Colorado's first designated territorial capital, at Colorado City (now a part of Colorado Springs). This log log house was built in 1859. The first legislative assembly in Denver in 1861 named Colorado City the capital. The 2nd assembly met there in 1862. This is the only remaining building associated with that meeting. This plaque placed by the State Historical Society of Colorado through the Mrs. J.N. Hall Foundation. 1959.

Old Fort and Stockade
El Paso County
Colorado Springs - 2818 W. Pikes Peak Avenue in Old Colorado City.
N 38°51'04" W 104°52'02"
photos taken 3/26/08
        
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. This marks the site of the Old Fort and Stockade built by pioneers of Colorado City used in defense against the Indians in 1864 and 1868. Constructed of logs set on end. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J.N. Hall Foundation and by the El Paso County Pioneers' Association and the city of Colorado Springs. 1936.

Old Stone Fort
El Paso County
Monument - On CO-105 1.0 miles west of I-25, 0.2 miles west of railroad tracks. On southwest corner of CO-105 and Davidson St.
N 39°05'54" W 104°52'36"
photos taken 3/26/08
        
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Due south 610 feet is the Old Stone Fort built at the pioneer home of David McShane. Constructed as a defense against Arapaho and Cheyenne raiders. it was a refuge used in 1865-1868 by the following pioneer families of the upper Monument valley: Guire, Brown, Jackson, Shideler, Chandler, McShane, Teachout, Davidson, Oldham, Walker, DeMasters, Roberts, Watkins, Faulkner, Simpson, Welty. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J.N. Hall Foundation and by the Zebulon Pike and Kinnikinnik Chapters, D.A.R., and by citizens of the Monument region. 1950.

Palmer's City
El Paso County
I-25 northbound rest area between mileposts 114 and 116.
N 38°29'59" W 104°37'31"
photos taken 4/19/09
           
Palmer's City - Pinon County - A Highway for the Ages - Trail Days

Pikes Peak
El Paso County
By Air Force Academy on I-25 southbound between north and south entrances to USAFA.
N 38°58'27" W 104°48' 28"
Wooden Pikes Peak sign replaced by Ackerman stone marker sometime in early 2000's.
photos taken 10/4/08
        
Ackerman Overlook. Jasper D. Ackerman, Oct. 22, 1896 - Jan. 13, 1988. Soldier - Rancher - Banker. Great supporter of the Air Force Academy. Known for his dynamic leadership, intuitive knowledge and heartwarming charity whose achievements reached heights where falcons fly, but whose humility remained firmly on the ground. Colorado Springs Executives Association, Dedicated Oct. 22, 1988.

(Text from original wooden sign.) Southwest rises the summit of Pikes Peak. This mountain, 14,110 feet above the sea and the most celebrated peak in America, is named for the explorer, Capt. Zebulon M. Pike, who saw it first in 1806. He attempted to climb it, failed and reported it unclimbable. Ascended in 1820 by Dr. Edwin James, a later explorer. A cog railway reached the summit in 1890 and a highway, in 1915. Motor races up the peak are held annually. The resort city of Colorado Springs, founded 1871, nestles at its foot where the first town called Colorado (City) stood years earlier. The U.S. Air Force Academy rises ten miles north. Pikes Peak is famed for its history and conspicuous position. Colorado contains more than fifty mountains over 14,000 fett high. Erected 1964.

Ute Pass
El Paso County
Manitou Springs - Plaque is located on a very large boulder on the east side of Manitou Avenue at the north edge of Manitou Springs, right before the merge onto north-bound US-24.
N 38°52'13" W 104°55' 33"
photos taken 3/26/08
        
This memorial is the property of the State of Colorado. Ute Pass. Named from the Old Ute Trail which led from South Park through Manitou to the plains. Traversed by the Utes on hunting and war expeditions. Improved highway built 1916-28. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation and by the State Highway Department and the U.S. Forest Service. 1929.

Arkansas River Valley
Fremont County
3.5 miles west of Penrose on US-50, across highway from Fremont County airport.
N 38°26'12" W 105°06'35"
Wooden sign replaced by new four-panel sign.
photos taken 9/6/08
              
Arkansas River Valley - Corrections Capital - The Royal Gorge - Arkansas River Country
(Text from original wooden sign.) Upper Arkansas River Valley. You are entering the upper Arkansas River valley. Westward U.S. 50 skirts the Royal Gorge - Grand Canyon of the Arkansas - parallels the Sangre de Cristo Range then crosses the Continental Divide via Monarch Pass. Captain Zebulon Pike explored here in 1806. In this area the utes and the Arapahoes fought many a skirmish and one pitched battle. Gold seekers established the first permanent white settlement in 1859. Near Florence in 1862 the second oil well in the U.S.A. was brought in. The "Royal Gorge War" of 1878 between the Santa Fe and the Rio Grande opened a rail gateway to the Rockies, inagurating Colorado's golden decade. Canon City, site of the State Penitentiary, lies in the heart of vast natural resources. Erected with the Royal Gorge Chapter State Civil Service Employees' Association, 1959.

Florence
Fremont County
Florence - On school grounds on northeast corner of CO-115 and 2nd Street.
N 38°23'31" W 105°07'20"
photos taken 9/5/08
           
This memorial is the property of the State of Colorado. The city of Florence and Fremont County, Colorado owe much of their growth and development to the building and operation of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad (May 10, 1893 - May 10, 1915). This tablet marks the approximate location of the Florence and Cripple Creek roundhouse, railroad yards and mainline tracks. In its day, this railroad was one of the busiest narrow guage lines, mile for mile, in the colorful history of the west. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado and the Pioneer Day Association of Florence. 1956.

Garden Park
Fremont County
Canon City - North of Canon City on Red Canyon Road.
N 38°32'06" W 105°13'18"
photos taken 2/20/08
           
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Garden Park. Type locality of dinosaurs. The first remains of several species of dinosaurs were found within a two-mile radius of this point in 1877 by Prof. O.C. Marsh of Yale University, and Prof. E.D. Cope of the Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia. This discovery of extinct giant reptiles in the western hemisphere received world-wide acclaim. The specimens excavated on these and subsequent expeditions are in the museums listed below. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation and by the Canon City Geology Club and citizens of Canon City. 1953.

Hardscrabble
Fremont County
2 miles north of Wetmore on CO-67 at mile post 2.
N 38°15'53" W 105°05'16"
1969 wooden sign replaced by new wooden sign in 2007.
photos taken 9/5/08
           

     
Hardscrabble. Much of this area's early history occurred on nearby trading posts and settlements, which lived and died leaving little trace of their existence. Such was the post built one mile west by Maurice Ledug in the 1830's and the village of Hardscrabble established in the 1840's by traders and trappers below the fork of Hardscrabble and Adobe Creeks. Hardscrabble's walls and flat-roofed adobe houses formed a protective square in the middle of country long fought over by the Ute and Arapaho Indians. Villagers traded with anyone who happened by, but the tiny community was too far removed from the main-traveled Santa Fe Trail to survive. By late November, 1848, when John C. Fremont and his men briefly visited Hardscrabble on their way west in search of a central railroad route through the mountains, the village was almost deserted. (1969 sign included) Erected with the Arkansas Valley Chapter, D.A.R., 1969. (2007 sign includes) This replica of the original 1969 historical sign has been erected by Forrest Dorman and the Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical & Historical Society in cooperation with the Fremont/Custer Historical Society, Inc. October 2007.
Hardscrabble - Cuerno Verde - Hardscrabble Trails - Hardscrabble Creek Country

Oldest Oil Field
Fremont County
Florence - Now located to 600 W. 3rd Street in front of municipal buildings.
N 38°23'38" W 105°07'23"
photos taken 9/5/08
           
This memorial is the property of the State of Colorado. Oldest oil field in west. In Florence and surrounding area was developed the first recognized oil field west of the Mississippi River, as a result of the discovery of oil by A. M. Cassidy in Fremont County in 1862. More than 1,300 wells, averaging 2,300 barrels per acre, have been drilled in this 14-square-miles area, including many within the city limits. One mile north is well No. 42, drilled in 1889, the oldest continuous commercial producing oil well in the world. It has produced more than 1,000,000 barrels. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado and the Florence Pioneer Day Association. 1962.

Royal Gorge
Fremont County
Canon City - From US-50 at west edge of town, 0.6 miles west on Tunnel Drive, then 0.1 miles past gate on gravel path.
N 38°25'59" W 105°16'00"
photos taken 9/6/08
                    
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Royal Gorge. Grand Canyon of the Arkansas. Explored by Capt. Zebulon M. Pike in 1806; by Maj. Stephen H. Long in 1820. Visited by gold prospectors in 1858. Canon City founded in 1859. The "Royal Gorge War" of 1878 between the Santa Fe and Rio Grande opened a rail gateway to the Rockies, inaugurating Colorado's "Golden Decade". Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado, the American Pioneer Trails Association, Warden Roy Best and the State Penitentiary, and cititzens of Canon City. 1946

Royal Gorge
Fremont County
West of Canon City at Royal Gorge, by north end of bridge.
N 38°27'48" W 105°19'17"
Original wooden signs replaced by one new wooden sign.
photos taken 9/7/08
        

                 
Royal Gorge. Lt. Zebulon M. Pike and his men, who traveled through this area in November and December 1806, were the first American explorers to view the Arkansas River canyon now known at the Royal Gorge. A small party from the Maj. Stephen H. Long expedition visited the mouth of the canyon in 1820, as did members of Lt. John C. Fremont's expedition in 1845. In 1878 a right of way through the Royal Gorge became the focal point of a bitter struggle between the Denver and Rio Grande and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads, with the D and RG eventually winning the route through court action. Congress ceded the land comprising the Royal Gorge Park to Canon City in 1906, and the world's highest suspension bridge, spanning the Arkansas River 1053 feet below was built in 1929. (1967 sign included:) Erected with the Royal Gorge Company, 1967. (New sign includes:) Elevation 6,626 feet. Erected by the Royal Gorge Company and by the State Historical Society of Colorado.

Rudd Cabin
Fremont County
Canon City - At Canon City Museum, 6th St and Royal Gorge Blvd.
N 38°26'23" W 105°14'17"
photos taken 2/20/08
        
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Rudd Cabin. Built in 1860 by Anson and Harriet Rudd, this cabin is one of the few original log cabin homes still standing in Colorado. First local building with a wooden floor, this cabin was the birthplace of Anson Spencer Rudd (first white child born in Canon City to reach maturity.) During much of the Civil War, the Rudd family faced Indian hazards, and alone inhabited Canon City. At the war's end Anson Rudd became one of the leading citizens of a revived city, being at various times prison warden, postmaster, sheriff and county commissioner. The adjacent stone building was the Rudd home in 1881. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado, the Canon City Museum Association, the General Marion Chapter of D.A.R., the citizens of Canon City. 1937.

Zebulon Pike
Fremont County
Canon City - At west end of town, by old prison guard tower, on north side of US-50.
A D.A.R. monument, similar to Colorado Historical Society monuments.
photos taken 9/7/08
     
To commemorate the fact that Zebulon Pike built a block house on the west bank of Sand Creek near the Arkansas River and spent the winter of 1806-07 there. This monument is erected by General Marion Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. 1922.

Huerfano Butte
Huerfano County
North of Walsenburg on I-25 northbound, at a turn-out between mileposts 23 and 23.
N 37°44'56" W 104°50'01"
photos taken 5/20/08
           
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado. Huerfano Butte. The isolated cone-shaped butte east of this point and 10 miles north of Walsenburg, was named El Huerfano, "The Orphan", by early Spaniards. The name appeared in Spanish records as early as 1818. This butte was near the Trappers' Trail from Taos, passed by Fremont and Gunnison on their railroad surveys of 1853. The river and county also now bear the name. Altitude 6,150 feet. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado, from the Mrs. J.N. Hall Foundation and by the Huerfano Group of the Colorado Mountain Club, June 3, 1951.

photos taken 10/5/09
           
Huerfano Butte - Huerfano Butte Country

(Old) La Veta Pass
Huerfano County
West of Alamosa on old US-160. Stone marker is there, but bronze plaque was missing prior to 1970.
N 37°35'36" W 105°12'145"
photos taken 4/23/05
  
According to the "Tales Told With Markers" article, the plaque read:
La Veta Pass. Between the waters of the Arkansas and the Rio Grande. Altitude 9,382 feet. "La Veta" is Spanish for "the vein." Named for the mineral veins appearing on the mountains. Narrow guage railroad built 1877. Railroad later re-located. Abandoned grade converted into highway 1921-22. Erected 1929.

Bloom Mansion
Las Animas County
Trinidad, southeast corner of E. Main St. / S. Walnut St.
N 37°10'10" W 104°30'08"
photos taken 4/16/09
     
Bloom Mansion was being restored and was not open on 4/16/09. Local historical personnel seemed unusually protective of allowing photos of the plaque, even if the mansion had been open.
The "Tales Told with Markers" article says the plaque reads:
Bloom Mansion. Built in 1882. This house was given to the State of Colorado in 1961 through the contributions of residents and former residents of Trinidad. The funds were obtained under auspices of the Friends of Historical Trinidad, Inc., and the Trinidad Historical Society, In. This plaque was placed in tribute to those patron donors whose generosity and devotion to Trinidad helped preserve this historic home as a house museum. (List of donors follows text.) Erected 1962.

Hispano Colorado
Las Animas County
About 3 miles north of Trinidad, at I-25 exit 18 rest area.
N 37°13'32" W 104°29'39"
photos taken 4/16/09
                 
Hispano Colorado - El Moro Country - The Ludlow Massacre - Cultural Frontier

Raton Pass
Las Animas County
South of Trinidad at old I-25 northbound rest area by state line.
N 36°59'40" W 104°28'48"
photos taken 4/23/05
     

photos taken 4/16/09
           
This memorial is the property of the State of Colorado. Raton Pass. Between Colorado and New Mexico. Altitude 7,881 feet. "Raton" is Spanish for "mouse." On mountain branch Santa Fe Trail, crossed by Kearny's Army of the West in the Mexican War and by First Regiment, Colorado Volunteers in the Civil War. "Uncle Dick" Wootton's toll road built 1865. Railroad constructed 1878. Improved highway built 1919-1922. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation and by the State Highway Department. 1929.

Santa Fe Trail Country
Las Animas County
South of Trinidad at old I-25 northbound rest area by state line.
N 36°59'38" W 104°28'47"
photos taken 4/16/09
              
Santa Fe Country - "Uncle Dick" Wootton - Road to Santa Fe - Over the Pass

The Santa Fe Trail
Las Animas County
Trinidad, northwest corner of W. Main St. / N. Commercial St.
N 37°10'06" W 104°30'21"
photos taken 4/16/09
        
This memorial is the property of the State of Colorado. The Santa Fe Trail 1840 - 1878. Two roads or forks of the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail - Bent's Old Fort to Taos and Santa Fe - joined here until the coming of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1876. The earliest permanent settlement in 1861 occurred along these roads, now Main and Commercial Streets. Trinidad, Spanish for the Trinity, inspired the name of the town which was first created as a town company in 1866. Was incorporated in 1876 and received the United States patent to the townsite in 1877. The first mayor of Trinidad was Dr. Thomas E. Owen. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado with the Trinidad Chamber of Commerce and H. K. Holloway of Trinidad in 1930 and replaced through the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation in 1977.
The "Tales Told with Markers" article says the original plaque read:
The Santa Fe Trail. Two local forks of the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail joined here coming from Bent's Fort, 1840-1879. The earliest settlement, beginning in 1859, was along these forks, now Main and Commercial streets. Trinidad, Spanish for the "trinity", was named about 1861 for a daughter of Don Felipe Baca, a pioneer. Town organized 1877; incorporated 1879. Altitude, 6,000 feet. Erected with the Trinidad Chamber of Commerce and H. K. Holloway of Trinidad, 1930.

Rocky Ford
Otero County
Rocky Ford - On west side of town, on north side of US-50, 2nd & Elm.
N 38°03'26" W 103°43'43"
photos taken 8/14/08
              
History of Rocky Ford - The Sugar Industry - Rocky Ford Country - Ribbon of Life

Colorado
Prowers County
3.5 miles east of Holly on south side of US-50 at rest area by state line.
N 38°02'58" W 102°03'05"
Wooden sign replaced by new four-panel sign.
photos taken 8/14/08
           
Welcome to Colorado - Holly Country - Trail City - Arkansas River
(Text from original wooden sign.) This route parallels the old Santa Fe Trail for 85 miles to La junta, then continues westward along the Arkansas River, the Gunnison and the Colorado rivers. On these plains once roamed Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Kiowa and Comanche Indians subsisting on buffalo which grazed in immense dark herds. This region was once Spanish, then French and became America in 1803. Zebulon Pike carried the first American flag westward on this route into the mountains in 1806. The great peak named for Captain Pike but to him unclimbable will soon be visible. After 1822 uncounted wagon trains carried freight past here to Santa Fe. Mountain men like Kit Carson trapped beaver, fought Indians. Explorers Fremont and Gunnison took this route and later the gold seekers whose discoveries in 1859 launched Colorado. Here marched history. Erected 1956.

Lamar
Prowers County
Lamar- At Main / Beech Streets at visitor center.
N 38°05'22" W 102°37'08"
Wooden sign replaced by new four-panel sign.
photos taken 8/14/08
                 
Lamar - Camp Amache - Welcome to Colorado - Lamar Country

Cuerno Verde
Pueblo County
Colorado City - One block off CO-165 between mile posts 33 and 34 at Greenhorn Meadow Park. About 3.5 miles from I-25.
N 37°56'15" W 104°50'53"
photos taken 10/04/08
           
This memorial is the property of the State of Colorado. In this vicinity the Comanche chief Cuerno Verde (Greenhorn) the "cruel scourge" was defeated and killed by the Spaniards under Gov. Juan B. Anza on Sept. 3, 1779. The nearby mountain and stream take their name from the chief. Anza's was the first expedition through certain parts of Colorado. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation and by the State Civil Service employees of Colorado. 1932.

Jacob Fowler Lookout
Fountain City
Pueblo County
Pueblo, northwest corner of S. Joplin Ave (CO-227) and Damson St.
N 38°15'49" W 104°35'31"
photos taken 4/19/09
           
This table is the property of the State of Colorado. The hill above block east is Jacob Fowler's Lookout, later called Sugar Loaf Hill. Near it a log house Fowler and his trappers lived in Jan., 1822. Fountain City, predecessor of Pueblo and founded in the fall of 1858, ran west from the hill to the Fountain River. Men who came as gold seekers remained to farm, trade, and found a city. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation and by the Fontaine Qui Bouille Chapter, N.S.D.A.R. 1936

Mormon Battalion
Pueblo County
Pueblo, northeast corner of Locust St. and Stanton Ave., behind center field fence of Runyon Sports Complex baseball diamond. (Two blocks east of US-50.)
N 38°15'21" W 104°36'15"
photos taken 4/19/09
           
This memorial is the property of the State of Colorado. A detachment of United States soldiers of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War spent the winter of 1846-47 near this site, with their families and Mormon immigrants from Mississippi. They formed a settlement of 275 persons. They erected a church and rows of dwellings of cottonwood logs. Here were born the first white children in Colorado. Erected by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation and by Colorado members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and by citizens of Pueblo. 1946

Pueblo
Pueblo County
South of Fountain on I-25 southbound, at Pinon rest area, between mile marker 112 and 111.
N 38°27'09" W 104°36'25"
photos taken 8/14/08
              
Pueblo - Trail Days - Industrial Frontier - Pinon Country

Woodland Park
Teller County
Woodland Park - At Visitor Center, 710 Midland Ave, between Chestnut and Walnut St a block north of US-24 / CO-67.
photos taken 7/11/09
        
Timber - Woodland Park - Woodland Park Country - Ute Pass Corridor

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Last modified: October 21, 2009