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The
Indians
After the Anasazi,
the history of Pagosa Country moves on into the era of the more "modern"
Indian peoples. Navajo, Ute, and even Apache tribes have lived and hunted
in Pagosa Country for centuries. Revered by the Indians, the Great Pah-gosa
Hot Spring was frequented by many of the tribes. Accounts from the early
Anglo explorers in the area describe well-worn trails from all directions,
converging on the springs, and "Red-Men's Bathing Houses," depressions
and sweat lodges, located around the seeps and cavities near the big spring.
Local legend tells
of a battle to settle the rights of ownership of the spring between the
Navajo and Utes. The battle is said to have taken place around 1867. The
tribes skirmished, but neither gained an advantage. Both tribes agreed
to settle the dispute by each sending a single representative to fight
for their respective tribes, in what can be assumed was a battle to the
death. The Navajos chose a huge brave to represent them, while the Utes
gave the privilege to a white man. Colonel Albert Pfieffer, an Indian
agent and friend to the Utes, agreed to represent them. Knives were chosen
for weapons. The legend ends with the smaller, more agile Pfieffer outmaneuvering
the larger Navajo brave and killing him with a thrust to the heart.
The Utes' control
over the Great Spring was relatively short-lived. The Burnot Agreement
of 1874 signed the control of the springs over to the white man, signaling
the beginning of the end for the open, free-ranging control of the Utes
in Colorado. Three bands of the original seven confederate bands which
made up the Ute Indian Tribe are still located in the Pagosa area. The
Mouche and Capote bands are headquartered in Ignacio, Colorado on the
Southern Ute Indian Tribe reservation. The Weminuche band is headquartered
at Towaoc, Colorado on the Ute Mountain Indian Tribe reservation. Many
local names and much of Pagosa Country history is attributable to the
Ute Indians.
The
Early Explorers
The first recorded
visits to Pagosa Country by non-Indians occurred in the mid 1700s. The
French and Spanish both explored the area looking for precious minerals
- namely gold and silver. The LaMina de la Ventura (The Mine of the Window)
was a gold mine located northwest of Pagosa Springs in the present Weminuche
Wilderness. It was reportedly mined from the 1750-1770s by both countries.
Legend has hostile Indians forcing the Spanish out, leaving large caches
of gold, never found to this day. The search for gold and other precious
metals played a big role in Pagosa Country history for the next 150 years.
Another local legend,
The Legend of Treasure Mountain, tells of a large expedition of Frenchmen
who were exploring, mining, and prospecting for gold in the area in the
1790s. The caravan was said to have camped in the vicinity of Treasure
Maountain. Disease, hostile Indians, and severe weather forced the Frenchmen
to cache the gold they had found. Only seventeen men survived to reach
the French outpost of Leavenworth, Kansas, and only two had maps of the
gold caches. There has been evidence of the caravan found in the area,
but the $5 million in gold remains hidden to this day
By the early 1600s,
the Spanish had conquered and settled Mexico and had moved to within 200
miles of Pagosa Country. The process of conquest and colonization was
slowed considerably by hostile Indians and the rugged Rocky Mountains.
The Spanish government, which was centered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, sent
Don Juan Maria de Rivera on an exploratory mission in 1765. Rivera led
a party northwest out of Santa Fe in search of gold and silver. The party
traveled through Pagosa Country and the San Juan Mountains to the Gunnison
River. The trip wasn't a great success, but they did report finding gold
and silver in the upper reaches of the San Juan River area.
In 1776, the authorities
in Santa Fe switched some of their focus from gold exploration to developing
a trade route which would connect the Santa Fe, Rio Grande Valley and
Northern New Mexico settlements with the thriving Spanish colonies in
California. On July 29, Padre Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and his secretary,
Silvestre Velez de Escalante led an expedition out of Santa Fe to explore
a possible trade route to California. They had a guide with them, Jacquin
Lain, and eight others who had been on the Rivera expedition.
The Dominguez-Escalante
expedition entered Pagosa Country near what is now Pagosa Junction. Their
campsite, near Carracas, was called "Nuestra Senora del las Nieves,"
which means "Our Lady of Snows." The party explored much of
the area before moving west through Allison and Tiffany areas and on into
Utah.
The route that the
Dominguez-Escalante expedition opened became known as the eastern portion
of the Old Spanish Trail. This trail passing through Pagosa Country, was
a major corridor for opening the country to travel and settlement. Countless
trappers, traders, horse and mule caravans, explorers and travelers used
the trail over the years.
The
Mountain Men
The first Anglos,
or English-speaking white men, to enter Pagosa Country were undoubtedly
the trappers and explorers who would later become known as the "mountain
men." Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821. Pagosa Country
was Mexican territory at that time, and the new government was eager to
develop trade with the United States. Trapping and other trade was encouraged.
The mountain men who
frequented the San Juans and the Pagosa areas were generally working out
of Taos, New Mexico. The "Southern Trappers" as they are called
in the history books, had an abundant supply of game and fur-bearing animals
to hunt and trap in the area. Some of the colorful charcters who trapped
and wandered this country were Pegleg Smith, Jacob Fowler, Antoine Robidoux,
Etienne Provost, Francois Leclerc, Ewing Young, Isaac Slover, and William
Wolfskill, to name a few. Kit Carson is said to have built a cabin on,
or near, the Navajo Trail out of Abiquiu, New Mexico through Pagosa Country
to Ouray to the northwest. Some of the "Northern Trappers" came
down through the country in the late fall to winter in the warmer southern
climates as well.
The
Military
The Old Spanish Trail
served as a route for military exploration as well. In June 1852, Captain
R.E. Stewart followed the trail into Pagosa Country. The captain would
have been given the honor of "discovering" the Great Hot Springs
but was prevented from seeing them by a large encampment of hostile Indians
in the area.
The honor of the first
recorded visit to the Great Pagosa Hot Spring is given to Captain John
N. Macomb. Leading an expedition for the United States Topographical Engineers,
Macomb first sighted and described the springs in July of 1859. His party
also came up out of Santa Fe, split near Tierra Amarilla, entered Pagosa
Country from the southeast. Macomb's group entered near Edith and proceeded
up through Coyote Park, across the Blanco River where they camped and
were joined by the other group, and then proceeded on to the Great Pagosa
Hot Spring. The expedition left Pagosa Country roughly following today's
Highway 160.
The discovery of gold
in the Rocky Mountains, and rumors of gold in the San Juans led to a great
influx of prospectors and miners into Pagosa Country in the 1860s and
early 70s. As more and more white men came into the area, over the mountains
and up the Old Spanish Trail, tensions between the Ute Indians and the
miners increased. The military needed to take action and establish an
army post in the area. The site of the Great Pagosa Hot Springs was chosen
for a military outpost.
Camp Lewis, later
called Fort Lewis, was erected on the west bank of the San Juan River
opposite the Great Spring in the fall of 1878. Private claims had already
been staked around the spring, although a one square mile area around
the big spring had been declared a townsite on May 22, 1877 by Presidential
Order. A six square mile area centered on the spring was declared a military
reservation on January 28, 1879.
With the establishment
of the fort, more settlers began to move into the country. Many were gambling
that the railroad would come through Pagosa Springs. Roads were improved
with wagon and toll roads coming through Pagosa Springs from New Mexico,
and over the mountains from the San Luis Valley settlements. Fort Lewis
remained in Pagosa Springs until January of 1881 when it was moved west
to the banks of the LaPlata River. The outpost that remained was designated
Camp Pagosa Springs. Due to the railroad bypassing Pagosa Springs and
the extensive amount of mining going on, more settlers were located in
the Durango-Silverton area than in the Pagosa area.
Although it was short-lived,
Fort Lewis played a major role in the settlement of Pagosa Country. By
the time the last soldier pulled out, Pagosa Springs was well on its way
to becoming a town.
The
Settlement
The settlement of
Pagosa Country occurred rather quickly. Once the news of the Great Hot
Springs got out, travelers began to arrive to partake of the reported
medicinal qualities of the bubbling mineral springs. Drawn by the springs
and the fertile surrounding area, many pioneers began to stay by the early
1870s. The country began to be settled. The early settlers raised cattle
and sheep, hay, grains, and vegetables. They established businesses catering
to the soldiers and travelers through Pagosa Country. Bath houses sprang
up around the Great Pagosa Hot Spring. Motels and saloons were available.
Some residents were seasonal - moving back and forth between the mining
areas and Pagosa Springs.
In May of 1883, the
townsite of Pagosa Springs was surveyed and platted. Archuleta County
was established in 1885, named in honor of Antonio D. Archuleta who sponsored
the legislation. Pagosa Springs was incorporated on March 2, 1891. This
action marked a turning point from a rough-and-tumble frontier village
to a flourishing, growing town. With the growth of cattle and sheep ranching,
and the development of the lumbering industry, Pagosa Country began to
flourish in the 1890s and early 1900s.
Two large lumber mills
and many smaller ones were established in the area. The large mills helped
bring in the long-awaited train to Pagosa Springs, facilitating travel
and movement of trade and commerce. A great influx of workers and support
businesses moved into the area. The lumber boom lasted almost into the
1920s, by which time the easily- accessible timber had all been logged.
The town of Pagosa
Springs was growing. Churches, mercantiles, blacksmith shops, hotels,
bath houses, schools, newspapers and civic organizations were thriving.
With the opening of Wolf Creek Pass on August 21, 1916, the entire San
Juan Basin was opened to greater economic development and commerce. Automobile
travel was the key to future development and the new all-weather road
unlocked the isolation of the entire Southwest.
The
Present
Pagosa Country is
a land in transition. Lumbering, ranching, mining and commerce are still
carried on. Many of the area residents can trace their heritage back to
the early settlers, and some are still involved in the business of their
forefathers. Tourism is, however, the number one industry these days.
Travelers come to the region to enjoy the splendid natural resources and
scenery that abounds in the region. The Great Pagosa Hot Spring attracts
visitors and health seekers, but it has never attained the notoriety that
it was first predicted to. Travelers as well as new residents come to
the region for the solitude and unspoiled, laid- back atmosphere that
has always characterized Pagosa Country today.
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