Pagosa Springs Colorado - Recently Updated Pages

Jim Smith Realty

Anonymous — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:41:32 CST

What up, Jim?

Pagosa Springs Real Estate

PagWiki — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:48:55 CDT

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Pagosa Quality Fishing Project

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Pagosa Area Water & Sanitation

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Special Districts

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Archuleta County Government

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Town of Pagosa Springs

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Government

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Pagosa Springs Webcams

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:15:54 CDT

San Juan River Webcam

The beautiful San Juan River provides a haven of fun for all ages! On any given summer day you'll see fishermen, kayakers
swimmers, waders and tubers all enjoying this beautiful stretch of river. Our webcam updates every 60 seconds so visit
often!

Home

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:13:45 CDT

Welcome to Pagosa Springs!

Nearly everyone has a story about how they found Pagosa Springs. It tends
to be one of those towns that a person comes across when travelling to somewhere else. But, once you've been here, you can't help but want to stay!

Pagosa Springs Restaurants

k@jsr — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:01:38 CDT

Victoria's Parlor
274 Pagosa St. Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
European coffees, teas and pastries. Signature soups, salads and quiches. Hot entrees served daily. Decadent desserts. (No liquor) Prices range from $1.50 - $14.95. Open 7 days a week.
970-264-0204

Pagosa Springs Lodging

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:39:18 CST

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Pagosa Springs Recreation

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 16:38:37 CST

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Pagosa Springs History

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:31:52 CST

Pagosa Springs History and Culture:
Before 1860

by Larry Larason
Four Corners Excursions

Nearly everyone I have spoken to about the history of Pagosa Springs has said, "There's not much in writing." I consulted two different Colorado history books while writing this page and Pagosa Springs wasn't mentioned in either. I think that's because the history of Archuleta County is mostly quiet stuff, people settling in to live their lives in a beautiful part of the country. Such low-key drama doesn't make great history.

Much has been written about gold strikes and boom towns at Summitville, Creede, Silverton, and so on, but Pagosa Springs shared little in that kind of excitement. Although a Fench expedition about 1790 apparently found gold on Treasure Mountain, no one since has discovered the source or the trove they left behind. There are hints of bad times when Anglos began challenging Hispanics for control, but events in that era seem poorly documented. The local historical society is beginning to piece together the history of the area. Maybe in the future someone will write a comprehensive book. In the meantime, here's some of what I've learned.

Juan Maria Rivera led two expeditions in 1765 that went into the La Platas, if not the San Juan Mountains. On July 29th of 1776 an expedition left Santa Fe in search of a route to link that city, the capital of the "Kingdom of New Mexico", with Monterey, the primary Spanish settlement in California. The group of explorers was led by Fray Francisco Dominguez, and Fray Francisco Velez de Escalante. Some of the men who had been on Rivera's earlier journeys acted as guides.

The fathers did not travel to the present site of Pagosa Springs, but they came close. Notes in their diary indicate that La Piedra Parada ["Rock Parade", now called "Chimney Rock"] was already a well known landmark to others in their party. These knowledgeable guides suggested the trail leading by Piedra Parada was too rough, so, on August 4th, they traveled a ways up the river, also named Rio de la Piedra Parada [now called simply "Piedra River"] before turning west. Whether the hot spring along the San Juan River was known to the Spaniards is not mentioned. Although they failed in their goal of finding a route to California, defeated by the rough terrain of Utah, the Dominguez-Escalante expedition provided one of the earliest written records of the landscape and inhabitants of a good portion of the Four Corners.

Captain J. N. McComb, who led an expedition in 1859, provided the next written record of this region. His expedition produced the first modern map of the area it traversed between Santa Fe and the junction of the Colorado and Green Rivers. Following roughly the same route as Dominguez and Escalante from Santa Fe to near the present Colorado state line, the group went farther north before turning west. Their twelfth camp was at Pagosa Hot Spring. J. S. Newberry , a geologist accompanying the expedition, commented that the spring was "well known, even famous, among the Indian tribes." He continued, "There is scarcely a more beautiful place on the face of the earth." Leaving in the spring, McComb led the expedition west along the present route of US 160 to camp two days later on the banks of the Piedra River, where Newberry described and sketched Chimney Rock. A lithograph of his sketch was included in the report.

The western portion of Colorado was Ute territory. Although Spanish rule forbid trade with the Indians, the settlers in Abiquiu and the Chama Valley engaged in such pursuits, and some illegal expeditions apparently did mining on a seasonal basis, especially in the La Platas. After 1830, the "Old Spanish Trail" was in use from Santa Fe to Los Angeles; in the Pagosa Springs area it followed a similar path to that used by Dominguez and Escalante. The Capote Utes, seemed resigned to the incursions of the strangers and left them alone for the most part.

Then gold was discovered in the San Juans.

Pagosa Springs Colorado - Recently Updated Pages

Jim Smith Realty

Pagosa Springs Real Estate

Pagosa Quality Fishing Project

Pagosa Area Water & Sanitation

Special Districts

Archuleta County Government

Town of Pagosa Springs

Government

Pagosa Springs Webcams

Home

Welcome to Pagosa Springs! Nearly everyone has a story about how they found Pagosa Springs. It tends to be one of those towns that a person comes across when travelling to somewhere else. But, once you've been here, you can't help but want to stay!

Pagosa Springs Restaurants

Pagosa Springs Lodging

Pagosa Springs Recreation

Pagosa Springs History

Welcome to Pagosa Springs!

Nearly everyone has a story about how they found Pagosa Springs. It tends
to be one of those towns that a person comes across when travelling to somewhere else. But, once you've been here, you can't help but want to stay!