Museums Tell the Stories

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Tourists can enrich their visit to “new country” at local museums. They can meet the locals - past and present - by dropping into several or all of the 14 museums in the San Luis Valley. The history of the Old Spanish Trail is only part of the information that can be found.

Curiosity about what is special about this great valley with it’s small population can be satisfied in almost all areas of intellectual pursuit - from boxing to mining, old trains to stage coaches, religion to fine art, a future presidential candidate trapped in the snow to a cannibal in jail.

What does the name Monte Vista mean and why is the town so flat? Why does Alamosa have a steam engine in its city park? Why is a man named Luther Bean honored by a diverse museum in the middle of a college campus? The answers may fascinate visitors.

Who was John C. Frémont, the first Republican candidate for President? Why did he almost die in a San Juan Mountains winter? Stop in the Rio Grande County and find out about this man from Georgia, Washington, D.C., and California who traveled much of the Old Spanish Trail through exhibits and books. Frémont gave the trail its name and was the best-known citizen of the USA.

What kinds of big and little North American wildlife still thrive near Antonito? The Conejos County tourist information center next to the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad has information and examples waiting every summer.

Look into the jail of the Saguache County Museum. A figure of a convicted cannibal will stare back at you. The agriculture of the area and a beautiful historic home offer more tasteful features of this area. Saguache itself was a key in starting the Old Spanish Trail Association.

Why does water reign in the San Luis Valley? How do farmers collect and distribute water? Answers in various exhibits scattered around the valley tell the story.

Where did all that sand come from to make the big dunes? The Interpretive Center at the Great Sand Dunes National Park has an interactive model and guided hikes showing how it works.

How did miners extract silver, lead, gold, and amethyst from deep beneath the ground in the San Juan Mountains? Take a jacket into the Creede Underground Museum to see full size equipment and mannequins at work. You can also study many different kinds of rocks and minerals from all over the world and participate in a big rock and mineral show each summer. Just two blocks away, another museum tells of railroading, living in this unique town, and the fascinating people living here.

At the San Luis Museum and Cultural Center, everyone can learn about America’s first “Commons”, as well as details of irrigation ditches, local religious worthies, such as the Penitentes, and traditional Spanish festivities. For those who want to see Hispanic culture in the field, short bus tours get you out of town to see rural life in the nearby country. Just walking the town streets stirs a deep sense of history and culture.

A Mormon boy from Manassa, Colorado, made his home town famous when he became one of the most famous professional boxers of all time. A log cabin mini-museum in Manassa recalls his humble beginnings and displays the Manassa Mauler’s memorabilia.

Small Visitor centers and outdoor displays at Monte Vista and Alamosa National Wildlife Refuges feature native birds and mammals, plus the habitat work that helps preserve their homes.

Don’t forget the five offices of the Rio Grande National Forest, where booklets, maps, and personal information reveal the treasures of this mighty 1.86 million acre treasure, established in 1908.

The only state museum in the San Luis Valley features Coloado’s first two military forts. At Fort Garland State Museum, in the town of Ft. Garland, Kit Carson commanded the troops brought in to reassure new USA settlers to grow crops and change the economy of this region. Why was the first installation - Ft. Massachusetts - abandoned for the Ft. Garland location? You can come to the valley, study it, and test your hypothesis by checking at the museum. Lively weekend programs in the summer bring the old fort alive with uniforms, artisans, and (practice) gunfire.

Along the Old Spanish Trail in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, these museums and others orient visitors to the old stories and new ideas. Tourists can gather interesting stories of the area in a short time. These stories open the door to intelligent tourism and to glimpses of the past, present, and future of this isolated, large, beautiful, and fascinating piece of America.

For more information see www.museumtrail.org.

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