CHS road marker program : Marker text

SAGUACHE

Colorado Historical Society informative kiosks located at Otto Mears Park on the corner of 8th and Christie, along US-285, installed 1999

PANEL 1 TITLE: SAGUACHE

The land around Saguache (pronounced “sah-WATCH”) has been inhabited for thousands of years—first by unnamed nomads, later by the Utes (who camped here seasonally), and later still by Mexican traders bound for California on the Old Spanish Trail. Hispano farmers first settled the area in the early 1860s, followed by Anglos after the Civil War. By 1874, the year of its formal incorporation, Saguache anchored one of Colorado’s most important agricultural regions, supplying the mining camps of the Arkansas Valley and the San Juan Mountains. Despite its prosperity and county-seat status, however, the town never obtained the railroad access that would have enabled it to grow. It nonetheless evolved into a leading cattle center and remains the county seat. Saguache today is one of Colorado’s deepest-rooted towns, with ranches worked continuously since the late 1800s.

Otto Mears and John Lawrence

John Lawrence and Otto Mears were both orphans, then soldiers, then Colorado pioneers—and both were instrumental in founding Saguache. Mears, a tireless enterpriser, bolstered local agriculture with his mills and wagon roads; although those highways eventually carried him away, his gifts to Saguache were enduring. The same was true of Lawrence, who gave the community his life as well as his work. He established Saguache County and served it in various capacities (including state assemblyman), but it was through quieter gestures—loaning money, employing the jobless, nurturing schools and churches—that he earned the respect and friendship of the people. Among these (largely Hispano) ranchers and farmers, Lawrence found the family he’d never had. When he died in 1908, his tombstone was inscribed simply: “The Founder of Saguache County Colorado 1835–1909.”
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Images on this paneI

Photo of Town:
(Caption) Saguache, c. 1920. While the Ute word Saguache is popularly translated as “water by the blue earth place,” the Ute language is a living entity and today’s Southern Ute Tribe states its literal meaning as “water that comes from underground.”
Colorado Historical Society

Photo of Saguache Crescent Building with people on porch:
(Caption) The Saguache Crescent first went to press in 1882 (it was published under different names until 1886 when it adopted Crescent). It is still in business today using the traditional hot-lead process to set type.
Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

Photo of “family:”
(Caption) John Lawrence (standing left) moved from the south San Luis Valley up to the Saguache area with James B. Woodson (seated middle) in 1867. In 1902 Lawrence married Woodson’s widow, Juliana Vigil Woodson (standing right)—a marriage that both would agree was one of “convenience.”
Colorado Historical Society

Photo of Mears and Ouray:
(Caption) Otto Mears and Ute Chief Ouray, 1880. Prior to Anglo and Hispano settlement of the Saguache area, it was Ute country. The 1873 Brunôt Treaty (Mears played a key role in the negotiations) permanently removed the Utes from the San Juans.
Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

PANEL 2 TITLE: SAGUACHE COUNTRY

Regional map with text identifying places of historical interest, in no particular order:

Created by forces of wind, water, and sand, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is an unexpected natural phenomenon. Throughout the year you can visit the ever-changing dunes located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area.

Built in 1929, the world's highest suspension bridge allows visitors to cross the Arkansas River over the Royal Gorge. This 1,053-foot-deep chasm stopped Lt. Zebulon M. Pike cold in his tracks in 1806.

The silver boom in the 1880s saw Bonanza become the center of the Kerber Creek Mining District. Today, the Rio Grande National Forest has created an off-highway interpretive loop exploring this rugged country.

As the backbone of the Rocky Mountains, the Continental Divide separates the waters flowing to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

In 1874, Alfred Packer arrived in Sagauche to await trial on murder charges involving cannibalism. He escaped, but was caught, tried twice, sentenced to forty years in prison, and later pardoned. Though Packer was never incarcerated in the Saguache County Jail, today it adjoins the Saguache County Museum, which contains artifacts related to Packer as well as exhibits on Saguache County.

Exhibits at the Rio Grande Museum and Cultural Center in Del Norte highlight the natural wonders of the San Luis Valley and the cultures that have shaped its history.

Penitente Canyon located near La Garita has emerged as one of the state’s premier climbing areas. The Bureau of Land Management working with the American Mountain Foundation and local rock climbers has developed the area with trails, campsites, and restroom facilities. The adjacent Rock Garden, Sidewinder, and Witches Canyons offer a variety of high-quality climbing routes.

Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway winds its way through land once under the rule of the Spanish Empire. Travelers along this route can visit San Luis, Colorado's oldest community, and Fort Garland, one of the territory's first military posts. Los Caminos Antiguos means the ancient roads.