ARCHULETA COUNTY

Arboles

LABO DEL RIO BRIDGE
County Rd. F50, over Piedra River
National Register 6/24/1985, 5AA.287

The 1913 bridge is an example of construction considered quite advanced for its time. A Kansas company built it using rivets, rather than pinned connections. The bridge was replaced at its old site along U.S. 160 and moved to this isolated crossing of the Piedra River. The superstructure is unaltered except for deck replacement. Listed under Highway Bridges in Colorado Multiple Property Submission.

back to the top

Chimney Rock

CHIMNEY ROCK ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA
San Juan National Forest
National Register 8/25/1970, 5AA.985

The twin pinnacles, prominent natural landmarks, were home and sacred shrine to an Ancestral Puebloan people. An outlier of the Chacoan culture, Chimney Rock is the most isolated and highest in elevation of the Anasazi communities connected to Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Its core-and-veneer masonry reflects the same architecture found at Chaco. Some archaeologists believe the site was built solely for religious and astronomical reasons.

back to the top

Chromo

CHROMO SCHOOL
US Hwy. 84
State Register 6/12/1996, 5AA.1907

The 1922 Chromo School served the area’s children from 1922 to 1954, and it continues to function as a community center. The concrete structure is a well preserved example of a rural school complex that also includes a teacherage and privy. Its design is reminiscent of local Hispanic architecture.

back to the top

Cumbres Pass

DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD SAN JUAN EXTENSION
(Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad)
Antonito to Chama, New Mexico, over Cumbres Pass
National Register 1/16/1973, additional documentation and boundary increase 4/24/2007, 5AA.664/5CN.65

This nationally significant narrow-gauge railroad segment exists as one of only two operating sections of what was once a state wide network of three foot gauge tracks built and operated by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Completed in 1880, the 64-mile line helped to sustain the ranching and logging activities in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, supplied the oil industry in and around Chama and Farmington, New Mexico, and formed a link for the transportation of precious metals from the San Juan mining camps to Denver. The states of Colorado and New Mexico jointly own and continue to operate the rail segment as a tourist attraction. The property is associated with the Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 Multiple Property Submission. (Photograph 2005)

back to the top

Pagosa Springs

LA CASA RUIBALID (Rio Blanco Adobe)
County Rd. 335, vicinity of Pagosa Springs
State Register 6/14/1995, 5AA.1853

The adobe house, constructed sometime between 1880 and 1903, represents the Hispanic contributions to the settlement and development of Archuleta County. The building clearly illustrates the transition from Hispanic Adobe to the Territorial Adobe style. The stone foundation both exemplifies the skill of the original craftsman and helps to explain the long term survival of this adobe structure.

PAGOSA HOT SPRING
Light Plant Rd.
State Register 8/14/1991, 5AA.1652

Derived from a Ute word meaning "healing waters," the site is associated with the early exploration and settlement of the area. Settlers and miners came to bathe in the medicinal waters. At its peak, over 250 people per day visited the spring seeking relief from various ailments.

back to the top