Blanca
SAN LUIS VALLEY SOUTHERN RAILWAY TRESTLE
County Road 12, Blanca vicinity
National Register 1/6/2004, 5CT.398
The Costilla Estates Development Company, a business organized
to sell lands within the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant, built the
32-mile San Luis Valley Southern Railway. This trestle, an excellent
example of timber stringer standard gauge railroad bridge construction,
was built in 1910 and carried freight and passenger service until 1939.
It is the only remaining SLVS trestle. The property is associated
with the Railroads in Colorado Multiple Property Submission.
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Fort Garland
BARLOW AND SANDERSON STAGECOACH
Colo. Hwy. 159, Fort Garland compound
State Register 6/14/1995, 5CT.46.1
This Barlow and Sanderson Stagecoach provided basic transportation
throughout the San Luis Valley of Colorado and New Mexico in the
late 19th century. The stagecoach is a rare example of an Abbot-Downing
mud wagon type built around 1871.
FORT GARLAND
Colo. Hwy. 159, south of US 160
National Register 2/26/1970, Boundary Increase: State Register
12/11/1996, 5CT.46
Fort Garland is important for its association with the settlement
of the San Luis Valley and southern Colorado. Built in 1858, the
fort served as a base of military operations until it was abandoned
in 1883. Company G of the Ninth Cavalry, a unit of Buffalo Soldiers,
operated out of the fort from the spring of 1876 until September
1879. The Buffalo Soldiers were African American troopers who received
their nickname from Southern Plains Indians who perceived similarities
between the soldiers' curly black hair and the matted fur between
the horns of the buffalo. The Buffalo Soldiers saw scant military
action through their brief assignment at Fort Garland. In 1876,
troops marched to the La Plata region to prevent conflict between
Ute Indians and white prospectors. The Colorado Historical Society
operates Fort Garland as one of its regional museums.
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San Acacio
SAN ACACIO SAN LUIS SOUTHERN RAILWAY DEPOT
North of Colo. Hwy. 142
State Register 12/9/1998, 5CT.22
Built in 1910, it is the largest depot constructed by the San
Luis Southern Railway, a 32-mile standard gauge railroad built
to serve the towns and farms planned by the Costilla Estates Development
Company. The two-story depot also served as railway headquarters
until 1950, and it is all that is left in San Acacio to represent
the railroad and the company that created the town. The building
is currently used as a bed and breakfast.
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San Luis
PLAZA de SAN LUIS de la CULEBRA HISTORIC DISTRICT
Colo. Hwy. 159
National Register 12/22/1978, 5CT.47
Established in 1851, San Luis is the oldest continuously inhabited
town in Colorado. The district contains an important collection
of buildings that includes the county courthouse, the convent and
Church of Most Precious Blood, numerous residences, and the town's
commercial core. The district also includes the Vega, a common
ground for animal grazing, and the San Luis People's Ditch. Listed
under Culebra River Villages of Costilla County Multiple Property
Submission.
RITO SECO CREEK CULVERT
Colo. Hwy. 142
National Register 10/15/2002, 5CT.322
Consisting of two 18-foot spans, the steel multiplate arch culvert
is faced with local volcanic fieldstone. Constructed in 1936, the
culvert remains intact as a good example of one of the smaller
bridges built by the Works Progress Administration during the years
of the Great Depression. Listed under Highway Bridges in Colorado
Multiple Property Submission.
SALAZAR HOUSE
603 Main St.
State Register 5/14/1997, National Register 1/23/1998, 5CT.265
Constructed in 1906, the house is an example of an ornamental
concrete block residence. Its Queen Anne detailing is an unusual
expression for concrete block construction and for Costilla County.
Listed under Ornamental Concrete Block Building in Colorado, 1900
to 1940 Multiple Property Submission
SAN LUIS BRIDGE
Colo. Hwy. 159
National Register 2/4/1985, 5CT.141
Completed over Culebra Creek on the western edge of San Luis in
1911, this segmental, reinforced concrete open spandrel arch is
one of the earliest unaltered bridges of this type in Colorado.
Listed under Highway Bridges in Colorado
Multiple Property Submission.
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San Pablo
SOCIEDAD DE NUESTRO PADRE JESUS NAZARENO (San Francisco Morada)
San Pablo vicinity
State Register 3/8/2000, 5CT.200
This circa 1908 building represents an important aspect of Hispano
history in southern Colorado. The building reflects the limited
religious and governmental support in poor rural areas of predominately
Hispanic populations and the aid societies that formed as a result.
Los Hermanos Penitentes (a lay religious, fraternal organization)
constructed and used the building as a chapel and meeting hall.
The organization also served as a cultural force, preserving language,
lore, customs, and faith within the isolated communities. The elongated
adobe building was constructed following the traditional linear
plan of northern New Mexico.
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