With elevations ranging from 7,000 to 14,345 feet for Blanca Peak (above), the San Luis Valley in Central Southern Colorado has an astounding range of terrain.  Blanca Peak is one of many towering peaks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range.

Click on Each Map for Larger Version

Summer in the country's highest alpine valley is filled with vibrant color against a backdrop of San Luis Valley sky, fields and mountains.  Gaze over the deep green farm fields of alfalfa, potatoes and barley as towering mountains rise from the valley floor to kiss the deep blue skies.

Although it snows in the mountains during the wintertime, down in the San Luis Valley it does not snow very much.  On average less than 35 inches each year.

Just sit back, have another sip of hot chocolate, and enjoy the snowcapped mountain views as you plan your daily Colorado adventure.

Would you like to escape the summer heat?

What is now known as Costilla County in the southeastern part of the San Luis Valley, this area was inhabited by the ancestors of today's families well before Colorado became a state.  Those first Hispano settlers brought with them a language and culture that still exists today, four hundred years after the Spanish first arrived in the Americas.  Except for the Native Americans who were here first,  this is the oldest community in Colorado.

First settled in 1851, the oldest town in Colorado, San Luis, is located in Costilla County in the southeastern part of the San Luis Valley. The oldest church, Our Lady of Guadalupe est. 1858, is located in the town of Conejos in the southwestern part of the San Luis Valley.

Today, you will still find farms and ranches just like when the area was first settled.  You will be able to meet ancestors of the original settlers.

There are 3 million acres of public land in this area, a ski area that receives the most snowfall in Colorado, the Rio Grande River is born in the mountains to the west, along with many lakes and other recreational areas and activities.

The San Luis Valley never feels crowded. With a population density of about six people per square mile, there is plenty of open space. However, living in the Valley doesn’t require one to give up all the amenities of big city life.

Main Street Alamosa

The town of Alamosa (Spanish for cottonwood and named for the trees that grow along the Rio Grande River) is the largest city in the area. Alamosa is approximately 25 miles from your property (30 minute drive).  With a population of approximately 14,000 people, Alamosa serves as the San Luis Valley’s regional hub.

• Alamosa Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Largest Hospital
• Airport
• Walmart Super Store
• Many Shopping Opportunities
• Numerous Restaurants
• 6-screen Movie Theater
• 2 Colleges -- Adams State College (4-year University) and Trinidad State Junior College

This country town may be small, but it has much to offer.

• Alamosa Neighborhood Profile

Town of Blanca with Blanca Peak in the background

The small country town of Blanca, population of approximately 400, is the closest town to your property.  (20-minute drive)  In this small, country town you will find many services, including:

• Lu's Main Street Cafe -- a very good country cafe restaurant.  Be sure to try their homemade green chili sauce and homemade pies.  There is another new restaurant in town, San Marcos, however I have yet to give it a try.
• More Restaurant Options
• Several general and grocery stores
• RV Park with a convenience store and gas pumps
• Public Laundry
• Post Office

Town of Blanca Info

Blanca Neighborhood Profile

Would you enjoy some history blended in with your experience?

This area is where people other than Native Americans first settled Colorado.

First settled in 1851, San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado, is located about 25 miles south of your property. The oldest church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, is located in the town of Conejos in the southwestern part of the San Luis Valley.  The oldest business in the state of Colorado, the R&R Market in San Luis, celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007.

Coloradoans talk a lot about the state’s deep commitment to community. One place that demonstrates this well is Colorado’s oldest town, San Luis. Here, families measure their connection to the area not in years, but generations. Situated in a broad valley riddled with farms and surrounded by peaks, San Luis has always been at a crossroads of cultures. As a result, it is rich with timeless customs and historic sites.

The small country town of San Luis has a population of approximately 800 people.  San Luis is the county seat for Costilla County, where your property is located.  Here you will find the county government offices for Costilla County.

• San Luis Neighborhood Profile

Fort Garland as seen from Highway 159 on the south side of town.

Just up the road from Blanca is the small, country town of Fort Garland (8 miles east of the town of Blanca). Established in 1858, Fort Garland, with a garrison of over 100 men, served to protect the earliest settlers in the San Luis Valley. Fort Garland was one of a dozen forts built by the U.S. Army in the 1850s in the New Mexico Territory, acquired in 1848 as a result of the Mexican-American War. The fort played an important role in the country’s quest for Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion by establishing a U.S. military presence on the frontier and providing security for settlers in the region - mostly Hispanic - from native tribes, particularly the Ute tribes. This small historic town with a present day population of 430 has:

Fort Garland Neighborhood Profile

The following links will provide additional area information.

Smith Reservoir Offers Fishing & Boating

The San Luis Valley is a year-round destination that offers a distinct mix of recreation and culture, landscape and activity. Snow ski at Wolf Creek Ski Area which receives the most snow in Colorado or snowshoe, cross-country ski, or snowmobile on the thousands of miles of mountain roads and trails. Anglers will find many miles of rivers and numerous lakes.

Outdoor enthusiasts -- there are 3 million acres of public land waiting for you to explore.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Located 5 miles east of the town of Monte Vista, Homelake is the former location of the Colorado Soldiers' and Sailors' Home and is the location of the Homelake Civil War Cemetery. Set amidst landscaped grounds, beautiful scenery, and a homelike campus atmosphere, the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake has been caring for our Colorado’s veterans and their families for over 115 years. Located in Colorado’s beautiful San Luis Valley, the Center exhibits a great sense of history and tradition. The Center includes a modern 60-bed skilled nursing facility and a 46-bed Domiciliary. The Domiciliary provides an "independent/ assisted-living" type environment with individual housing cottages.

Established in the San Luis Valley in 1889, the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake, also referred to as the Soldiers and Sailors Home, provided a peaceful place for aging and displaced Civil War veterans. This continuously operated complex is the oldest veterans’ center in the state and contains more than eighty structures. A cemetery with headstones in concentric circles surrounds a 1912 monument dedicated to veterans of the Civil and Spanish-American Wars. Veterans of every major conflict from the Civil War to the current war in Iraq are buried there. Fifty-two structures on site are considered contributing to the State Register Historic District -- five buildings are listed individually.

In 2002, the Colorado General Assembly passed a statute to establish the center as a repository for all unclaimed military memorabilia. This, in addition to a considerable archive of military artifacts already collected, has supporters envisioning a significant public display.

With its rich and colorful history, beautiful grounds, and many historic buildings, the Homelake was recently designated as a "Colorado State Historical Site." Several of Homelake’s original buildings were constructed in the 1890’s when a group of local citizens together with the State Legislature established Homelake as a place for Colorado’s deserving Civil War veterans to live.

In September of 2008 a host of dignitaries and center residents dedicated an A7-D Corsair fighter jet in honor of Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney, who retired from his command in the Colorado Air National Guard last year. Whitney spent 17 years of his career flying Corsair jets including a stint during the Vietnam War.

Also in September 2008 the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake got a shot in the arm last week from a $5.1 million grant to upgrade its domiciliary cottages and historic chapel. The chapel was built in 1905, but has been closed to residents since 2004. The 12 cottages on the campus, which contain 24 units, were built between 1914 and 1942.

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Click on picture for larger image

Housing built between 1914 and 1942

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Soldiers and Sailors Home and Hospital

www.cdhs.state.co.us/svnh/Homelake.htm

3749 SHERMAN AVE
PO BOX 97
HOMELAKE, CO 81135

Phone: 719-852-5118  |  Toll Free: 888-838-2687  |  Fax: 719-852-3881

The oldest business in the state of Colorado, the R&R Market is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2007. The R&R Market is located in the oldest town in Colorado, San Luis. The celebration of the 150th anniversary of R&R Market will take place June 30.

The front of the R&R Market is shown today on Main Street in San Luis. The business will celebrate its 150th anniversary at the end of the month.

Dario Gallegos ran his mercantile store in this adobe building, shown here in 1876.

Let’s Talk Heritage with Local Resident Crestina Martinez

(from Colorado.com)

Coloradoans talk a lot about the state’s deep commitment to community. One place that demonstrates this well is Colorado’s oldest town, San Luis. Here, families measure their connection to the area not in years, but generations. Situated in a broad valley riddled with farms and surrounded by peaks, San Luis has always been at a crossroads of cultures. As a result, it is rich with timeless customs and historic sites. One proud resident is Crestina Martinez, who works for Costilla County and has pitched in on efforts to preserve the county’s adobe courthouse.  Crestina is the 7th generation of her family to live in the San Luis Valley.

What makes San Luis such a historically rich place?   Click here to read the entire article.

Between 25 to 35 million years ago, it is estimated that two-thirds of the state of Colorado was covered with volcanic rock, from the edge of the San Luis Valley all the way to Ouray and Silverton. For about 5 million years, there were caldera eruptions, like there are in Yellowstone, huge outflows of ash that make the ground sink in a circular pattern. We have 20 calderas that we know about, including the world's largest caldera, the La Garita Caldera, near Creede, Colorado. Creede itself is a small caldera, and one of the most well preserved on Earth.

State Geologist and director of the Colorado Geological Survey Vince Matthews takes a special interest in the lava dikes and calderas that spread from Walsenburg to the San Juan Mountains. The dramatic formations chronicle particularly splenetic periods of Colorado's geological history, as he notes in his book "Messages in Stone: Colorado's Colorful Geology."

Why are the Spanish Peaks lava dikes so interesting to geologists? Well, usually you find three or four dikes in an area. More than 500 dikes have been mapped in this area. That's more than anywhere else - that we know of - in the world. The other thing is that the dikes aren't all the same chemical composition. Different chemistry composition, different orientation, different ages and all beautifully exposed.

Why is the different chemical composition significant? Some are very dark, and others are lighter. Some are more susceptible to erosion. That means there were different sources for the molten material that came up. There are places where the dike itself is deeply weathered - eroded out, like an indentation - and the rock around it stands out rather than the dike itself.

How does that happen? The reason is because the molten material actually bakes the rock it comes into. The heat of the material - those particular chemicals - makes the surrounding rocks very strong, harder than the dike. There's a beautiful exposure as you drive into Walsenburg from the north, right as you crest the hill. You can see that the dike is intruded into the shale, and that the shale right next to the dike is very resistant. And that particular dike goes on for a number of miles. It's on the back of Lathrop State Park, called the Hogback.

What about the dikes surrounding the Spanish Peaks? Yes, the radiating dikes. That's not so unusual in itself, but on the west side of the peaks, the dikes don't radiate as much. They radiate on the other three sides, but the pattern is different on the west side. Some people think the stress field that allowed the radial dikes was formed by the uplift of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Perhaps the dikes were created during the uplift. It's not really clear.

San Luis Valley

The Largest Alpine Valley In North America

With a land area of close to 8,200 square miles, the San Luis Valley is larger than the land mass of Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut combined.  In spite of its size, the Valley never feels crowded. With a population density of about six people per square mile, there is plenty of open space. However, living in the Valley doesn’t require one to give up all the amenities of big city life. Alamosa, the Valley’s largest city, serves as the Valley’s regional hub. There you will find the area’s largest hospital, a regional airport, Adams State College, shopping opportunities and more.

If someone described seeing two bald eagles, a hawk, herds of elk and deer and thousands sandhill cranes all within one morning, you might think this is some sort of North American safari.  Believe it or not, this may be just a drive to work one morning here in the San Luis Valley. The opportunities for bird and wildlife watching here are nothing short of amazing.

The San Luis Valley is situated between the 14,000 foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains, including the 4th highest peak in Colorado - Blanca Peak.  The Valley has the second largest aquifer on the continent. This 8000 square mile, five county alpine valley is one of the most unique areas in the world.

Welcome to the San Luis Valley where the sun shines an average of  320 days a year.  This gives you plenty of great days to enjoy one of the 4 golf courses in the Valley.  Summer evenings are cool and the temperature seldom reaches 90 degrees during the day.

Elevation of the San Luis Valley varies from 7,500 to 8,200 feet above sea level.  It stretches roughly 75 miles from east to west, and 150 miles north to south.

High in the San Juan Mountains on the west side of the Valley, snow melt and rain give birth to the mighty Rio Grande River, second longest river in our nation.  The river winds through the Valley on its way to New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.   The Great Sand Dunes National Park is nestled at the base of Sangre de Cristo mountain range on the east side of the Valley.  This unique feature of nature is the newest National Park in the United States.

There are two national scenic byways, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway, more than 3 million acres of public lands in and around the valley, two national wildlife refuges, and hot springs. Wolf Creek Ski Area generally can boast the greatest snowfall amount each year.  In fact, the most snowfall ever recorded in Colorado fell at Wolf Creek - 850 inches in one year.

Hiking, biking, fishing, world-class hunting and four wheel exploration of the Sangre de Cristo, La Garita and the San Juan mountains all await your next visit.

You will find the famous Stations of the Cross in San Luis, oldest town in Colorado.  In the small town of Conejos is one of the oldest churches in the state.  This is the first area in Colorado to be settled.  You will find a lot of history in this mountain valley.

Education, art, culture, theater or a national repository library?  Adams State and Trinidad State Junior Colleges offer all this and much more.

The San Luis Valley is an unspoiled and largely undiscovered gem in south central Colorado. Whether it’s art, history or outdoor adventure, the San Luis Valley offers endless variations to explore.

The pure, crisp, dry mountain air and weather are most conducive to healthy living. Summers are warm, never hot -- rarely reaching 90 degrees -- with sunny days and cool nights. The winters are pleasant and the low humidity makes even cold temperatures comfortable.  (Climate Averages)  During autumn, the aspen and cottonwood trees turn to gold and the oak brush glows with a bright orange/red. A brilliant, colorful display before Colorado becomes the winter recreation center of the nation.

This area is rich in history by evidence from old wagon trails. You can still see the deep ruts in the ground left by the wagons that traveled along the trails.

A local resident has a fresh start to a salad with a carrot just picked from one of the community gardens.

Please Drive Carefully and Friendly

Motorists in the San Luis Valley need to be watchful for the growing number of Amish and Mennonite populations who travel the roads and highways by horse drawn carriages.  Due to the religious lifestyle that calls for avoiding what many consider ‘modern conveniences’ many of the carriages, wagons and buggies do not have lights, reflectors or slow moving vehicle signs and may be especially difficult to see in bad weather or during hours of early morning, dusk or twilight.  It is the responsibility on the motor vehicle operator to be especially careful while driving in the Valley.

In 2003, The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization, purchased approximately 92,500 acres of private land in the San Luis Valley and established the Baca National Wildlife Refuge. The $33 million project was designed to “restore, enhance, and maintain wetland, upland, riparian, and other habitats for wildlife, plants, and fish species that are native to the San Luis Valley.” The refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), contains the largest and most diverse assemblage of wetlands in all of Colorado. The refuge is next door to the town of Crestone and Colorado College’s Baca campus.

The San Luis Valley is mainly a farming and ranching community surrounded by towering mountains. It is estimated the second largest aquifer on the U.S. continent lies below the valley floor.  Irrigation is provided by the underground water and water furnished by the Rio Grande and other rivers.

Potatoes, alfalfa hay, wheat and barley, are the main cash crops.  The San Luis Valley's 76,8000 acres of potatoes produced 23.8 million-hundredweight.  Other crops include oats, spinach, cabbage, carrots and lettuce.

Agriculture has long been the basis of the economy in the San Luis Valley. Unique in world topography, the elevation of the valley floor averages 7600 feet above sea level.

Ranches are predominately cattle.  Some also include hogs and sheep. Hogs and lambs are fattened in the Valley, while most of the calves are sold or shipped as feeders to northern Colorado, western Kansas and other Midwestern states.

Farmers began growing potatoes in the San Luis Valley around 1875, making it one of the oldest potato growing areas in the United States.

Surrounded by the 14,000 feet majestic snow-covered peaks of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the fertile San Luis Valley at 7,600 feet in elevation is the highest and largest commercial agricultural valley in the world.  Here the potato flourishes.

The San Luis Valley produces 92% of Colorado's potatoes, and is ranked in the top five potato producing areas in the United States, both in acres planted and production. Colorado is the #2 supplier of fresh potatoes in the country.

Planting begins in May with harvest in September.  The Valley's springs and summers are filled with warm, sunny days and cool nights -- a perfect combination for growing potatoes. The cool weather also contributes to the smoothness of the skin and reduces second-growth roughness.

The fertile soil of the Valley is loose-packed loam, necessary for growing potatoes.  This fertile valley is surrounded by the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with peaks rising up to over 14,000 feet. At this altitude, the summer sun's radiant energy is intense and gives the plants a high altitude vigor.  The summer nights are cool and the atmosphere arid. This unique growing environment provides the potatoes natural protection from many plant diseases and insects, which find the winters too harsh and the summers too dry.

The valley has many specialty potatoes, with yellow potatoes such as the Yukon gold becoming the fastest-growing variety. The valley grows many other potato varieties, including an all-blue potato called the purple majesty.  Red potatoes such as the Durango and the Sangre also remain popular. The valley also is the birthplace of the red McClure.

Potato Plants in Bloom

David supports his wife and three children, the kids ranging in age from 6 to 15.  David farms 120 acres of potatoes and 100 acres of barley.  He uses the barley as a rotational crop to replenish the soil for potatoes, which provide more profit than barley, David said.  “I’d like to stay in farming,” said David, who studied business management at Fort Lewis College in Durango.

Barley is also grown in the Valley.  Barley is used in the production of beer.

With Farming in mind, to get information on Colorado water rights please visit this website:  kscland.com/slv_history/#waterrights

August 26, 2007 -- Mosca, Colorado

A group of farmers near the farming town of Mosca, 17 miles north of Alamosa, in the San Luis Valley are hoping the vacant field corners that surround their irrigation circles will provide good homes for solar panels.  They are harvesting more than crops from the San Luis Valley’s 360 days of sun. As of Friday, the six are part of a pilot project that uses solar power to partially power their irrigation systems.

For their efforts, they will receive federal tax credits, a $75,000 grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and a $45,000 rebate per farmer from Xcel Energy.

North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind-shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This geologic wonderland, containing 30 square miles of dunes, became a national monument in 1932. With the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000, resources now also include alpine lakes and tundra, six peaks over 13,000 feet in elevation, ancient spruce and pine forests, large stands of aspen and cottonwood, grasslands, and wetlands - all habitat for diverse wildlife and plant species. This photo shows the dunes nestled at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.

Colorado is the narrow-gauge railroad capital of the nation, with four active narrow-gauge lines, more than any other state.  Narrow-gauge railroads are gold-rush innovations, built to carry precious metals over steep and winding routes from remote places. Rails and equipment remained when the mines closed, and several communities recognized their tourism potential and redeveloped them. The lines go where the most spectacular scenery is found.

In the southwest part of the San Luis Valley you will find one of Colorado's treasures, the historic Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.  Built more than 120 years ago, little has changed since, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the most authentic steam era railroad in North America.

The C&TS was originally constructed in 1880 as part of the Rio Grande’s San Juan Extension, which served the silver mining district of the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. Like all of the Rio Grande at the time, it was built to a gauge of three feet between the rails, instead of the more common 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches that became standard in the United States.

Besides offering thrilling rides daily between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico, the railroad is the longest and highest narrow-gauge railroad in the United States. Scenes for the movies Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Wyatt Earp among others used this famous railroad.

cumbrestoltec.com

Rich railroad history and non-stop scenic treasures await passengers on the newly re-awakened Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, with daily one-way and round-trip service from Alamosa to La Veta over legendary La Veta Pass, including exciting weekend and holiday excursions with our vintage steam engine.

This historic railroad route through the San Luis Valley, over the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains (eight 14,000+ foot peaks) and into La Veta has been carrying freight for over a century. These rail lines opened the San Luis Valley to the world, bringing building supplies in and taking agricultural and mineral products out.

The San Luis Valley has always held a special place in the heart of railroaders as one of the few North American connections between standard gauge and narrow gauge railroads, with narrow gauge lines in continuous operation since the late 1870’s.

riograndescenicrailroad.com

Ski Hi Stampede was established in 1919.  During the last week of July, the festivities begin in Monte Vista with rodeo, carnival, arts and crafts show, street parade, barbecue, concerts with big stars, and Western dances.  There will be lots of fun in this mountain valley with mountain views all around.

www.skihistampede.com

San Luis Lakes State Park

In the shadow of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range is peaceful San Luis State Park and Wildlife Area. This is around the center of the San Luis Valley.

San Luis State Park features a modern campground with showers and electricity, fishing, windsurfing, boating, water skiing, picnicking and photographic opportunities. The park is located just 15 minutes west of the Great Sand Dunes, or east 8 miles off of Colorado Hwy 17 just north of Mosca, Colorado.

Located in the southwestern part of the Valley, Terrace Reservoir is a irrigation water storage facility on the Alamosa River.  It is the 250th highest earthen dam, built circa 1906, and was at that time the largest dam of its type in the U.S.  It is lightly fished and has cutthroat and rainbow trout.