The route that the Dominquez-Escalante expedition opened became known as the western portion of the Old Spanish Trail. Their campsite, near Carracas, was called “Nuestra Senora de las Nieves, which means “Our Lady of Snows.” The party explored much of the area before moving west through the Allison and The Dominquez-Escalante expedition entered Pagosa Springs near what is now Carracas. They had a guide with them, Jaoquin Lain, and eight others, who had been on the Ri vera expedition.

On July 29, Padre Francisco Atanasio Dominquez and his secretary, Silvestre Velez de Escalante led an expedition out of Santa Fe to explore a possible trade route to California. In 1776, the authorities in Santa Fe switched some of their focus from gold exploration to developing a trade route which would connect the Santa Fe, Rio Grande Valley and Northern Mexico settlements with the thriving Spanish colonies in California. The party traveled through Pagosa Springs and the San Juan Mountains to the Gunnison River. Rivera led a party northwest out of Santa Fe in search of gold and silver. The Spanish government, which wasĬentered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, sent Don Juan Maria de Rivera on an exploratory mission in 1765. The process of conquest and colonization was slowed considerably by hostile Indians and the rugged Rocky Mountains. There has been evidence of the caravan found in the area, but the $5 million in gold remains hidden to this day.īy the early 1500’s, the Spanish had conquered and settled Mexico and had moved to within 200 miles of Pagosa Springs. Only 17 men survived to reach the French outpost of Leavenworth, Kansas and only two had maps of the gold caches. Disease, hostile Indians, and severe weather forced the Frenchmen to cache the gold they had found. The I.::aravan was said to have camped in the vicinity of Treasure Mountain. THE EXPLORERSĪnother local legend, The Legend of Treasure Mountain, tells of a large expedition of Frenchmen who were exploring, mining, and prospecting for gold in the Ured ill the 1790’s. Many local names and much of the Pagosa Springs history are attributable to the Ute Indians. The Brunot Agreement of 1874 signed the control of the springs over to the white man, signaling the beginning of the end for the open, free-ranging control of the Utes in Colorado. However, the Utes control over the Great Spring was relatively short lived. The legend ends with the smaller, more agile Pfeiffer outmaneuvering the larger Navajo brave and killing him with a thrust to the heart. Colonel Albert Pfeiffer, an Indian agent and friend to the Utes, agreed to represent them. As legend has it, the Navajos chose a huge brave to represent them the Utes gave the privilege to a white man. Both tribes agreed to settle the dispute by each sending a single representative to fight for their respective tribes, in what can be assumed was a battle to the death. The tribes skirmished, but neither gained any advantage. The battle is said to have taken place around 1867. Local legend tells of a battle to settle the rights of ownership of the spring between the Navajos and Utes. Accounts from the early Anglo explorers in the area describe well worn trails from all directions converging on the springs, with depressions and sweat lodges, located around the seeps and cavities near the big spring. Revered by Native Americans, the Great Pagosa Hot Spring was frequented by many of the tribes.

They became the Puebloans of today living along the Rio Grande River, the Hopi Reservation and a few other locations. They used the cliff dwellings during times of unrest and were designed so that they could lift entry ladders during enemy attacks.Įvidence shows an extended drought drove the Ancestral Puebloans out of most of their homeland following rivers downstream. They lived in a range of evolving structures including pit houses, pueblos and cliff dwellings. The modern descendants of these tribes are now known as Ancestral Puebloans, the ancient Native American culture centered in the Four Corners region comprising of southern Utah, northeast Arizona, northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. These early peoples lived in the region for thousands of years.

Anthropologists have put forth the theory of a land bridge from Asia to North America crossing the Bering Strait. The earliest inhabitants of the Pagosa Springs area had roots well over 10,000 years ago as nomadic hunter-gathers. Pagosa Springs is rich with historical and cultural legends and stories! Taken from the Pagosa Springs Official Website, take a peek at some of the area’s history: THE EARLIEST INHABITANTS

Forest village caravan stables