Antonito

Costilla Crossing Bridge

County Rd., over Rio Grande River
National Register 2/4/1985, 5CN.628

Completed in 1892, this pin/rigid connected, eight-panel Thatcher through truss is significant for its unusual structural style, patented in 1884 by Edwin Thatcher, then Chief Engineer of the Keystone Bridge Company.  Never very popular, only the Wrought Iron Bridge Company manufactured metal versions.  It is the oldest vehicular truss in southern Colorado.  The property is associated with the Highway Bridges in Colorado Multiple Property Submission.

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.  (2005 photograph.)  Full nomination (PDF, 9.57 MB).

Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Antonito Depot

6128 Front St.
State Register 8/31/2006, 5CN.499

The 1880 Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) Antonito Depot is an important and distinctive masonry example of a combination-type depot active in the San Luis Valley.  The depot served for over sixty years as the junction point for the branch line to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the D&RG’s San Juan Extension from Alamosa to Durango and Silverton.  In addition to providing passenger and express package service, and housing the local office of the Western Union telegraph, the depot also served as the office for railroad freight operations originating or terminating in the Antonito area.  The depot was the western-most station on the Rio Grande’s San Juan Extension accommodating both standard and narrow gauge trains.  Full nomination (PDF, 2.43 MB).

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Engine 463

US Hwy. 285 (Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad)
National Register 5/12/1975, 5CN.68

Built in 1903 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Engine No. 463 is one of only two remaining locomotives of the K-27 series originally built for and operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad.  The K-27 series was a departure from the design most prevalent on Colorado’s narrow gauge lines, resulting in a locomotive with one and one-half times more power.  The arrival of this series marked a significant turning point in the operation of the D&RGW’s narrow gauge lines that was to remain in effect until the end of Class I narrow gauge steam locomotion in 1968.  The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad restored the engine to operating condition.

Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad Combination Car No. 60

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Antonito to Cumbres
State Register 6/9/1999, Boundary Change 8/14/2002, 5CN.65.2

Built in 1897 for the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad, the first railroad to reach the gold mines of the Victor and Cripple mining districts, Combination Car No. 60 operated as a suburban coach until about 1909 when it was converted to a combination baggage and passenger car.  One of only two surviving F&CC passenger coaches in the United States, it is the only surviving example of a combination passenger-baggage car from the railroad.  Full nomination (PDF, 16 kb).

Palace Hotel

429 Main St.
National Register 8/19/1994, 5CN.774

Expanding railroad service created the need for construction of the Palace Hotel.  Due to its location at the junction of the Rio Grande Railroad’s line to Chama, Durango and the San Juan Mountains and its branch to Santa Fe, Antonito became an important trade center in the southern San Luis Valley.  The Palace Hotel provided overnight accommodations for salesmen, wool merchants, and tourists beginning in 1890.

SPMDTU Concilio Superior

603 Main St.
National Register 3/29/2001, 5CN.817

As the headquarters for La Sociedad Proteccion Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos since 1925, the building represents an important aspect of Hispano history.  Originally created to combat racism against Hispanos in the San Luis Valley, this fraternal organization later expanded to provide mutual aid, thereby playing an important role in the overall social history of Colorado.  Construction of this building popularized the use of steel trusses, introduced changes in massing, and promoted hybridized Southwest vernacular designs subsequently utilized in other Hispano enclaves.  Full nomination (PDF, 4.73 MB).

Warshauer Mansion

515 River St.
National Register 8/30/1974, 5CN.69

This large 1912 brick and stucco home, with a red tile roof, was built for Fred B. Warshauer, a German immigrant who rose to county prominence in the sheep business.  Denver architect George F. Harvey drew the plans according to Warshauer’s specifications.  Unusual for the period, the house boasts a central vacuum cleaning system and a fire control system.

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La Jara

La Jara Depot (La Jara Town Hall)

Broadway & Main
National Register 5/12/1975, 5CN.67

La Jara traces its birth to the arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1880.  Located on part of the San Juan Extension between Alamosa and Silverton, the 1911 depot served as a shipping point for area ranchers and farmers.  Gradually the automobile and truck replaced the railroad as the primary mode of transportation, and the railroad eventually closed the depot.  In 1970, the town acquired the building and transformed it into the town hall.  The property is associated with the Railroads in Colorado, 1858-1948 Multiple Property Submission.

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Lasauses

La Capilla De San Antonio De Padua

County Rd. 28
State Register 12/10/1997, 5CN.477

Incorporating a wall of the original 1880 church, construction began on this adobe chapel in 1928.  The building reflects the importance of churches as centers and symbols of southern Colorado Hispanic communities.  It is the only remaining public/community building representing the village of Lasauses.

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Mogote

San Rafael Presbyterian Church

County Rd. 9
State Register 6/9/1999, 5CN.894

The circa 1895 church, which was lengthened in 1911, is one of the oldest extant adobe churches in Conejos County.  The oblique entry and bell tower, with its pyramidal roof and tall spire, create an asymmetrical composition that is quite different from the typical Territorial Adobe church.  The building also represents the inroads made by the Presbyterian Church into Hispanic southern Colorado, which was predominately Catholic.  It is the only remaining Hispanic-speaking Presbyterian church in Conejos County.   2010 State Historical Fund Project photos on Flickr.

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Sanford

McIntire Ranch

County Rd. V, Sanford vicinity
National Register 3/26/2008, 5CN.793

The McIntire Ranch has the potential to yield information important to our understanding about the layout patterns of ranch complexes.  The site has a high archaeological potential for addressing gender-related research questions.  Comparing economic strategies and consumer behaviors practiced by owner Florence McIntire from around 1880 to 1912 could lead to a better understanding of use patterns on the site prior to and after her divorce.  The use patterns may also help to define her role as the owner of the ranch.  The main house exemplifies Territorial Adobe construction, blending Hispano and Anglo building traditions.  The house exhibits an unusual method of adobe construction, utilizing molded adobe comparable in size to standard bricks laid in a common bond with five courses of stretchers to one course of headers.  Header courses tie together the three-brick-wide walls.  Despite deteriorating conditions, the unusual adobe construction is visible in the many standing walls and the house can still physically convey its Territorial Adobe elements as seen in its plan, Italianate window openings with decorative hood molds, and interior layout.  (2006 photograph.)

Pike’s Stockade Site

Colo. Hwy. 136, 4 miles east of Sanford
National Historic Landmark 7/4/1961, National Register 10/15/1966, 5CN.75

Located along the north bank of the Conejos River, the site marks the spot where, in 1807, Zebulon Pike raised the American flag over what was then Spanish territory.  The site is now owned by the Colorado Historical Society and a replica of the stockade exists near the location of the original structure.

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