The 22.8-mile long Creede Branch originated significant rail traffic from the railroad’s nearby gold and silver mining operations. Although the complete rail line dates to 1891, the conversion of the branch from narrow to standard gauge dates from 1902.

Founded in 1891, the State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home is the oldest veterans’ home in Colorado. The self-sufficient complex offered housing, recreational and religious facilities, and medical care.

The school district is comprised of 14 buildings, seven of which were constructed between 1917 and 1921.  The two largest are the 1917 elementary school and the 1921 high school, both designed by the prominent architect John J. Huddart. These brick buildings have grown in size with numerous additions.  For example, a 1937 gymnasium, once a separate building, is now part of the high school. 

Constructed in 1933, the building remains a dominant structure in Monte Vista and is the community’s finest example of Beaux-Arts-influenced architecture.  Listed under U.S. Post Offices in Colorado Thematic Resource.

Now the home of the local historical society, this small stone building was constructed in 1895.  The Women’s Literary Club was organized on August 4, 1884 for the purpose of establishing a circulating library.  Initially books were kept in the back of the Fassett General Store, with Lillian L. Fassett serving as the first librarian.

Monte Vista, Spanish for "mountain view," was incorporated in 1886.  Shortly thereafter, commercial construction moved west along Main Street. 

Constructed in 1912, the chapel is an unusual expression of the Craftsman Style, a style not well represented in Monte Vista or Rio Grande County.  The chapel also represents the work of Denver architect George Harvey. 

The walls of the 1922 church are purple tapestry brick with a salt glaze, a firing and glazing method not used since the 1940s.  No other building constructed of this unusual material has been found in the town of Monte Vista or the San Luis Valley. 

The store was the first, largest, and longest surviving retail establishment in Monte Vista.  Widow Lillian Loretta Silsby Taylor founded the store in a small wood frame building in 1881 and, with her new husband Charles Fassett, erected this stone replacement building in 1898.

In 1930, this small rural community constructed the $112,000 hotel, which became a center for community activities.  Designed by E. Floyd Redding, the three-story building shows influences of the Mission and Pueblo Revival styles with its stuccoed exterior, tile roof, curvilinear parapet walls, wooden lintels, and decorative vigas.