The beginning
of this trip really started 50 years ago at
Texas State College
for Women in
Denton, Texas.
The Way We Were
1951
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And here we are
in
2001
Jannette and
Elizabeth
Janette
now lives in Trinidad, Colorado where, in September, 2001, I spent a delightful
week.
Trinidad
is a charming town on the Southern border of Colorado... With a population
of
just around 9,000, the town is delightfully sophisticated and culturally
diverse. Trinidad offers a junior college, four museums (history, art,
children's and archeology), many civic and cultural organizations. The
downtown is a National Historic District, and a growing artist's community.
Janette is part of this artistic community and participates in the Art
League which has its own fine gallery.
Janette
and her husband Neal, live a few miles outside the town in a village called
Cokedale
on Highway 12.
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HIGHWAY
OF LEGENDS
In
1990, Highway 12 was designated as a National Forest Byway.
We
took a delightful trip along this scenic drive which is known as The Highway
of Legends which begins on the High plains of eastern Colorado. The byway
circles the Spanish Peaks and winds through San Isabel National Forest
while crossing 9,994 foot Cuchara pass. We started in Cokedale and the
82 mile loop took us through the charming mountain towns and villages
of, Segundo, Weston, Stonewall, Cuchara, La Veta, Walsenburg, Aguilar,
Trinidad, and back to Cokedale.
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The
Coke Ovens
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In 1909, the American Smelting and refining company was operating 350 coking ovens and had built what was known as the model mining camp. The purpose of making coke from coal is to remove all moisture, and as much sulphur and phosphorus as possible, leaving only fixed carbon and ash. Using coke in the process of smelting iron was preferred as it burned with intense heat, was free of foreign substances and porus enough to allow good air circulation. When the mine closed in 1947, the town's people were offered the camp homes for $100 a room and $50 per lot. Because of this, the original town is basically still standing, providing a view of a turn-of-the-century mining town. Cokedale is on the National Historic Register. |
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| In 1861 a farmer from New Mexico spent the summer in the Purgatoire Valley raising crops. When he returned hope to Guadalupita with the melons he had grown he convinced 12 families to move with him to the valley. The families spread out along the Purgatoire River forming family-orineted villages called plazas. The plaza formed a square for protection. The Cordova Chapel, built in 1871 was still in use int the 1940's. |
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A
historical treasure trove located within a unique grassland canyon is Picketwire
River Canyon. Hikers can
almost hear the echoes of pioneers, Indians, and even dinosaurs. It is the largest documented dinosaur tracksite in North America. The
Purgatoire River Canyon aka Picketwire Canyon winds itself along the byway.
This area was turned over to
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the way, one comes to Monument Lake which adds its own story to the highway of
legends. The lake is a natural body made deeper by man. It is owned by the
City of Trinidad and is part of its water supply.
In the center of the lake a rock formation rose about 15 feet above the water and was the monument for which the lake is named. At the time of the volcanos, the water disappeared from the mountains and the Indians were in real danger. A chief from a Northern tribe of Indians traveled south to find water and met a chief from the southern tribes headed north. When they met, they hugged in friendship. When they realized that they had covered much ground and neither had found water, they wept. Their tears formed a lake at their feet. Suddenly, one of the volcanoes blew lave into the air and the two chiefs were turned to stone. The lake remained, encircling the two chiefs. This legend remained until the millenium, year 2000, when during a wind storm the monument was blown over. |
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Another
lovely spot along the byway is North Lake. It was created in 1907 as part of
the Trinidad water supply. It is also a state wildlife area and home to four
species of trout. The wildlife along the Highway of Legends includs deer, ilk,
mountain lion, black bear, bobcat, big horn sheep, coyote, fox skunk, raccoon,
beaver, chipmunk, squirrel and a large variety of bird species.
We saw many of these creatures on our drive around the byway.
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