History of Las Animas County

**RR-Guy** · 11-03-2006, 10:19 PM

History of Las Animas County

NOTE: Links that are currently NOT working
are those that were broken before the Website upgrade.
Those links are most often associated with www.rootsweb.com
- RR-Guy - 3/14/2010

This is the start of the Las Animas County History folder. An in depth history of Las Animas County in this folder would be a difficult task at best. This history will only augment that which can be found in the Trinidad Museums, the Trinidad Carnegie Library, the Denver Public Library, the Colorado Historical Museum Library, the Colorado Railroad Museum, the Colorado School of Mines' library in Golden, or the Bessemer Historical Society Museum in Pueblo.

Known copyright material will not be provided to the contents of this folder, but we will attempt to point the forum member to where photos, or documentation about a subject can be located.

+++++++++++ Latest Additions & Updates +++++++++++

10/10/12 -
Continuing to update broken links to Denver Public Library's online images and other miscellaneous informational links.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

U.S. Atlas links for Colorado, New Mexico, and selected county maps.

1895 U.S. Atlas - Colorado
http://www.livgenmi.com/1895/CO/County/

1895 Map of Las Animas County, Colorado
http://www.livgenmi.com/1895/CO/County/lasanimas.htm

Town Sites/Plazas Listed as established in Las Animas County since 1863
(You will need to perform a browser "Edit", "Find" for "Animas" on each page A-Z.)
http://cogenweb.com/coplaces/index.html

Current Colorado Topographical Map Index (Las Animas County, Colorado)
http://www.topozone.com/states/Color...nty=Las+Animas

1895 U.S. Atlas - New Mexico
http://www.livgenmi.com/1895/NM/

1895 Map of Colfax County, New Mexico, showing Catskill, Dunn, & Vasquez
http://www.livgenmi.com/1895/NM/County/colfax.htm

On-line Archive Sites

1911 Colorado Business Directory, Trinidad, Las Animas County
(The following link is broken. - RR-Guy - 10/5/12)
http://files.usgwarchives.org/co/las...1-trinidad.txt

Colorado's Historic Newspaper Collection 1859 to 1923
http://tinyurl.com/5nclsq

Las Animas County Photos (Note: Internet Explorer, or Firefox.)
(The following link is broken. - RR-Guy - 6/08/09)
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cophotos/LasAnimas/index2.htm

Denver Library - Western History Online Photo Archive
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/

Bessemer Historical Society Museum. Pueblo
(Archive photos of Berwind, Morley, Primero, & other mining camps of Las Animas County.)
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...society-museum
http://www.steelworks.us/

Public History Field School Operations. Cokedale, Colorado -
Department of History, Abilene Christian University (ABU)
(Archaeological work at the ruins of Old Primero, and other mine sites in Las Animas County.
A lot of the links are still "Under Construction".)
(The following link is broken. - RR-Guy - 10/5/12)
http://www.acu.edu/academics/history/cokedale/

Search General Disasters in Colorado
(Sample: Primero)
http://www3.gendisasters.com/colorad...osion-jan-1907

Churches - Las Animas

Long's Canyon Church - Owner and Submitter: Manuel R. Flores
(The following link is broken. - RR-Guy - 6/08/09)
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cophotos/LasAnimas/ChurchF.htm

Medina Plaza, Guadaloupe Mission Church
http://tinyurl.com/ng8q6

Morley, Church Photos
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...-Church-Photos

Segundo, Penitente Morada
http://tinyurl.com/h8lgh

Tijeras Plaza, Santa Nina de Atoche (Church)
http://tinyurl.com/zhjl4
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...-on-Highway-12

Trinidad, Zion's German Lutheran Church
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...utheran-Church

Vigil Plaza, Church, Weston vicinity
http://tinyurl.com/rknx9

Las Animas Cemeteries

Colorado Cemetery Gravestones website
http://coloradogravestones.org/

Las Animas Cemetery Listings from "The Tombstone Transcription Project" website
http://usgwtombstones.org/colorado/lasanimas.html

Masonic Cemetery - Trinidad
http://www.freewebs.com/tdadmascem/recordsdatabase.htm
http://www.kmitch.com/LasAnimas/masoniccem.html

Trujillo Creek Cemetery
http://colorado.hometownlocator.com/...FID,194553.cfm

Town Sites, Plazas & Mines

Historical Sites

Events

Local Buildings

Railroad Related History

Trinidad Trolley History - Trinidad Electric Transmission Railway & Gas Company
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...rolley-History

Santa Fe Passenger Depot - Trinidad 1878-1900

Santa Fe Passenger Depot - Trinidad 1900-1904 (Rusicated stone)

Santa Fe Depot - Model, CO (previously Poso, CO & Roby, CO)
http://atsf.railfan.net/depots/model.html

Santa Fe Depot - Morley, CO (ca. 1931)
(The following link is broken. - RR-Guy - 2/05/11)
http://atsfry.com/EasternArchive/Pho...ase/000190.htm

Santa Fe Depot - Starkville, CO between (1896 and 1910? - CHS.X4314)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/9657/rec/1

Santa Fe Depot - Thatcher, CO

Thatcher's Santa Fe Depot when it was a 2-story building.
Photo by Dana B. Chase - ca 1882-1890
http://atsf.railfan.net/depots/thatcher.html

Santa Fe Depot - Wootton, CO (July 21, 1929 - OP-198)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/57493/rec/1

Santa Fe Water Treatment Facility - Trinidad
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...uction-Website

Colorado & Southern Passenger/Freight Depot - Trinidad (between 1898 and 1904? - CHS.A846)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/6812/rec/5

Colorado & Southern Passenger/Freight Depot - Trinchera 1977 Norm Medcalf Photo -

Colorado & Southern Passenger/Freight Depot - Trinidad 1927 -

Denver & Rio Grande Western Passenger/Freight Depot - Trinidad 1901 -

This post is not complete. It will continue to grow.

PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING UNRELATED IN THIS FOLDER

**RR-Guy** · 11-03-2006, 10:28 PM

Purgatoire River Valley

For the first post I would like to have those interested try a little pronunciation. :)

This is to provide some insight, for some anyway, to a interesting curiosity of Las Animas County. This piqued my interest for awhile when I first starting researching the Trinidad area.

(Note: "twar" rhymes with the word "are". Just like the French word "repertoire".)

Try saying peg-et'-twar

Now repeat it in your best "French Fur Trapper Accent". :D
(Or, you might just try a Maurice Chevalier, or Jacques Chirac imitation.)

What locally used word does it sounds like?

*******************************************

It is the French pronunciation of Purgatoire. And, after the early settler's attempts to decipher the French pronunciation, it was subsequently handed to the cartographers as "Picketwire".

The early Hispanic translation was "El Rio de las Animas Perdidas en Purgatorio" which roughly means, "The River of Souls Lost in Purgatory".

The date of the upper image is not known, but the lower image is ca. 1895.

There are still signs of the early name Picketwire throughout the valley. However, it is found more abundantly in the lower river valley towards the Arkansas River.

Trinidad used to have a daily newspaper called the "Picketwire".

I would also like to note here that on the 1895 map there is a town site missing. Although it is just across the stateline in New Mexico it's presence had a infuence on Las Animas County and visa versa. The town site was Catskill, east of Vasquez which was accessed by a railroad line up Long's Canyon.

**RR-Guy** · 11-03-2006, 10:29 PM

Guidelines

NOTE: These Guidelines are still in the process of being updated. -
RR-Guy - 3/10/2010

Not completely disregarding the intent of the topic's message about posting, at this time it is requested, and encouraged, that members voice their approval, disapproval, amplifying information, requests, and questions towards the History of Las Animas County topic.

It is, however, requested that these type of posts only be allowed to remain for a period of 3 days which should be time enough for myself, and others to view. At this time it will be required to delete the reply which does not fall into the criteria, or intent of the topic. Replies not in compliance with the history topic, and those that remain longer than 3 days it will be viewed that it is that member's desire to have their reply automatically removed.

This is solely to keep the substance of this folder clean, the history information fluid, and on topic.

To qualify, the message should have an informational description at the upper left of the message, and maintain historical content. (i.e. Cokedale Mine, Santa Fe RR, etc.)

With the new vBulletin Solutions, Inc. forum it is a little more difficult to delete a user's message. I would like to provide a short lesson.

++++++++++++++++ Deleting a Message ++++++++++++++++

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These are from left to right;

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++++++++++++++++ Uploading an Image ++++++++++++++++

Inserting a photo with VBulletin is not as easy as it used to be with old forum, and may take a little "getting used to"'.

Here is a tutorial link that may help forum members.
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...achment-Photos

NOTE: Some of the images from the newer digital camera are upwards of 2.5 - 6 Megabytes which is way to large to submit, and will require re-sizing. There are a number of members who are still on a dial-up connection. Please, email myself, or Usmorlans.com for guidance or help if needed to insert photos.

**RR-Guy** · 11-05-2006, 12:06 PM

Reference Material Information

Books for Sale by the Trinidad Historical Society

ALL ABOUT TRINIDAD & LAS ANIMAS COUNTY COLORADO
by M. Beshoar M.D. 1882
Reprinted by the Trinidad Historical Society 1990
These are numbered editions and only 1,000 were printed.
The book talks about the history, industries, resources, etc. of the area.

$10.00 plus postage

WHAT MADE TRINIDAD TRINIDAD
by Louise LeBarre Hanks
This book was printed in 1996. Louise writes about churches, schools, WWI, the and the Mafia from 1860-1970's. Louise writes about the "social fabric" of the community.

$12.00 plus postage

TRINIDAD COLORADO TERRITORY
by Morris F. Taylor
Reprinted in 2008 by the Trinidad Historical Society
This is a classic about the history of the Trinidad area. Dr. Taylor begins his book with a discussion of the naming of places and the stories behind the names. He tells about the early years and the people who traveled through the area. The following chapters cover the years from 1863-1876. This is one of the most sought after sources for local history.

$25.00 plus postage

These books are available at the Louden-Henritze Archaeology Museum and Hadad's Home Furnishings.
719-846-5508
719-846-3373

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I would like to break here and provide some information on the various references I use.

******************************

For the mining town sites I don't think it gets much better than Las Animas County Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, by F. Dean Sneed, a resident of Trinidad. For those not familiar with his book, it is soft cover book with 101 pages, many illustrations, and has 9 excellent hand drawn maps in the back. There are a few of the maps that indicate the location of cemeteries.

His book details 38 of the now abandoned town sites which are currently privately owned properties in the Trinidad area.

For around $12 it is a very inexpensive book for the volume of information that it contains.
As of 7/17/2008, the Trinidad History Museum has this book in a new printing.

Trinidad History Museum
312 East Main Street, P.O. Box 377,
Trinidad, CO 81082,
Phone 719-846-7217,
http://www.santafetrailscenicandhist.../thistmus.html

******************************

Another very easy to find, and highly useful book is, Colorado Ghost Towns - Past & Present, by Robert L. Brown, 1972

Las Animas town sites included in Robert L. Brown's book are; Berwind, Ludlow, Morley, Primero, Segundo, Tabasco (which was next to Berwind.), and Tercio.

******************************

Another very easy to find, and highly useful 3 volume set of books are, Echoes of Yesteryear - Las Animas County - Things you should know, Places you should go, by Patrick L. Donachy. Revised Edition, 1992

These are small soft cover books with approximately 42 pages each, are very well written, and illustrated. Cost is approximately $6 each.

Volume I - Coal - The Kingdom Below

1. Maxwell Land Grant Prize
2. Up the River (Sopris)
3. Cokedale - A Living Memory
4. Black Flows the Waters (Plight of early coal miners & families.)
5. There Was No Primrose Path (Life & ways of early coal miners.)
6. Ma Lived There, Too
7. A Mirror For Narcissus (Monument Park)
8. The Valley of Towers (Stonewall)
9. Map of Locations

Volume II - The Realm of the Peak

1. Old Flat Top (Fisher's Peak)
2. The Lady Shows the Way (Ava Maria Shrine)
3. The Drop Outs (Drop City)
4. Where God Serves As Doorkeeper (Holy Trinity Church)
5. A Resting Place (Simpson's Rest)
6. Starkville - A Community of Spirit
7. The Ebony Hills ("Slack" piles - Why?)
8. Morley - Romance in the Coal Fields
9. Over the Top (Raton Pass)
10. Map of Locations

Volume III - Larceny and Lace
and
Alleged Improprieties

1. The Others On The Mountain

Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum and the Hole in the Wall Gang
terrorized Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico in
the late 1800's. The astonishing saga of Ketchum's
execution is a befitting conclusion to this tale.

2. Where Have You Been Billy Boy

Why would the infamous boyish desperado known as Billy
the Kid stop in Trinidad?

3. Gratuities Accepted

A red light means stop. But, in early day Trinidad
it wasn't meant for traffic control!

4. Give Or Take A Few

A political power struggle pitted two friendly
Trinidad pioneers against each other in 1904.
This led to one of the most mysterious baffling,
and possibly unscrupulous election outcomes ever
witnessed in Colorado.

5. By the Dipperful

Delos Chappell was a charismatic, brillant
Trinidad engineer. In 1879, he developed
Trinidad's first crude water delivery system.
An entrepreneur, he stood toe to toe with the
best and usually came away the victor.
The reader is left to draw his own conclusions
concerning Chappell's motives.

6. Three Squares and A Roof

Humor prevailed in Trinidad western style law.
As history reveals, the city's "Crossbar" hotel
seldom lacked for action!

******************************

Another excellent book dealing with Cokedale, and Bon Carbo exclusively, is Cokedale: 1907-1947 Anatomy of a Model Mining Community, by Holly Barton. This book is very well illustrated.

Reportedly this book is available from the Cokedale Museum Commission, PO Box 315, Cokedale, CO, 81082. They are sold for $10 each plus shipping. NOTE: As I have not contacted the Cokedale Museum Commision, I do not know how accurate, or up-to-date this information may be. - RR-Guy

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Other reference books;

(1.) The Colorado Road, by F. Hol Wagner Jr., 1970
(2.) Mountain to Mill, by William H. McKenzie, 1982 (The Colorado & Wyoming Railway)
(3.) Santa Fe's Raton Pass, by Jared Harper, 1983
(4.) Colorado Railroads; Chronological Development, by Tivis "Tiv" Wilkins, 1974.
(5.) Santa Fe in the Intermountain West, Colorado Rail Annual No. 23,
published by the Colorado Railroad Museum, 1998
(6.) Centennial State Trolleys, by Ken Fletcher, published by the Colorado Railroad Museum, 2000

Of the above listed railroad books that I reference, the first two are out-of-print books. and are very difficult to obtain. The 3rd & 4th reference items above are also out-of-print books, but can still be located at a reasonable price.

The Carnegie Library in Trinidad has some of them, but a library such as the Robert W. Richardson Railroad Library at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO is a treasure trove for the person wanting to research the railroad history in Southern Colorado. They have them all.

http://www.crrm.org/train_library.htm

**RR-Guy** · 11-05-2006, 12:06 PM

vBulletin Attachments

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Please let me know if changes in these guidelines are required. Thank you.
Whoooo Whoooo!

**RR-Guy** · 11-07-2006, 12:36 PM

Santa Fe Trail Timelines

"1865 "Uncle Dick" Wooten opens a road over Raton Pass."
"1880 Santa Fe Trail is abandoned in favor of railroad route to Santa Fe."
And, more...
http://www.krma.org/byways/sft_timeline.html

Los Caminos Antiguos

"Spanish interest in the lands of Los Caminos Antiguos was
initially based on the search for gold, and the religious
conversion of various native tribes throughout the region. "
http://www.krma.org/byways/lca_tierra.html

Sites of Trinidad on the Santa Fe Trail Mountain Branch
http://www.santafetrailscenicandhist.../sitetrin.html

****************** NOTE *******************

The below links are broken, and are no longer valid.
They may not even be on the rootsweb website any longer.

Longs Canons Church - Owner and Submitter: Manuel R. Flores
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cophotos/LasAnimas/ChurchF.htm

Trinidad, Colorado - Owner and Submitter: Manuel R. Flores
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cophotos/La.../TrinidadF.htm

Las Animas County Photos
http://www.rootsweb.com/~cophotos/LasAnimas/index2.htm

**RR-Guy** · 01-27-2007, 04:41 PM

Reserved

**RR-Guy** · 07-12-2007, 09:41 PM

Members are reminded to delete any non-essential posts above any of their current replies.
Non-essential replies will be removed after 3 days.

Thank you.

:)