A unique small mountain town about 30 miles
west of Trinidad.
Are you looking for the ultimate Colorado ‘little town’ filled with history and local flavor? Are you interested in being up close and personal with the local wildlife? Do you love the sound of Hummingbirds as they ‘hum’ and dive for your brightly colored clothes? Are you interested in a leisurely cup of morning coffee, visiting with local mountain folk, and learning a bit of history or folklore? If you are then you must stop at milepost 37.8 on the Highway of Legends, (Highway 12) in Stonewall, CO.
Historic photo of the Stonewall "gap" in what is now Stonewall Colorado
Here you can stop at one of the two cafes, have your coffee, visit with the locals, hear of Stonewall’s historical past, and enjoy the small herd of deer that frequent the town’s yards. Deer so tame that they will walk right past you without flinching and let you snap their pictures, see their nostrils flare, hear their snorts of pleasure, see their breath steam in the cool mountain air, and let you be just an arm’s length away from their young. You can rent a room, a lodge, or park your motorhome or camper at one of the three small RV parks, hang a bird feeder and enjoy the numerous ‘hummers’ and other wild birds that zip down for feeding. Put out an extra chair, a cool glass of iced tea, or a hot cup of coffee, wait for someone to walk by and begin a conversation, or just enjoy the quiet solitude and listen to the breeze carry the melodies of the mountain community to you.
View as you are going west into Stonewall Colorado.
If the quiet and solitude aren’t totally for you, then get your hunting or fishing license and head off to one of the best fishing places on the planet. North Lake, Monument Lake, Blue Lake, Bear Lake, and Trinidad Lake are all within minutes of Stonewall and provide you with some of the best rainbow trout and kokanee salmon on the planet. Sight-seeing along the Highway of Legends, down Tercio Canyon, and on to some of the outlaying roads will delight you with abundant watchable wildlife, mountain scenes, wildflowers, stone formations, and old adobe buildings. Be careful because you’ll have to ride with your camera on your shoulder or you’ll miss some of the best mountain scenery available. The wildlife along the Highway of Legends in the Stonewall area may include deer, elk, mountain lion, black bear, bobcat, coyote, fox, skunk, raccoon, beaver, chipmunk, squirrel, and even big horn sheep.
Stonewall Inn and RV Park and the
"Shop and Bag" Diner and Store
At an elevation of 7,640 feet this small, quaint, ranching and vacation mountain town is quietly nestled among the pines and aspens where you can do all this and more. Stonewall is a picturesque little place steeped in some amazing history, and well known for its beauty, its peacefulness, and its nearby hunting, fishing, and numerous recreational opportunities. Established in 1867 by its first resident, Juan Guitterez, the town was known for a time as “El Valle del Guitterez” because Mr. Guitterez grazed his cattle in the valley. Just to the west of the Guitterez ranch lived a fairly well known homesteader named James Stoner. Because of a rock formation on Mr. Stoner’s place, the region gradually became known as Stoner’s Wall. When the settlement grew large enough to need its own post office in 1878 the name became Stonewall.
Recent view of the Stonewall
This stone wall has been immortalized on postcards, paintings, and photographs of the area. It rises an impressive 250 feet above the town and is a part of the Dakota Sandstone Formation that was created millions of years ago when the flat formation on the ocean bed was pushed vertical at the time the local mountains were formed. According to geologists, the wall was thrown up by the volcanic action that created the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, at which time great masses of lava were forced up through crevices in the granite understrata. It is only in this area that it attains any considerable height. The Dakota Wall, as many know it, can also be seen near LaVeta, a sleepy little rancher’s and artists’ community further along the Highway of Legends loop.
Some of the Homes and Cabins in Stonewall
Stonewall’s history is long and fascinating. It goes back to the early 1800s when Spain and Mexico granted ownership of thousands of acres to any individual who promised to colonize it. In 1841, Beaubein and Miranda were awarded a grant of 1,700,000 acres. This was later inherited by Lucian Maxwell, and became known as the Maxwell Land Grant. It is said that in the 1880s the Maxwell Grant representatives claimed that the Stonewall Valley was part of the grant, and that settlers in the area must pay for their homesteads or leave. They sent armed guards into the Valley to collect and settle the payments. The settlers believed that the boundary markers had been moved north by these Grant representatives and vowed they would not leave without a fight. Another of Stonewall’s earliest settlers, Richard Russell, went under a white flag to the Stonewall Hotel to confront the Grant representatives while other armed settlers went and surrounded the hotel. During the confusion Mr. Russell was shot and later died from his injuries. The Grant deputies escaped by crawling through a coal chute in the hotel. This wasn’t the end of the dispute however. Even though the settlers argued and pled their case, the U.S. Government upheld the Maxwell Land Grant claims, and the settlers found themselves paying for property on which they had lived for years.
Ranch entrance in Stonewall Colorado
Researching the Maxwell Land Grant with your children and then actually seeing and walking upon the land spoken of in those books can bring the area alive for your family and will add a depth to your time here that will be unforgotten in their minds and hearts. A trip to one of the local Pioneer cemeteries to read the inscriptions and dates on headstones can also put more reality to history. Further up Highway 12, just past North Lake there is a very small plot marked “Early Pioneers” that is accessible from the side of the highway, and just before the Stonewall Shop-n-Bag store is an old cemetery. It’s currently on private property and you must stay on the designated roads, but it’s worth a side trip for a bit of local history.
Coming into Stonewall from Trinidad Colorado
Slightly west and just across from the Picketwire Inn is the old Stonewall School House. It was built in 1875 for grades 1-8. The school closed in 1960 and the building was changed to the Community Center for Stonewall and the surrounding areas. Today the Stonewall Fire Department operates out of the building and several community organizations use the building for classes and meetings. Here you can spend a few minutes, or a few hours talking and gathering information about the Fire Department, its activities, or the historical points of interests along the Highway of Legends. That informational number is 719-846-3046. Stop by and see the raised platform where the teacher’s desk once stood. Touch an old chalkboard, and get a sense of what a small community school in the 1800s was truly like.
Coming into Stonewall on Highway 12
During the 1880’s Stonewall was the scene of many cattle and timber wars, during which grazing and lumbering interests bitterly fought the homesteaders. Hispanic settlers moved up from Mexican held territories to ranch and herd sheep until control of the land shifted to the United States following the Mexican War in 1847. The area has remained culturally mixed, and all settlers contended with the threat of raids from Ute war parties. Eventually mining transformed the area coming into Stonewall and remains of old mines can still be seen along Highway 12. Just past the mines, and only moments before you enter Stonewall, vast fields of wild iris plants can be seen along the river banks. Across from the Stonewall School/Community Center is a field of prairie dog mounds. Slow down by the Picketwire Lodge and keep an eye out for them, they are quite the sight as they stand tall watching us mere humans pass by.
A Spectacular Setting!
Other tidbits of historical information lace the canyons and roads of Stonewall and the local areas. Spend a bit of time at the Trinidad Museums, the Library, or with the local settlers and dig into some of this history for yourself. You may find the time spent researching and gathering information to be just as enjoyable as the time spent walking in those historical footsteps. It has been said that across from the Shop-n-Bag country store in Stonewall an internment camp for Japanese was established during WW2. It has also been said the surrounding mountains are home to the Spanish-American Brotherhood of Penitentes. When the Spanish Conquistadors explored the regions of Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, they always left behind a few in their group, along with a priest, who were charged with forming a colony. As the Spanish occupation of the area decreased and Mexico gained her freedom from Spain, the priests were called back to Spain, leaving the people without representatives of the church. The Penitente Brotherhood was charged with keeping the faith alive and protecting the community that grew up around them. Their rituals included acts of penance and self-flagellation, and focus on the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Several old Spanish Missions can be found throughout the areas, and old Catholic Churches are full of their own histories and stories. Why not spend a few hours digging into the past. Who knows you may uncover some hidden treasure or bit of information that no one else is currently aware of.
The Cabin that sits at the base of the Stonewall
Despite its history and numerous battles, Stonewall today is a quiet, peaceful ranching and vacation town for those who like to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. There’s something here for almost everyone. From quiet backroad drives, cool nights, bright sunlit days, animals, artists, local mountain folk and old adobe or log buildings, various recreational activities, fishing tournaments, nearby art fests, to larger cities, within just minutes, for those who must have nightlife and busyness. Wrap your intellect around local history or just enjoy the mountain air. Come to the quiet, relax and let nature soothe your soul. Make Stonewall, CO your home away from home.
A summer home in Stonewall Colorado
Once you’re here you’ll keep coming back. It’s that good.
Compiled and Written by Meta Porter, MsD