Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
WALSENBURG MINING MUSEUM
This
museum
(
www.spanishpeakscountry.com
;
112 W 5th St; adult/child 12-18yr $2/1; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri,
10am-1pm Sat) is the only reason to stop in Walsenburg on the way to or from the Spanish Peaks. Set in the old
jailhouse (built in 1896), it's a monument to the struggle for labor laws in the Colorado mining industry, in the
days leading up to the 1913 Ludlow Massacre.
That's when Mary Harris 'Mother' Jones was held for civil disobedience in the basement of the county court-
house next door. She was held there for 20 days when she was 82 years old! There's a great picture of her leading
a march through Trinidad. There is also an interesting display on the 1927 strike by the Industrial Workers of the
World (IWW; also known as Wobblies), and it has old mining equipment like bellows and trip hammers and old
lanterns. The docent will lead you through the museum.
TOP OF CHAPTER
La Veta & the Spanish Peaks
POP 857 / ELEV 7013FT
Beautifully set in high country rangeland and at the base of the stunning Spanish Peaks,
La Veta, a small historic town, is undiscovered Colorado at its finest.
It comes with all the magnificent beauty of the best of the Rockies with none of the
crowds, and a touch of small-town charm too. Here's a place where paved streets are out-
numbered by churches. It would take a serious effort to get lost in La Veta - its compass-
oriented grid is divided by north-south Main St (Hwy 12). Most businesses are at the
north end near the old narrow-gauge railroad. Following Hwy 12 south from town will
take you on the Hwy of Legends byway, which wraps around the Spanish Peaks before
reaching Trinidad.
Sights & Activities
Francisco Fort Museum
( 719-742-5501;
www.franciscofort.org
; 306 S Main St; adult/child $5/free; 10am-4pm Tue-Sat, 11am-3pm Sun
Jun-Aug; )
This museum is set on the site of the original 1862 fort, with a couple of the
real deal buildings still left. It was built by 12 men as a base of operations for settlement,
trade and Indian protection - meaning protection from Native Americans, which involved
attacking the Ute and surrounding tribes.
MUSEUM
SPACe Gallery
GALLERY
