La Veta

HUERFANO COUNTY GOVERNMENT

La Veta

Satellite Image courtesy of the Huerfano County GIS Department

Looking Southwest across La Veta

The old La Veta Pass Train Station, now the new La Veta Town Hall

La Veta, Colorado is situated on the eastern side of La Veta Pass through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and at the northern opening of the Cuchara River Valley. Just south of town is the foot of the West Spanish Peak. At the southern edge of town is the eighteen hole, Tom Weiskopf designed Grandote Golf Course. La Veta is surrounded by the Great Dikes of the Spanish Peaks - large, vertical granite formations that radiate outward from the Spanish Peaks. These days the town has become known throughout Colorado as an artist colony, although there are still plenty of cattle ranchers and an elk rancher or two.

Fort Francisco in central La Veta

Another view of the Fort

One branch of the Santa Fe Trail led westward into the San Luis Valley via the Sangre de Cristo Pass in northwestern Huerfano County. In 1862, a former sutler with the US Army at Fort Garland, Col. John M. Francisco, and Judge Henry Daigle built Fort Francisco on land purchased from the Vigil-St. Vrain Land Grant, significantly south and west of most of the San Luis Valley-bound traffic. Originally the Fort was a complete square built around an open plaza in the center. The only gateway opened to the north. The Fort was built of adobe one foot thick, with dirt floors and dirt roofs with parapets for defense.

Oktoberfest on Main Street in La Veta

As more settlers moved into this beautiful and fertile valley, the Fort increased in importance as shelter from Indians and as the commercial center for the area. The first Post Office, named Spanish Peaks, opened in the Plaza in 1871. By 1875 the Indian threat was almost completely gone. In 1876 the narrow gauge railroad came through La Veta several blocks north of the Fort on its way westward through the newly surveyed La Veta Pass. In 1877 the permanent rail depot was built beside the rails and the business community slowly moved north to it. For many years, this stretch of the line between La Veta and Wagon Creek was the highest in the world. The old grade can still be seen to the west of La Veta and higher up across Old La Veta Pass. The old depot building at the summit is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1877 La Veta Depot that stands next to Main Street by the tracks was brought down from the top of Old La Veta Pass and installed in town where it was refurbed and converted into the new La Veta Town Hall. Beginning in May, 2006 (and running into October), the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad will offer daily excursion service to Alamosa, Antonito and points beyond, embarking and disembarking at the La Veta Depot.

Looking along south on Main Street

Other Data:

Elevation: 7,000 feet
Average annual precipitation: 18.0 inches
Terrain: Alpine mountain valley bridging mountains and high plains
January temperature: High: 48 Low: 19
July temperature: High: 91 Low 58
Days of Sunshine per year: 300+
La Veta Population 2000 census: 924
Huerfano County Population 2000 census: 7,862