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Alamosa County

Alamosa County, named for the Spanish word for “cottonwood grove,” is located in the high San Luis Valley of south central Colorado. At 7,544 feet, the valley is bordered by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the east and the San Juan Mountains to the…

Bain’s Department Store

In 1935 Joe Bain and his son, Victor, opened Bain’s Department Store on Main Street in Alamosa. After Bain’s closed, Victor Bain continued to own the building for decades, renting it out to a variety of automobile dealers and appliance shops. In 1994 the…

Cottonwood Trees

One of the most ecologically and culturally significant trees in Colorado, the plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides monilifera) thrives near rivers and riparian areas throughout the state. It is one of the only tree species to grow on Colorado’s Great…

San Luis Valley

Covering nearly 8,000 square miles in southern Colorado, the San Luis Valley is the largest valley in the state and the largest high-altitude desert in North America. Known as “the Valley” by locals and other Coloradans, the San Luis Valley is bordered…