%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/state-soldiers-and-sailors-home <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2294--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2294.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/old-barracks"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/State-Soldiers-Media-1_0.jpg?itok=Sw6BKiE_" width="1000" height="769" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/old-barracks" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Old Barracks</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The State Soldiers' and Sailors' Home near Monte Vista was established in 1889 and opened in 1891, when the original hospital and barracks was built.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2295--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2295.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/dairy-barn"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/State-Soldiers-Media-2_0.jpg?itok=GQB3IndN" width="1000" height="769" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/dairy-barn" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Dairy Barn</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home faced a financial crisis in the 1890s, it started to make itself more self-sufficient, in part by establishing an agricultural operation to provide the home with food and income. The home's dairy cows were highly regarded.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2296--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2296.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/infirmary"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/State-Soldiers-Media-3_0.jpg?itok=FPDYKfaQ" width="999" height="735" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/infirmary" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Infirmary</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In 1928 the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home added a new infirmary to improve the home's medical care. At the time, the infirmary was one of the best medical facilities in the San Luis Valley.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2297--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2297.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/soldiers-and-sailors-home"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/State-Soldiers-Media-4_0.jpg?itok=6kRRg4Ys" width="1000" height="769" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/soldiers-and-sailors-home" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Soldiers&#039; and Sailors&#039; Home</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>During the early twentieth century, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home expanded significantly with new cottages, apartments, and administrative buildings. The grounds were planted with trees, making it a pleasant place for Monte Vista families to have a picnic.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-02-01T14:51:22-07:00" title="Wednesday, February 1, 2017 - 14:51" class="datetime">Wed, 02/01/2017 - 14:51</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/state-soldiers-and-sailors-home" data-a2a-title="State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fstate-soldiers-and-sailors-home&amp;title=State%20Soldiers%E2%80%99%20and%20Sailors%E2%80%99%20Home"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Located east of <strong>Monte Vista</strong> in the <strong><a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-luis-valley">San Luis Valley</a> </strong> (3694 Sherman Ave, Monte Vista, Colorado), the State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home was established in 1889 as a home for aging and disabled Civil War veterans in Colorado. The facility grew over the years to include cottages, apartments, social buildings, and a modern nursing home, and it has housed veterans of every major American conflict since the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/civil-war-colorado"><strong>Civil War</strong></a>. Now known as the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake, the facility offers semi-independent assisted living and full-time nursing care for veterans, their spouses or widows, and parents who have lost a child in military service.</p> <h2>Housing Veterans in Monte Vista</h2> <p>In 1889 the Grand Army of the Republic—the influential Civil War veterans’ organization—secured passage in the <strong>Colorado state legislature</strong> of a bill to provide a home for the state’s aging and disabled veterans. As the bill made its way through the legislature, state senator Adair Wilson of <strong>Del Norte</strong> managed to attach a provision that the home had to be built in the San Luis Valley. This outraged <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a> real estate interests, who had assumed the home would be located in or near the capital, and quickly launched a competition between the San Luis Valley towns of <strong>Alamosa</strong>, Del Norte, and Monte Vista to secure the home. Monte Vista won the bidding war by offering the home 160 acres of land and a 67-acre lake a few miles east of town, as well as perpetual water rights and $9,000 in cash.</p> <p>In 1891 the State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home started operations. Construction on the first building, a combined hospital and barracks, started on July 4 and was completed in November. Soon the building was filled to capacity, and plans were in progress to expand the home with another barracks, a chapel, and a commander’s residence. Meanwhile, nearby Stanger Lake was dredged and deepened to make it less swampy. It was renamed Sherman Lake and is now known as Homelake.</p> <h2>Financial Crisis and Farming</h2> <p>The early years at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home were difficult. Denver real estate interests were trying to choke off state funds as a way of pressuring the home to move to Denver. What little funding the institution did receive was being mismanaged by the home’s commander. And after the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/panic-1893"><strong>Panic of 1893</strong></a>, the number of veterans trying to get into the home soared. By 1894 the home faced a financial crisis. It survived thanks to the Colorado branch of the Grand Army of the Republic, which raised money to keep it alive.</p> <p>The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home also increased its financial stability by making the institution largely self-sufficient. As part of this effort, the home started to focus on agricultural production—especially under the leadership of Chauncey Aldrich, who became commander in 1903. An orchard of 285 trees was planted in 1902. The farm provided meaningful work for residents, who helped with farming and raised cows, chickens, and hogs. This work provided the home with its food as well as a source of income, as it sold surplus to other state institutions. In 1906 the home made a profit of $2,000, and by 1907 it was out of debt.</p> <p>State legislative appropriations in 1919 and 1922 allowed the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home to improve and expand its farm. At its height, the property grew to more than 600 acres. The home had highly regarded dairy cows, a huge potato crop, and its own slaughterhouse and smokehouse.</p> <h2>Growth and Change</h2> <p>When the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home opened in 1891, it had only one building and a cemetery. Over the next fifty years the home expanded significantly, with several bursts of construction. In 1898 the home added administrative buildings and other facilities made of local <strong>rhyolite</strong> stone—the Administration Building, the Superintendent’s Residence, the Paden-Meyer Memorial Chapel (which also housed the library and post office), the Main Recreation Hall, and the Central Dining Hall. The facility’s original 1891 building was demolished in the 1960s, leaving these 1898 buildings as the oldest remaining.</p> <p>Another round of construction occurred in the 1910s, including new types of residential buildings that provided more privacy for residents and their wives, who were now allowed to live at the home for the first time. In 1914–15 the home’s first cottages were built, and in 1919–20 the home added four brick apartment buildings with eight units each. Built to house a growing population of veterans’ wives, widows, and mothers, the apartment buildings near Homelake were known as Petticoat Lane.</p> <p>In 1928 a new infirmary was built to provide better medical care than could be offered at the original 1891 hospital and barracks building. At the time, the infirmary was one of the best medical facilities in the San Luis Valley. The last major stage of construction at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home came during the late 1930s, when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided roughly $50,000 of labor and performed about $200,000 worth of improvements. WPA workers built new cottages, apartment buildings, and garages, and did maintenance work on a variety of older structures.</p> <p>The facilities and farm at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home offered residents a variety of opportunities for work and relaxation. Residents worked at least one six-hour day per week, for which they were paid a small wage. This left them plenty of time for fishing in Homelake, hiking, watching movies in the chapel (which began doubling as a theater in 1911), playing billiards in the Game Room, doing needlework in the Ladies’ Lounge, and attending dances at the Main Recreation Hall. The home’s grounds, which were planted with cottonwoods and evergreens throughout the twentieth century, became a popular place for picnics and celebrations among Monte Vista families.</p> <p>After World War II, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home suffered from funding cuts and administrative problems. By the 1950s federal inspectors were complaining about the conditions of the aging buildings. In 1957 Governor <strong>Stephen McNichols</strong> quietly floated the idea of selling the facility to the federal government to use as a school for Navajo children, but the proposal went nowhere. The home sold some of its farmland to generate revenue, and enrollment declined.</p> <p>In 1965 the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home was renamed the Colorado State Veterans Center. With average life expectancy increasing, the home began to care for more aging and senile veterans who previously would have been sent to the state mental institution in<a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/pueblo-0"><strong> Pueblo</strong></a>. This new focus on providing medical care to aging veterans helped the institution survive and grow. In the early 1990s the home added a three-wing nursing home that could provide up to sixty aging veterans with full-time modern medical care.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>In 1995 the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home was listed on the State Register of Historic Properties, but it continued to suffer from a lack of funding that made building maintenance difficult. By 2005, deferred maintenance of historic buildings at the home led the nonprofit Colorado Preservation Inc. to name it one of the state’s <strong>Most Endangered Places</strong>. The designation helped spur new preservation efforts, including the establishment of the Homelake Historic Preservation and Restoration Foundation. Over the next decade the Colorado Department of Human Services secured <strong>State Historical Fund</strong> (SHF) grants to prepare a new master plan for the site and rehabilitate the cottages, chapel, and library, while the Homelake Foundation received SHF grants to prepare a historic structure assessment and begin an exterior rehabilitation project on the Administration Building.</p> <p>A 2002 statute established the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home as a repository for all unclaimed military memorabilia in Colorado. To house and display the collection, the Homelake Foundation started the Homelake Veterans’ History Museum, which is housed in the old Dining Hall. In the future, the foundation plans to partner with the San Luis Valley Museum Association and Monte Arts Council to turn the Administration Building into the Homelake Interpretive History and Conference Center, which will include an events center and educational exhibits on military history and historic preservation.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/monte-vista" hreflang="en">Monte Vista</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-luis-valley" hreflang="en">San Luis Valley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/veterans" hreflang="en">veterans</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/homelake" hreflang="en">Homelake</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/endangered-places" hreflang="en">Endangered Places</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>David Migoya, <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2007/05/27/veterans-home-a-disgrace/">“Veterans’ Home a ‘Disgrace,’”</a> <em>Denver Post</em>, May 27, 2007.</p> <p><a href="https://coloradopreservation.org/programs/endangered-places/endangered-places-archives/soldiers-sailors-home/">“Soldiers’ &amp; Sailors’ Home,”</a> Colorado Preservation, Endangered Places Archives.</p> <p>Sarah Zaske, Daniela Caro, Marty Alexandroff, and Lynn Lohr, “State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home,” Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Nomination Form (July 7, 1995).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Luther E. Bean, <em>Land of the Blue Sky People</em> (Monte Vista, CO: Monte Vista Journal, 1962).</p> <p>Emma M. Riggenbach, <em>A Bridge to Yesterday: An Early History of Monte Vista, Colorado</em> (Monte Vista, CO: High Valley Press, 1982).</p> <p>Rocky Mountain PBS,&nbsp;<a href="https://video.rmpbs.org/video/2365603249/">"The San Luis Valley,"</a>&nbsp;<em>Colorado Experience</em>, November 12, 2015.</p> <p>Virginia McConnell Simmons, <em>The San Luis Valley: Land of the Six-Armed Cross</em>, 2nd ed. (Niwot: University Press of Colorado, 1999).</p> <p><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/state.co.us/cdhs-vclc/our-homes/homelake">“Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake,”</a> Colorado Department of Human Services.</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 01 Feb 2017 21:51:22 +0000 yongli 2292 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Rio Grande County http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/rio-grande-county <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Rio Grande County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2197--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2197.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/map-colorado-highlighting-rio-grande-county"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Rio%20Grande%20Media%201_0.jpg?itok=yox1vFw1" width="1090" height="789" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/map-colorado-highlighting-rio-grande-county" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Map of Colorado Highlighting Rio Grande County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Rio Grande County is the westernmost county in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2198--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2198.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/monte-vista-colorado-1900-1910"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Rio-Grande-Media-2_0.jpg?itok=MPAvXV8K" width="1000" height="757" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/monte-vista-colorado-1900-1910" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Monte Vista, Colorado (1900-1910)</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Monte Vista was a blossoming agricultural community at the beginning of the twentieth century.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-01-23T13:24:06-07:00" title="Monday, January 23, 2017 - 13:24" class="datetime">Mon, 01/23/2017 - 13:24</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/rio-grande-county" data-a2a-title="Rio Grande County"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Frio-grande-county&amp;title=Rio%20Grande%20County"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Rio Grande County is located in the western <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-luis-valley"><strong>San Luis Valley</strong></a> in south-central Colorado. It covers 912 square miles and ranges in elevation from 7,000 feet on the valley floor to over 13,000 feet atop several mountain peaks. <strong>Del Norte</strong> is the county seat, and <strong>Monte Vista</strong>, operating as a Home-Rule Municipality, is the most populous city. The county is named for the <strong>Rio Grande River</strong>, formerly known as the Río Bravo del Norte, the principal river of the San Luis Valley. Rio Grande County is bordered by <a href="/article/saguache-county"><strong>Saguache County</strong></a> to the north, <a href="/article/alamosa-county"><strong>Alamosa County</strong></a> to the east, <a href="/article/conejos-county"><strong>Conejos County</strong></a> to the south, <a href="/article/archuleta-county"><strong>Archuleta County</strong></a> to the southwest, and <a href="/article/mineral-county"><strong>Mineral County</strong></a> to the west. As of 2015, the county had a population of 11,543.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Indigenous History</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Human habitation in the San Luis Valley stretches back at least 10,000 years, when indigenous hunter-gatherers used the area as a seasonal hunting ground. <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/clovis"><strong>Clovis</strong></a> and Yuma people left physical evidence of their presence in the form of petroglyphs and stone spear points. Although large gaps exist in the archaeological record, more recent native peoples, such as the Nuche (<a href="/search/google/ute"><strong>Ute</strong></a> people) continued the tradition of hunting <a href="/article/rocky-mountain-elk"><strong>elk</strong></a>, <strong>bison</strong>, and smaller game in the valley’s mild summer months before wintering in northern New Mexico and Arizona. Harsh winters discouraged permanent settlement in the area. The petroglyphs etched into stone faces on the western side of the San Luis Valley demonstrate an ancient native presence, while pictographs of horses and armed soldiers paint a more recent history. The <strong>Cheyenne</strong>, <strong>Comanche,</strong> <strong>Apache</strong>, and Navajo also frequented the area, but the Nuche remained the dominant presence in the region through the 1700s. In the 1860s and 1870s, a series of treaties and agreements signed by representatives of the Utes and the US government relegated the Utes to lands west of the San Luis Valley, solidifying US dominance of Colorado.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Arrival of Europeans</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Spaniards were the first Europeans to visit the area that would eventually become Rio Grande County. Spain laid claim to the entire Luis Valley, but the area proved difficult to settle due to harsh winters, geographic isolation, and resistance from the Utes. General Don Diego de Vargas passed through the San Luis Valley on a reprisal campaign after the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, and New Mexico Governor <strong>Don Juan Bautista de Anza</strong> and his men passed through the San Luis Valley in their pursuit of the Comanche leader <strong>Cuerno Verde</strong> in 1779. The first prominent Americans to pass through the area were explorers <a href="/article/zebulon-montgomery-pike"><strong>Zebulon Pike</strong></a> and his men in the early months of 1807 and <a href="/article/john-c-frémont"><strong>John C. Frémont</strong></a>’s Fourth Rocky Mountain expedition of 1848, both of whom learned of the valley’s inhospitable winters firsthand.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Following independence from Spain in 1820, Mexico began issuing <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/mexican-land-grants-colorado"><strong>land grants</strong></a> to attract settlers to the former Spanish “far north.” One such grant, the 1833 Conejos Guadalupe Land Grant, included parts of present-day Saguache, Rio Grande, and Conejos Counties. An attempt to settle the grant in 1843 was thwarted by Utes and Navajos, but later attempts were more successful. The San Luis Valley came under control of the United States following the Mexican-American War in 1848, and became part of <a href="/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a> in 1861. The United States represented a strong military presence, easing would-be settlers’ fears about native depredations.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Several small settlements took hold in present-day Rio Grande County throughout the nineteenth century. In 1859 fourteen families from Santa Fe and northern New Mexico constructed a plaza near present-day Del Norte called La Loma de San José. In 1865 New Mexican Manuel Lucero built the Lucero Plaza four miles up the Rio Grande from Monte Vista.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The early settlers of what became Rio Grande County lived mostly as farmers and shepherds, with the arid desert conditions of the San Luis Valley posing a familiar challenge for the former New Mexicans. Settlers often used natural arroyos for irrigation before digging more efficient ditch systems. The Silva Ditch was the first in the area, followed by dozens more. T. C. Henry, a local businessman and community leader, incorporated many of these early ditches into organized canal systems. Several historic trends encouraged the spread of agriculture in the area after the 1860s. First, the <a href="/article/homestead"><strong>Homestead Act</strong></a> of 1862 encouraged western settlement; then, several treaties relegated the native Utes to lands further west of the San Luis Valley; and finally, Colorado’s <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/precious-metal-mining-colorado"><strong>mining boom</strong></a> brought increased needs for fresh produce.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Mining and Railroads</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1870 Coloradans discovered gold at the base of the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a>, sparking a modest gold rush to the western San Luis Valley. Prospectors south of Del Norte found gold at Wightman’s Gulch, leading to the development of the Summitville Mining District in 1872–73. Summitville proved a lucrative investment during its first decade of operation, producing over $2 million in gold between 1873 and 1887, with much smaller payouts between 1887 and 1923. Partly because of its higher population, Rio Grande County was formed in 1874 from parts of Conejos and <a href="/article/costilla-county"><strong>Costilla</strong></a> Counties.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As mining attracted American settlers to the area, visionary industrialist <a href="/article/william-jackson-palmer"><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a> expanded his railways into the San Luis Valley to connect the bustling communities with the rest of Colorado and New Mexico. The <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railroad</strong> (D&amp;RG) was built west from <strong>Alamosa</strong> to Del Norte in 1878 and on toward mines in the San Juans in 1881; following the Rio Grande, the line bypassed some existing settlements on the valley floor while linking others. A supply station built near La Loma Del Norte plaza would become the town of Del Norte, and another station further west would become <strong>South Fork</strong>. The line continued to <strong>Wagon Wheel Gap</strong> toward mining districts in <a href="/article/creede"><strong>Creede</strong></a> the following decade.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Between the stations at Alamosa and Del Norte, the D&amp;RG built a water tank at a point called Lariat. In 1881 Charles Fassett and Lillian L. Taylor built the L.L. Fassett Store nearby, and the Town of Henry, named for T. C. Henry, was founded in 1884. Henry was renamed and incorporated as Monte Vista in 1886, and Fassett became the first mayor. Monte Vista was touted by boosters as a dry town that demonstrated refinement in the rugged American west. The town soon became the agricultural center for the San Luis Valley, as the Empire Farm Company and Empire Canal Company developed the surrounding farmlands and a sugar beet factory was opened in 1915.<strong> Center</strong>, another important settlement in Rio Grande County, was organized in 1898 by cattle and horse rancher James L. Hurt.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The San Luis Central, a small independent rail line, was built between Monte Vista and Center in 1913 to haul <a href="/article/sugar-beet-industry"><strong>sugar beets</strong></a>, lettuce, and other produce to larger railway networks. Although mining did not serve a prominent role in the Rio Grande County economy for more than a few years, locals tapped the agricultural potential of the San Luis Valley to feed hungry miners in the San Juans and elsewhere.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Twentieth-Century Development</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>As shown by the rapid development of Monte Vista, local agriculture thrived during the first quarter of the twentieth century. In 1914 local school districts solidified, following national trends toward standardization of education. Monte Vista began hosting its <strong>Ski-Hi Stampede</strong> in 1919, the oldest-running annual rodeo in the state. The valley continued to attract settlers, but the <strong>Great Depression</strong> and <a href="/article/dust-bowl"><strong>Dust Bowl</strong></a> of the 1930s deeply affected Rio Grande County and other rural economies that relied on agricultural production. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s <a href="/article/new-deal-colorado"><strong>New Deal</strong></a>, the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a hospital in Monte Vista and a community center in Center. By 1936, State Highway 160 extended through Rio Grande County and Del Norte, connecting the area to the interstate highway system and expanding national markets. The population of Rio Grande County grew to over 12,000 in 1940, and has leveled off somewhat since.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Summitville Mining District received little attention after 1950, but in the 1980s new mining techniques that used cyanide heap pits to extract gold from low-grade ore drew companies back to abandoned mines throughout the west. The Summitville Consolidated Mining Company conducted open-pit leaching from 1984 until 1992, when it was discovered that cyanide and heavy metals leaked into the local water system, killing aquatic life along seventeen miles of the Alamosa River. At the request of the state, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took over the site under Superfund Emergency Response authority, and has since spent over $100 million in cleanup efforts. The <strong>Summitville incident</strong> was one of Colorado’s worst environmental disasters, but the episode helped shine light on national issues such as land use, mining practices, and environmental stewardship.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Much of the modern economy of Rio Grande County is reliant on agriculture, with potatoes, wheat, and barley being the main cash crops. Despite low precipitation—five to seven inches per year—and a modest growing season of 100 days, local farming thrives thanks in large part to irrigation from the Rio Grande River. Farmers rely on <strong>center-pivot irrigation</strong> with water from nearby mountain springs and artesian wells. Ranchers raise cattle, hogs, and sheep, while local food-processing plants provide additional jobs in the agricultural sector.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Outdoor tourism is another important economic pillar of Rio Grande County. The <strong>Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge</strong> attracts thousands of visitors each year, especially during the spring, when nearly 20,000 sandhill cranes pass through during migration. Several endangered or threatened species—including the whooping crane, lynx, Mexican spotted owl, and bald eagle—reside in Rio Grande County. The county’s other protected areas, including the Rio Grande and Home Lake State Wildlife Areas, help conserve wildlife and public lands but also allow hunting and fishing in some areas. Sixty percent of land in the county is managed by a public authority, including 273,000 acres run by the <a href="/article/us-forest-service-colorado"><strong>US Forest Service</strong></a> and smaller tracts managed by the <strong>Bureau of Land Management</strong>, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the state. Rio Grande National Forest offers camping, hiking, skiing, and other opportunities for outdoor recreation. Wolf Creek Ski Area, founded just west of the county in 1935, continues to provide locals and tourists with the highest annual <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/snow"><strong>snowfall </strong></a>of any Colorado resort.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Rio Grande County’s historic resources also attract visitors, as they collectively demonstrate significant patterns in Colorado and San Luis Valley history. Early structures built by some of the first prominent settlers of the area, such as Del Norte’s 1870s <strong>Keck Homestead</strong> and <strong>Windsor Hotel</strong>, remain in good condition, as does the 1885 <strong>Aldrich House</strong> and <strong>Downtown Historic District</strong> in Monte Vista. Several historic religious structures—including the 1881 <a href="/article/st-francis-assisi-mission-church"><strong>St. Francis of Assisi Mission Church</strong></a> near Del Norte, the 1922 First Methodist Episcopal Church in Monte Vista, and the 1912 Monte Vista Cemetery Chapel—demonstrate the religious diversity of early Rio Grande County. Several other structures in Monte Vista reflect the growth of educational and civil facilities, including the 1895 Monte Vista Library, the 1919 Carnegie Library, and the 1938 Central School Auditorium &amp; Gymnasium. Founded in the 1890s, the <a href="/article/state-soldiers%E2%80%99-and-sailors%E2%80%99-home"><strong>State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home</strong></a> east of Monte Vista still provides care for veterans. The rich historic resources of Rio Grande County reflect a history of rapid development, agriculture, transportation, and cultural diversity.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Rio Grande County continues to attract farmworkers from around Colorado and the Southwest. In recent years, the population of rural Rio Grande County—especially the area around South Fork—has grown substantially, often in the form of seasonal or part-time residents attracted to modest property values and mild summers. The area remains a vital transportation corridor, with US Highways 285 and 160 connecting local producers with shippers and consumers in Colorado and New Mexico.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/county-history" hreflang="en">county history</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/del-norte" hreflang="en">del norte</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/rio-grande-river" hreflang="en">rio grande river</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-luis-valley" hreflang="en">San Luis Valley</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/monte-vista" hreflang="en">Monte Vista</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/mexican-land-grants" hreflang="en">mexican land grants</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/juan-bautista-de-anza" hreflang="en">juan bautista de anza</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/william-jackson-palmer" hreflang="en">william jackson palmer</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Carl Abbott, Stephen J. Leonard, and Thomas J. Noel, <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=ti%3A%22Colorado:%20A%20History%20of%20the%20Centennial%20State%22" title="Find in a library with WorldCat (external link)"><em>Colorado: A History of the Centennial State</em></a>, 4th ed. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2005).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>History Colorado, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/oahp/rio-grande-county">Rio Grande County</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Geoffrey S. Plumlee, <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1995/ofr-95-0023/summit.htm">The Summitville Mine and its Downstream Effects</a>, USGS, updated 2013.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Martha Quillen, “<a href="https://www.cozine.com:8443/2001-december/mexican-land-grants-in-colorado">Mexican Land Grants in Colorado</a>,” <em>Colorado Central Magazine</em>, December 2001.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Rio Grande County, <a href="https://cityofmontevista.colorado.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/143">Rio Grande County Joint Master Plan</a>, 2004.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Virginia McConnell Simmons, <em>The San Luis Valley: Land of the Six-Armed Cross</em> (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 1999).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>P. J. Smith, “<a href="http://crestoneeagle.com/archives2005/headlineB1.nov05.html">The Summitville Mine: Colorado’s Worst Environmental Disaster</a>,” <em>Crestone Eagle</em>, November 2005.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>South Fork Visitor Center, “<a href="https://www.southfork.org/south-fork/history-heritage">South Fork History</a>,” 2013.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>US Census Bureau, “<a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/08105">Census Quickfacts: Rio Grande County</a>,” updated 2015.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><a href="https://monte-vista.org/Agriculture.htm">Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.riograndecounty.org/">Rio Grande County</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.museumtrail.org/rio-grande-county-museum">Rio Grande County Museum</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>Rocky Mountain PBS, <a href="https://video.rmpbs.org/video/2365603249/">"The San Luis Valley,"</a> <em>Colorado Experience</em>, November 12, 2015.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 23 Jan 2017 20:24:06 +0000 yongli 2196 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org