Mike Butler and Monte Vista Historical Society's Books

Southern Colorado: O.T. Davis Collection

By: Mike Butler and Monte Vista Historical Society

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Southern Colorado: O.T. Davis Collection

By: Mike Butler and Monte Vista Historical Society

When the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad laid narrow-gauge tracks into La Veta in southern Colorado in July 1876, it preceded Colorado statehood on August 1 by about one month. The southern Colorado frontier from Walsenburg west to Wolf Creek Pass had only a few scattered villages at this time, but silver mines in southwestern Colorado lured the railroad ever westward to haul out the riches. On the scene to photograph these developments was Iowan Ory Thomas (O.T.) Davis, who moved to Colorado in 1885 to work in the copper mines northwest of La Veta. Davis, backed by corporate sponsors from the mines and railroads, opened a commercial photography business in the Walsenburg-La Veta area in 1888 and, later, in Alamosa in 1906. The photographs of O.T. Davis collected in this book vividly capture a bygone era, documenting the frontier history of southern Colorado in the early years of statehood.

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Page Count

128

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1467131733

ISBN 13

9781467131735

Around the Spanish Peaks

By: Mike Butler

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Around the Spanish Peaks

By: Mike Butler

Rising up to 13,623 feet above the plains, the twin Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado have been a beacon to travelers for centuries. Native Americans from the Comanche and Ute tribes pitched their teepees in the lush river valleys around the mountains. Spanish explorers from Mexico followed legends of gold here. Migrants on the Santa Fe Trail sighted the peaks at the end of their long trek across the Great Plains. Coal mining and railroads brought a new wave of settlers to the region in the 1870s. Today, visitors head to Walsenburg, La Veta, and Cuchara to enjoy the incredible mountain scenery and year-round recreational activities.

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130

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Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

0738576247

ISBN 13

9780738576244

Great Sand Dunes National Park

By: Mike Butler

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Great Sand Dunes National Park

By: Mike Butler

Southern Colorados unique Great Sand Dunes rise to a height of 750 feet above the San Luis Valley floor and are the nations highest dunes not adjacent to an ocean or lake. The sweeping dunes were protected as a national monument in 1932 and as a national park in 2000. From prehistoric hunter-gatherers to the historic Ute Indian tribe, inhabitants have long used the resources of the land around the dunes. Zebulon Pike was the first American explorer to witness the dunes in 1807, followed by a long procession of other explorers, ranchers, and miners. Today, visitors from around the world come to climb up and slide down the dunes in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

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