1897 Map of Spanish Peaks

About this map

East Spanish Peak and West Spanish Peak dominate the northwestern horizon of this 1895 survey, casting long shadows over a landscape defined by deep canyons and the burgeoning coal-mining industry of southern Colorado. The map documents a critical period of industrial expansion, where the Denver and Rio Grande R.R. Trinidad Line and the Colorado And Southern R.R. thread through the foothills, connecting coal camps like Berwind and Ludlow to the wider world. Along the southern edge, the Purgatoire River valley supports a series of older agricultural settlements and plazas, including Weston, Vigil, and Tijeras (Madrid P.O.). The presence of the Maxwell Grant boundary and numerous family-named landmarks like Trujillo Plaza and Martinez Plaza reflects the complex land-use history and cultural heritage of Las Animas County before the large-scale changes of the early 20th century.