A Brief History of Archuleta County

The portion of Colorado that is now Archuleta County was originally occupied by the Anasazi, then by the Ute, Navajo and Apache. This area was first claimed for Spain by the early Spanish explorers, after the Mexican revolution it was in the Territory of Northern Mexico. Upon conclusion of the war with Mexico in 1848, it became a possession of the United States and was part of the Utah Territory. While a part of the Utah Territory this area was included in Iron County later a portion was part of Washington County. Congress recognized the Colorado Territory in 1861, at that time it became part of Conejos County, Colorado. Archuleta County was formed 14 April,1885, the county was named in honor of State Senator Antonio D. Archuleta.

The Escalante Trail and later the Spanish Trail traversed this area, this was a trade route between Santa Fe and California. The Spanish Trail was traveled by many now famous persons such as Pratt, Wolfskill and Carson.

Other than Native Americans, the earliest inhabitants of the area were miners, fur trappers and traders seeking their fortunes. The military made several expeditions into and through the area, one such expedition was by Lt. Col. E. H. Bergman to locate a suitable spot to construct Fort Plummer. However, prior to the fort's construction Col. William Henry Lewis, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and distinguished veteran of the Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass was killed in a battle on the Kansas frontier. The fort was subsequently named in his honor, Fort Lewis was established near the sacred Pagosa Hot Springs in 1878. Fort Lewis was moved to Hesperus Colorado in 1881 and on January 21, 1881 the military issued a general order to change the name of the temporary camp from Fort Lewis to Pagosa Springs. The Town of Pagosa Springs was incorporated on March 2, 1891.