With the military post having moved west to present day Durango, the remaining Camp Lewis was renamed Pagosa Springs. The citizens of Pagosa Springs worked together to “bring progress to their fledgling community”1. In 1885, the state legislature voted to donate Camp Lewis to the Town of Pagosa Springs. Thirty-eight citizens voted for the incorporation of the Town of Pagosa Springs with twenty-six approving with twelve against. Pagosa Springs then became an incorporated community in 1891.
Archuleta County was once part of Conejos County. After the formation of the state of Colorado in 1876, A.D. Archuleta was elected to the House of Representatives and served two terms. In 1883, he was elected to the state senate from Conejos County and served four years. In this office, A.D. Archuleta introduced the bill which proposed separating Archuleta County from Conejos County. It was A.D.’s intent to have name of the county be Pagosa. However, his fellow senators objected and instead pushed for the adoption of Archuleta as the name of the new county.
A.D., Jose Antonio Donaciano Archuleta and his wife Lauriana Gallegos were both born in Taos, New Mexico. They married in 1877 and made their home in Conejos County. Ten years later, in 1887, A.D. and his wife Lauriana moved to Archuleta County and became some the first ranchers and farmers. They raised two sons, Congonio and Daniel Ross Archuleta.
1. Pierce, Shari. “Pagosa Springs Colorado, A Brief History” 2003, San Juan Historical Society.