Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5 |
||
| (214 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|Town in Saguache County, Colorado, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info ---------------->
|name = Saguache, Colorado
|settlement_type = [[Town]]
|motto =
<!-- images and maps ----------->
|image_skyline = Saguache, Colorado.JPG
|image_caption = 4th Street in downtown Saguache (2012)
|image_map = File:Saguache County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Saguache Highlighted 0867005.svg
|mapsize = 250x200px
|map_caption = Location of Saguache in Saguache County, Colorado.
|image_dot_map =
|pushpin_map = <!-- the name of a ___location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption =
|pushpin_mapsize =
<!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flagu|United States}}
|subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Colorado}}
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Colorado|County]]<ref name=COMun>{{cite web|url=http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html |title=Active Colorado Municipalities |publisher=[[Colorado|State of Colorado]], Department of Local Affairs |access-date=September 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212060308/http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html |archive-date=December 12, 2009 }}</ref>
|subdivision_name2 = [[Saguache County, Colorado|Saguache County]] – [[County seat|seat]]<ref name=CountySeatsCO>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/cntyseat.html|title=Colorado County Seats|publisher=[[State of Colorado]], Department of Public Health and Environment|accessdate=December 31, 2007}}</ref>
|subdivision_type3 =
|subdivision_name3 =
<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes =
|government_type = [[Colorado municipalities#Statutory town|Statutory Town]]<ref name=COMun/>
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|leader_title1 = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
|leader_name1 =
|established_title = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date =
|established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date2 = August 13, 1891<ref name=MuniIncCO>{{cite web | url = http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030823045734/http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = August 23, 2003 | title = Colorado Municipal Incorporations | publisher = [[Colorado|State of Colorado]], Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives | date = December 1, 2004 | accessdate = September 2, 2007}}</ref>
|established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3 =
<!-- Area --------------------->
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_08.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_km2 = 1.02
|area_land_km2 = 1.02
|area_water_km2 = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi = 0.39
|area_land_sq_mi = 0.39
|area_water_sq_mi = 0.00
<!-- Population ----------------------->
|population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Saguache_town,_Colorado?g=160XX00US0867005 |title=Saguache town, Colorado |author=United States Census Bureau|date= |website= |publisher= |access-date=April 2, 2023 |quote=}}</ref>
|population_note =
|population_total = 539
|population_density_km2 = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = auto
<!-- General information --------------->
|timezone = [[Mountain Standard Time|MST]]
|utc_offset = −7
|timezone_DST = [[Mountain Daylight Time|MDT]]
|utc_offset_DST = −6
|coordinates = {{coord|38|05|11|N|106|08|28|W|type:city_region:US-CO|display=it}}<ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft = 7704
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]<ref name=ZIPcode>{{cite web|url=http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp |title=ZIP Code Lookup |format=[[JavaScript]]/[[HTML]] |publisher=[[United States Postal Service]] |access-date=January 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104123722/http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp |archive-date=November 4, 2010 }}</ref>
|postal_code = 81149
|area_code = [[Area code 719|719]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 08-67005
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS feature ID]]
|blank1_info = 2412591<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2412591}}</ref>
|website = {{URL|http://www.townofsaguache.org/}}
}}
'''Saguache''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Saguache.ogg|s|ə|ˈ|w|ɑː|tʃ}} {{respell|sə|WAHTCH}}) is a [[Colorado municipalities#Statutory town|Statutory Town]] in and the [[county seat]] of [[Saguache County, Colorado|Saguache County]], [[Colorado]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|accessdate=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The population was 539 at the [[United States Census 2020]].<ref name="Census 2020" />
==History==
Saguache is a small historical village in an agricultural area in southern Colorado at the northern gateway to the [[San Luis Valley]], a valley between the [[Sangre de Cristo Range]] on the east and the [[San Juan Mountains]] to the west. [[Saguache Creek]] flows through the town from its beginnings high in the San Juan mountains. The site has been known for centuries to Native Americans who moved down from their summer homes in the mountains to the valley during the winter months. The Spanish began to move into the area in the 1600s and Spanish sheepherders passed through each year as they drove their flocks into the hills for summer grazing. Later the early white settlers and miners passed through this area, many seeking passage west along the [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)|Old Spanish Trail]]. In the mid-1860s, the first permanent white settlements were established in Saguache and the nearby town of [[Villa Grove, Colorado|Villa Grove]]. Saguache County was officially founded in 1866.
[[Image:OreWagons.jpg|thumb|left|Ore wagons, San Juan Mountains]]
The formation of the town was influenced by the occupations and needs of the era. Beginning as a trading post, in the late 1800s mining became a significant influence as the Colorado mining boom brought hundreds of mining operations to the surrounding mountains and the miners needed a steady supply of food and other goods.<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.saguachetourism.com/22-tour/saguache Discover Saguache County – Home<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The town was founded by [[Otto Mears]], who came to Saguache in 1867. Mears constructed a wheat [[threshing machine|thresher]] and a [[grist mill]] for thrashing and grinding wheat to make flour to supply Saguache and the surrounding mines. He also built toll roads over the nearby mountain passes to use for hauling supplies to mining camps to the north, and to further open the area to settlement. The Saguache Town Company was formed in 1874 turning Saguache into a booming supply town. Mears also established a newspaper, the Saguache Chronicle, to attract pioneers to Saguache. Mears later helped build the [[Million Dollar Highway]].<ref>[http://ghostdepot.com/rg/history/otto%20mears.htm Mears, Otto<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805004546/http://ghostdepot.com/rg/history/otto%20mears.htm |date=August 5, 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://cozine.com/2000-may/when-opportunity-knocked-on-saguaches-door/ When Opportunity Knocked on Saguache’s Door | Colorado Central Magazine | Colorado news, stories, essays, history and more!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Today===
[[File:Saguache School and Jail Buildings.JPG|thumb|Historic Saguache School and Jail Buildings]]
From its early days as a boom town, the population of Saguache has shrunk to around 500 residents. The Saguache visitor guide writes that "In its heyday, Saguache could boast of having the Colorado Hall (serving the purest wines and liquors), the Saguache Meat Market, a boarding house, a grocery, law firms, a hardware store, a hotel, a sawmill, and ''The Saguache Chronicle'' newspaper."<ref name=autogenerated1 /> After several name changes, ''The Saguache Chronicle'' eventually became ''[[The Saguache Crescent]]''. The paper is printed every week on a flatbed press built in 1915 with metal type cast on a [[linotype machine|Linotype]] composing machine. The Linotype may be the only one still in use in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Colorado Newspaper That's also a Time Machine |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-colorado-newspaper-thats-also-a-time-machine/ |date=February 23, 2014 |publisher=CBS News |accessdate=March 1, 2014}}</ref> It is also still the county's "paper of record," and is operated by a third generation descendant of the family who purchased it in 1917.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cozine.com/2009-august/last-of-the-hot-lead-papers/|title = Cozine Memorial Group | Wichita KS funeral home and cremation Wichita KS funeral home and cremation}}</ref>
The early sheep ranching eventually gave way to cattle and alfalfa hay production. Present-day Saguache has "one school, a library, a museum, four churches, two gas stations, one liquor store, two grocery stores, two restaurants, a sawmill, and an organic farm."<ref name=autogenerated1 />
===Name===
According to a 2013 ''Denver Post'' article entitled, "What's in a Colorado name pronunciation?", the name ''Saguache'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Saguache.ogg|s|ə|ˈ|w|ɑː|tʃ}}) comes from a [[Ute language]] word meaning "sand dune". A Native American, Naranjo, explains the history of the name: "The Utes don't have an alphabet. The way the immigrants heard it, the way you hear it, is how they spelled it. The word is 'sə wŭp;' it means 'sand dunes.' But the immigrants couldn't pronounce it, so they called it 'sə wäch.' "<ref>[http://www.denverpost.com/outwest/ci_22666597/whats-colorado-name-pronunciation What's in a Colorado name pronunciation? - The Denver Post<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
But according to a 1995 letter to the editor of the ''Colorado Central Magazine'', the name Saguache means "Blue earth — water at the blue earth." The writer had written to correct an article in which the word was said to mean "green place", but according to the writer, the word comes from a shortened form of the [[Ute language]] word "Saguaguachipa." The Ute tribe encampments were common in the area around the present-day community and the name "referred to springs in which blue earth was said to be found to the north". The Editors replied: "The Ute Dictionary, published in 1977 by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of Ignacio, Colo., defines "sagwa-ci" [diacritical marks omitted] as "'Saguache', lit. 'green place'; name of a town in the San Luis Valley in So. Colorado ..."<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://cozine.com/1995-november/what-does-saguache-mean/ What does ‘Saguache’ mean? | Colorado Central Magazine | Colorado news, stories, essays, history and more!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> One source states that the "blue earth" mentioned refers to a deposit of blue clay found near the creek.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=yC9vFvCuW84C&dq=saguaguachipa&pg=PA262 The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, and ... - Joseph Nathan Kane, Charles Curry Aiken - Google Books<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The Colorado State Historical Society has a different take on the meaning: The note on a community monument: Saguache, "the name derived from the Indian word `Blue Water'."<ref name=autogenerated2 />
The [[Spanish language]] version of this name is usually spelled "Saguache", while the [[English language]] version is usually spelled "Sawatch".
==Geography==
Saguache is served by [[U.S. Route 285 in Colorado|U.S. Route 285]] and [[Colorado State Highway 114]]. [[Saguache Creek]] flows past to the southwest of the community.<ref>''Saguache, CO,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1967 (1980 rev.)</ref>
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of
{{Weather box
|___location = Saguache, Colorado (1981–2010)
|single line = Y
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan high F = 35.4
|Feb high F = 39.9
|Mar high F = 49.8
|Apr high F = 58.8
|May high F = 67.1
|Jun high F = 76.1
|Jul high F = 79.9
|Aug high F = 77.2
|Sep high F = 71.4
|Oct high F = 61.1
|Nov high F = 47.2
|Dec high F = 35.8
|year high F = 58.3
|Jan low F = 5.4
|Feb low F = 10.7
|Mar low F = 20.5
|Apr low F = 26.8
|May low F = 35.3
|Jun low F = 43.1
|Jul low F = 49.0
|Aug low F = 48.0
|Sep low F = 39.5
|Oct low F = 29.4
|Nov low F = 17.9
|Dec low F = 6.9
|year low F = 27.7
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.23
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.21
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.39
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.56
|May precipitation inch = 0.62
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.59
|Jul precipitation inch = 1.29
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.81
|Sep precipitation inch = 1.09
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.65
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.35
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.26
|year precipitation inch= 8.05
|Jan snow inch = 3.5
|Feb snow inch = 3.7
|Mar snow inch = 3.9
|Apr snow inch = 1.8
|May snow inch = 0.5
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.7
|Nov snow inch = 2.5
|Dec snow inch = 3.6
|year snow inch=20.3
|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web |url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=pub |title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |accessdate = May 5, 2013 |archive-date = July 25, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200725034422/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=pub |url-status = dead }}</ref>
}}
==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 325
|1890= 660
|1900= 389
|1910= 620
|1920= 948
|1930= 1010
|1940= 1219
|1950= 1024
|1960= 722
|1970= 642
|1980= 656
|1990= 584
|2000= 578
|2010= 485
|2020= 539
}}
<!--As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 578 people, 262 households, and 160 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,510.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 328 housing units at an average density of {{convert|857.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 79.93% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.60% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.17% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 13.15% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.15% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 34.43% of the population.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,544, and the median income for a family was $30,221. Males had a median income of $24,306 versus $17,917 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,139. About 13.7% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.-->
==Attractions and recreation==
[[File:Saguache-Ranger-House - Flickr - USDAgov.jpg|thumb|Saguache Ranger House - Circa 1939]]
As the gateway to the [[San Juan Mountains]], home to the [[Rio Grande National Forest]] and the [[La Garita Wilderness]] Area, Saguache offers outdoor activities such as sightseeing, cycling, hiking and camping. Highway 114 to [[Cochetopa Pass]] follows the original [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)|Old Spanish Trail]], offering high country scenery and access to large tracts of public lands.
Saguache has a small museum. According to the information they provide:
<blockquote>In a tribute to our forebears and in keeping with the work ethic embedded from our agricultural heritage, this Museum has won acclaim from visitors all over the United States, and many foreign countries.<ref>[http://www.saguachetourism.com/history Discover Saguache County – History<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227080910/http://www.saguachetourism.com/history |date=2014-02-27 }}</ref><ref>[http://museumtrail.org/SaguacheTour.asp A Tour of the Saguache County Museum<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Harpers Illustration 1cropped.jpg|thumb|left|''Harper's Weekly'', October 17, 1874, issue. Illustration by John A. Randolph of the scene of "A Colorado Tragedy". Photo taken from an original copy.]]
The museum provides information related to convicted cannibal [[Alferd Packer]], who served time in the Saguache County Jail. On February 9, 1874, Alferd Packer and five other men departed from the camp of Ute [[Chief Ouray]], near what is now [[Montrose, Colorado]], prospecting for gold. The party was soon stranded in a blizzard near [[Lake City, Colorado|Lake City]] and nothing was seen of them until April, when Packer came out of the mountains alone. Packer gave several conflicting stories about the fate of the other men, but finding his stories dubious he was jailed in Saguache where he remained until August, when he escaped. By coincidence, on the day of Packer's escape from the Saguache jail, the remains of the missing prospectors were found with evidence of foul play and cannibalism. He was eventually found in Wyoming; he was returned and tried in Lake City. Found guilty, he was sentenced to 40 years and was paroled after serving 17. He died in 1907 and by all accounts had been "a model citizen" for his remaining years.<ref name=SLVMuseumAssoc>{{cite web | url=http://www.museumtrail.org/alferd-packer.html | title=Alferd Packer - "The Colorado Cannibal" | publisher=San Luis Valley Museum Association | accessdate=July 6, 2015}}</ref>
Due to the nature of the crime, at the time it was sensationalized and well-covered throughout the nation, and it remains a well-known incident locally in Colorado. The area where the bodies were discovered is now known as Cannibal Plateau.<ref name=DenverRioGrande>{{cite web|url=http://www.ghostdepot.com/rg/mainline/marshall%20route/lakecity.htm |title=Lake City, CO |publisher=Denver & Rio Grande |access-date=January 24, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227014405/http://www.ghostdepot.com/rg/mainline/marshall%20route/lakecity.htm |archive-date=February 27, 2015 }}</ref>
Packer is remembered in Lake City by holding an annual Alferd Packer Jeep Tour and Barbecue.<ref name=DenverRioGrande/> The cafeteria in the University of Colorado, Boulder, student union is called the Alferd Packer Memorial Grill.<ref name=DenverRioGrande/>
The museum displays a figure of Packer sitting in a cell with the sheriff guarding the prisoner from his chair in his office. On display are handcuffs, leg irons and other items relating to the history of Alfred Packer.<ref name=SLVMuseumAssoc/>{{clear left}}
==See also==
{{portal|Colorado}}
[[File:Saguache, Colorado town hall.JPG|thumb|Saguache Town Hall]]
* [[Old Spanish National Historic Trail]]
* [[San Luis Valley]]
==References==
{{Reflist|22em}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Saguache, Colorado}}
* {{Official website|http://www.townofsaguache.org/}}
* [https://www.airnav.com/airport/04V Saguache airport]
{{Saguache County, Colorado}}
{{Colorado county seats}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Towns in Saguache County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Towns in Colorado]]
[[Category:
[[Category:County seats in Colorado]]
| |||