Trinidad,Colorado

walking tour

TRINIDAD HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE

“A WALK THROUGH THE HISTORY OF TRINIDAD” – A MULTIMEDIA WALKING TOUR AND GUIDE

The historical architecture tours showcased on this page are a three-part series, which will include guided audio tours for North Commercial Street, East Main Street, and West Main Street in Trinidad, Colorado. The text of this tour is based on the brilliant and incredibly detailed written guide carefully crafted by Gerald H. Stokes, the most recent version of which was printed and copyrighted by the Trinidad Historical Society in 2007. The guide is called, A Walk Through the History of Trinidad, an irreverent and frankly gossipy guide through the Corazón de Trinidad National Historic District.

With the permission of the Trinidad Historical Society, the audio version of this written guide is brought to you by the Trinidad Tourism Board. Owing to the generosity of a grant awarded by the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA), that same guide has been further expanded to allow access online in the format you see below. Slight edits have been made to the original text of the guide to ensure currency of information by members of the Trinidad community, tourism board, and Marty Hackett, Manager of the Colorado Welcome Center. Voice recording, audio tour production, and digital implementation by Kristi Rogers.

To explore this multimedia resource on Trinidad’s historical architecture, click the link directly below this paragraph to access the audio tour on your mobile device or computer, or scroll down to view 360 degree images of West and East Main Streets and Commercial Street in a virtual reality format while listening to audio excerpts from the tour, from which you can also link to the full tour. Enjoy your time in historic Trinidad!

FULL HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE GUIDE

THE TRINIDAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND GERALD H. STOKES

The Trinidad Historical Society is, in its own words, a “long standing group dedicated to preserving and sharing the unique history and heritage of Trinidad Colorado and the surrounding region.” The nonprofit organization based in Trinidad, Colorado is an active proponent for the fascinating history of Trinidad, and engages the community around its rich history through media channels such as their Facebook page, and various publications, of which the walking tour guide, “A Walk Through the History of Trinidad” is one.

Written by Gerald “Jerry” Stokes (1928-2010) in 1987 (most recent copyright is 2007), this guide reflects his delightfully discerning wit, incredible talent as a writer, and rich knowledge of Trinidad’s diverse history. Jerry and his wife came to Bon Carbo, and then Trinidad, after his retirement from a 25-year career as an advertising executive in Texas.

Once in Colorado, he continued freelance writing, and served as volunteer public relations director for The Mitchell Museum, and later, for the Trinidad Historical Society. He also sang in the Trinidad Community Chorale and served on the Trinidad Area Arts Council.

Jerry was a committed and beloved community member, and it is our distinct pleasure to bring his very notable contribution to life as a multimedia tour and as the impetus for a community storytelling project centered around historical architecture, for which the below is just a start.

main and commercial streets

historic West Main Street

Historic Intersection of Main and Commercial Streets

Historic downtown, 1911

historic east Main Street

North Commercial street historical photo

historic north commercial Street

HISTORY OF TRINIDAD AND MAIN AND COMMERCIAL STREETS

…For a relatively small town, Trinidad has an amazing amount of history – and not small town stuff, either. The brick-paved streets of Trinidad have time and again echoed with the cries and taunts and marching feet of violence, the roar of guns and the galloping horses of pursuit, the screams of women, and the warning shouts of men. And more than once the eyes of the nation have turned with surprise and fascination on this small city.

History jostled and jolted its way here on the creaky wheels of overladen freight wagons pulled by groaning oxen. The Mountain Route of the famous Santa Fe Trail had several routes across the prairies but they all converged at the site of Trinidad and two of the major ones joined at what is now the center of town, the intersection of Main and Commercial Streets. So, though the first settlers came in the early 1860s to farm and ranch, the town that soon developed was a trading town and a rest and repair stop because of the Trail…

FULL HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE GUIDE

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Play the audio above for a brief introduction to the full audio tour.

main and commercial streets

trinidad opera house

columbian hotel saloon

trinidad opera house, 1883

columbian hotel

NORTH COMMERCIAL STREET

…This was the route of the Santa Fe Trail wagons that chose to rest beside the river before tackling Raton Pass. Notably, you’ll see Holy Trinity Catholic Church, whose graceful spire enhances the city skyline, a once-important brewery built in Italian Tuscan style by a man named Schneider, the second oldest building still standing in Trinidad, the river itself with the interesting legend about its full name, The River of Lost Souls in Purgatory, and Firehouse No. 1 that was also city hall and the town jail.

No doubt, the two routes of the Santa Fe Trail did not join in the neat gridiron manner that Main and Commercial now have. Probably, the trail up to what is now Commercial curved right through the grand lobby of the Columbian and somewhere along that curve stood the first hostlery on this site, pre-dating The Columbian by 10 years or more.

NORTH COMMERCIAL GUIDE

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Play the audio above for a brief introduction to the full audio tour of North Commercial Street.

North Commercial Street

North commercial street bridge

holy trinity catholic church

toltec hotel

trinidad hotel

east main street

…Along this way plodded the wagon trains that crossed the river east of town and were headed southwest toward Raton Pass. Notably, you’ll see a building listed in the National Registry of Historic Sites, the Baca House-Bloom Mansion-Santa Fe Trail Museum complex of the Colorado Historical Society, some stately homes on “Aristocracy Hill”, Colorado’s oldest continuously utilized Jewish synagogue, the handsome County Courthouse, and an outstanding museum of western art.

EAST MAIN STREET GUIDE

0:00

Play the audio above for a brief introduction to the full audio tour of East Main Street.

East Main Street

danielson building

the masonic building

fort wootton

las animas county courthouse

west main street

…This is where the action once was, the major clustering of gambling halls, saloons, bordellos, and cribs. Every four years, for about a century, promises were made to clean up West Main, but after elections, it was back to what passed for normal. Notably, included in this section of the tour, you’ll see yet another building listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, an imaginative redevelopment of a burned-out building, a handsome monument to the coal mining industry, a small jewel of a building authentically restored, an ornate and once magnificent theatre, City Hall with its eclectic architectural details, and a classic Carnegie Library.

WEST MAIN STREET GUIDE

0:00

Play the audio above for a brief introduction to the full audio tour of West Main Street.

WEST Main Street

Franch Block

fox west theatre

Fox Theatre Auditorium

the famous building

Accessing the Historical Architecture Guide Via Your Mobile Device

Instructions, download links, and additional information are below. Happy exploring!

Enjoy the Guide On-the-go:

Hover over the QR code provided on this page with the camera on your smartphone. Follow the prompts and you will have the option to either stream or download the audio tour content onto your mobile device.
If you wish to enjoy the guide from the comfort of your own home or do not have a smartphone, please follow the link here. Enjoy!

QR Code for Historic Architecture Audio Tour

Pedestrian Rules, Safety, and Responsibility

Get the most out of your tour of historic Trinidad!

Pedestrian Guidelines and Safety

Bring sunscreen, headphones (all charged up!), sunglasses, drinking water, snacks, and other supplies to enjoy your time on the tour.
Stay on sidewalks or crosswalks at all times and do not trespass.
Take the tour in the daytime, so you can both see the buildings and for safety.
Do NOT expect cars to stop for you, regardless of whether there is a crosswalk.
Do NOT move and look at your phone at the same time, as you could trip.
Follow all rules that apply to pedestrian traffic in Trinidad. Educate yourself beforehand.
As you stop at each location and are listening to the tour, stay clear of pedestrian and automobile traffic
Be respectful of the fact that most of these buildings are personal residences and places of business; you may not be able to enter or explore the grounds.
Do NOT assume that it is safe to approach an animal that is off leash.
If you feel unsafe for any reason, contact the Trinidad PD.
Please contact the Colorado Welcome Center here in Trinidad with any other questions.

responsibility

While the guidelines here are provided to support you in your experience, you are ultimately responsible for your conduct, as well as both knowing and following all laws that apply to pedestrian traffic in Trinidad. If you are unsure whether you are physically able to complete the entire tour, please feel free to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home using the links above. The Trinidad Tourism Board assumes no liability for injury or damages resulting from your decision to undertake this tour and you participate at your own risk.