Otero County Colorado brochure

Stafford,, Ed; Nichols,, Lex; Bragg,, Kate

Designed as a public outreach tool to highlight locally designated historic sites in the communities of Fowler, La Junta, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, Swink, and Higbee within Otero County, Colorado, and to encourage the designation of additional sites, this brochure includes photographs and historical information on the Fowler Park School, Higbee Cemetery, Wickham House, Sciumbato House and Store, DAR Arch at Bent’s Old Fort, Manzanola School, Gibson Fountain, First Presbyterian Church, White School House, and Holly Sugar Smoke Stack. Brochure also includes background information on Otero County and its Historic Preservation Advisory Board. From brochure: "Otero County in southeastern Colorado is known for its farming and ranching, its melons and chilies, and its communities along the Arkansas and Purgatory Rivers. Named for Miguel A. Otero, member of a prominent Hispanic family and founder of the county seat, the county has within its borders the towns of Cheraw, Fowler, La Junta, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, Swink, and the site of the unincorporated community of Higbee. All these towns are notable, but the town of La Junta is conspicuous for having the second largest cattle market in the United States. Otero County was carved out of the original Bent County in 1889, along with Crowley, Lincoln, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Prowers Counties. La Junta was its original county seat. Passing through its upper tier are U.S. Highway 50, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, the Arkansas River, and traces of the old Santa Fe Trail. Each day, Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passenger trains, east- and westbound, stop in La Junta, and over 30 freight trains roll through. In addition to the historic sites named in the following pages are museums, parks, homes, post offices, libraries, and fairground stables that are listed in the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties and National Register of Historic Places, including the most important: Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site along the Santa Fe Trail." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Otero County Historic Preservation Board (project number CO-16-022), administered by the History Colorado State Historical Fund, the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office, (grant number P16AF00067) and the State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. La Junta, Colorado is a Certified Local Government.

Otero County Colorado brochure

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