Antonito, San Luis Valley, Colorado
Antonito, a small historic community located in the San Luis
Valley is the gateway to some of the most beautiful and pristine
landscapes in all of Colorado and Northern New Mexico. It is an excellent place
to start your outdoor adventures to
Rio Grande National Forest, Conejos Canyon, La Manga Pass, Cumbres
Pass and the San Juan Wilderness and the
Great Sand Dunes National Park.
However, Antonito is an attraction in its own right. It is located at
the eastern terminus of the Historic
Cumbres & Toltec Narrow Gauge
Railroad. This is the same train that runs right in front of our house as seen in
the Indiana Jones movie.
Antonito has many historic buildings, such as the original, unrestored,
1880 Denver and Rio Grande Antonito Train Depot; the 1912 Warshauer
Mansion; and a home-created folk art structure called
Cano's Castle.
Several noteworthy people have lived in or around Antonito:
Author and former Pueblo Chief of Police,
Ruben Archuleta who has written extensively on the history of Los
Penitentes, grew up in Antonito.
Adams State College Professor, Chicano poet and professor
Aaron A. Abeyta,
who has written "Rise, Do Not Be Afraid," and his wife, Professor Michele
Trujillo.
Evangelist
Stan Perea
who wrote, "The New America: The America of the Moo-shoo Burrito," which
states that mainstream churches must change with the times by courting immigrants and non-whites.
Painter, Muralist and
Colorado Mountain College Professor, Fred "Lightning Heart"
Haberlein has many murals adorning walls of Antonito buildings in
addition to his other art. |
