Magical History Tour

 

Sometimes you just gotta get out of Dodge -  or Albuquerque, as the case may be. This weekend I joined my husband and a couple of friends on a quick road trip to historical sites in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. We spent Friday night in the Plaza Hotel, a grand old hotel built in 1881, at the peak of Las Vegas, New Mexico's rail road building boom. The next morning we drove past the Casteneda Hotel. This former Harvey House opened in 1898 and was the site for Rough Rider Reunions that were attended by Teddy Roosevelt himself. It's badly in need of restoration, and I hope those involved can get the funding to bring her back to her former glory. That night we slept in the Tarabino Inn, in Trinidad, Colorado. Built in 1907 by six brothers who immigrated here from Italy, it stands as a testament to the money that poured into the area during the mining boom years, and to one of the many ethnicities that immigrated here for a chance at a better life. We then toured the ruins of Fort Union, which was active during the Civil War and protected settlers traveling along the Santa Fe Trail, which has grown so faint over time that we had trouble seeing it. We then drove north to Bent's Fort, a trading post and safe respite on the Santa Fe trail that was active in the 1830s and 40s. Using plans drawn by an Army officer who sketched plans of the fort while he recuperated from an illness, the National Parks Service rebuilt the fort, and it is now a living history museum. The four of us jammed a lot of history into a weekend, and the trip was, indeed, magical - at least to this history buff.