Highway of Legends
Vigil, CO

Juan Vigil and his family settled what is today is known as Vigil in the early 1860s. The family had come north from New Mexico with several others to settle in the Purgatoire River Valley. Vigil served as county assessor and county sheriff.

One of the most important buildings of the area is the San Isidro Church, named after the patron saint of farmers. This church dates back to the 1870s and is still in use today. Weddings were big events in the Purgatoire Valley's early days and were often held at the church. Plans for the wedding started with a letter to the girl's parents from the prospective groom's parents, asking permission for the girl to marry their son. In many cases the parents selected the bride themselves and she hardly knew the man she was to marry. If the response to the letter was negative, the rejection slip arrived in a week; otherwise the response took two weeks. The groom's parents bought the wedding dress for the bride and it was delivered to her at the engagement ceremony on the day before the wedding. Sometimes the bride didn't see the dress until her wedding day.

But even in those days, some weddings didn't turn out as planned. It seems one young man had been courting two girls at the same time. When he finally decided on one to marry, he had a few qualms about the other girl. He requested that the mother of the other girl be one of the cooks at the wedding. The mother happily agreed. In those days the women knew every wild herb that grew and how to use them. The mother searched the area for just the right one - tasteless and odorless – and ground it into a fine powder. Then she went to cook for the wedding. She sprinkled the food with the herb. The last thing the wedding guests saw was a sick groom being carried out of the celebration.