Highway of Legends
Cuchara Pass, CO

The route that Highway 12 follows over Cucharas Pass was once an old Indian trail, used as early as 1779. In 1865,Henry Daigre hired Hiram Vasquez to construct a wagon road to Stonewall. In 1883, it became a mail route, connecting the several little post offices in Las Animas County to the Cuchara Valley, La Veta, and points beyond.

At the top of the Pass is a gravel road leading to Aguilar, 35 miles to the east. Along this route is the Farley Wildflower Trail - a short hike through the wildflowers with a great view of the upper Cuchara Valley. The road continues to Cordova Pass, where a trail leads to the summit of the West Spanish Peak. A stop here, and a walk along part of the trail offers some fabulous views. East of Cordova Pass, the road passes through the Apishapa Arch, a rock masonry arch built through a dike by Civilian Conservation Corp crews in 1934, and continues on into Aguilar.

Long before the road appeared, the Indians gathered at the top of Cuchara Pass each month to share stories of brave deeds. They would have a feast and dance around the campfire. Each warrior would make up a dance telling of his bravery. The Indian with the best dance and the bravest deed would be given a large feather to wear as he repeated his dance over and over. As he circled the fire, he would begin to rise until he was as high as the top of the trees. Then he and the rising spiral of his dance would be turned into a spruce tree to remain for a long time. As the years passed, a forest of spruce trees was formed. Look closely and the brave and his spiral dance can still be seen.