Santa Fe Trail
Trinidad History Museum, CO

Located away from the heart of bustling Denver, Trinidad is a town that recalls the days when the Santa Fe Trail was one of the main trails to the southwest and west. The arrival of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway in 1878 heralded an era when Trinidad was a commercial, agricultural, and coal-mining center. This history can be seen at the Trinidad History Museum.

The museum complex includes the Baca House, the Bloom Mansion, Historic Gardens, and the Sante Fe Trail Museum. The Baca House is a two-story, unusual adobe house that belonged to a prominent family in the area. The Bloom Mansion is a Victorian home which belonged to a cattle baron and banker. The Trinidad History Museum also houses a Scenic Byway Visitors Center next to their bookstore and gift shop. The Historic Gardens are complete with native trees and plants and century-old trees. The Santa Fe Trail Museum features artifacts that have been important to the trail and Trinidad, including a coat attributed to Kit Carson.