Historical Conejos County is the gateway to the San Luis Valley and south central Colorado.
Conejos County has many attractions that are great for family vacations, outdoor enthusiasts, sportsmen, mountain biking, hiking, camping, lodges, cabins, and history buffs. Fishing the Conejos River, four wheeling, outdoor photographers wonderland, Snowmobiling at Cumbres Pass.
The numerous lakes and streams provide prime fishing opportunities while vast state and federal public lands provide excellent big game hunting, hiking, biking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, camping and numerous other outdoor activities.
CUMBRES AND TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD: The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is America's most authentic steam railroad, just as it was for a century, from the coal tipple to the conductor's smile. Twisting and turning through the beautiful San Juan Mountains on tracks that tamed the West, you'll cross the Colorado-New Mexico border eleven times. Count them as you look down from Windy Point, up at the spires of Phantom Curve, or into the depths of Toltec Gorge.
LOS CAMINOS ANTIGUOS SCENIC BYWAY: Los Caminos Antiguos take you to Colorado's oldest surviving community (San Luis, 1851), the oldest church (Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Conejos), and one of its first military posts (Fort Garland). Drive, explore, take your time- there's plenty of it to spare.
COLORADO'S OLDEST CHURCH: Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Church. The oldest Parish in Colorado built in 1857. Located in Conejos, Colorado, just off US Highway 285. Joseph Machebeuf (1812-1889), spread Roman Catholicism throughout Colorado. A French missionary, he was sent to Colorado from Santa Fe by Archbishop Jean Lamy. He said first Mass in Colorado in a crude adobe chapel in Conejos in 1858. It was later replaced by Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Colorado's oldest church.
JACK DEMPSEY MUSEUM: (Manassa Mauler Manassa, Colorado) Jack Dempsey, born in Manassa, Colorado, June 24, 1895, went on to become the heavy-weight boxing champion of the World. At age 14, Jack began fighting at mining camps under the name "Kid Blackie." At age 24 Jack was the first superstar of the ring, and one of the most popular champions ever. A fierce fighter and a brutal puncher, he took the heavy weight crown from Jess Willard. In 1950 the Associated Press voted the "Manassa Mauler" the best heavy-weight of the first half of the 20th century. Dempsey retired with an astounding record of 64-6-9. 49 of these wins were knockouts. Jack died in 1983. The Museum opened in the 1960s in a one room log cabin near the spot where Jack grew up. Displayed are boxing mementos and pictures donated by locals and the Dempsey family. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day.
NEARBY ATTRACTION:
GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK: Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 700 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This geologic wonderland, containing 30 square miles of dunes, became a national monument in 1932. With the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000, resources now also include alpine lakes and tundra, six peaks over 13,000', ancient spruce and pine forests, large stands of aspen and cottonwood, grasslands, and wetlands--all habitat for diverse wildlife and Rocky Mountain plant species
For a brochure contract: Conejos County Tourism Board, PO Box 829, Antonito Colorado 81120; 800-835-1098.
