Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2008 - (Page 20) Southeast Regional Overview TheCulture TheDraw History and nature are the driving forces in attracting visitors to Southeast Colorado. From a historical standpoint, it doesn’t get much richer than the Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway, which visits Bent’s Old Fort and the El Corazon de Trinidad National Historic District. Meanwhile, birdwatchers come in spring to watch the migration of cranes and snow geese, one of the region’s many natural delights. A ranch beneath the Spanish Peaks Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site is area has arisen from an amalgamation of hard working cultures throughout history, including American Indians, Mexicans, pioneers and turn-of-the-century coal miners. Towns like Pueblo (home to the annual Colorado State Fair) and Trinidad (through which the Santa Fe Trail once passed) are testaments to this diverse and hearty social fabric. Today, the makeup is mainly agrarian. You’ll nd some of the most succulent melons in the world, especially in Rocky Ford, the melon-growing capital of Colorado. e in uence of Latin cuisine is also found here, wrapped up in the ery green chilies that readily grow in the area. Consider visiting the Chile & Frijoles Festival held in Pueblo every September, where the soft pop and earthy smell of roasting the peppers can be encountered. The Bloom Mansion in Trinidad Colorado State Fair in Pueblo Snow geese near the town of Lamar ©Denise Chambers/Weaver ©Denise Chambers/Weaver ©Anna Zoromski/Weaver ©Anna Zoromski/Weaver Southeast TheLand Rocky Ford ©Matt Inden/Weaver the e undulating prairie of Southeast Colorado is home to family farmers and time-tested ranchers, who have been living o the land for nearly 200 years. e short-grass prairie in Comanche National Grassland is the same unadulterated terrain that traders, trappers and pioneers braved to ful ll their destinies. On the western edge of this region stand dramatic sections of the Rocky Mountains. e forested and abruptly rising Wet Mountains, as well as the Spanish Peaks, break up the atlands in an impressive manner. ©Matt Inden/Weaver Eads 385 Pueblo Beulah Colorado City Rye Ordway Rocky Ford 50 Lamar La Junta . Granada 287 Walsenburg La Veta 350 25 Springfield Trinidad 160 160 20 1-800-Colorado | www.colorado.com http://www.colorado.com
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