Photo by Drew Kennedy-York, October, 1976 and sent to us by Dennis Streetman

On the back of this photo taken in 1976 reads, "Los Sauces, CO looking South. The old hall on the left and then the building we lived in in 1931. We lived in the south half of the building. On the right hand side of the road is the building that use [sic] to be a little store. The church is just out of sight on the right hand side of the road." View larger image.

As Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other winter holidays fall near the darkest days of the year, people have long brightened the holidays with lights. Once bonfires and candles guided us through the dark winter solstice. Today, even the smallest community usually lights up a hillside or a grain elevator or a water tank with an electric star.

Orlando Lujan Martinez

The green tinted popular tree in the yard was full of singing birds. when woke up in morning. After several cups of coffee I decided too take few days off to pay a visit to San Acacio, in El Grande Valle de San Luis in Colorado, where I scattered the ashes of my parents. I packed a few clothes into a suitcase, jump into my car and rode off into the morning sun. It was San Mateo Boulevard to 1-25 and out of Albuquerque.

Old familiar towns drifted by, Santa Fe the home of the Anglo gentry and the notorious Española, where an offended Native American chopped off the foot of the statue of Juan Onate, the conquistador, Ojo Caliente and Tres Pietras. Then along the base of San Antonio, the last mountain before entering El Valle. The last miles of my journey rolled by and then Antonito , the first town in the San Luis Valley, appeared just around a sharp curve in the highway. It is a half worn out town, with boarded up stores, but still glowing with the memories of the past and had me wondering why happiness is sometimes touched by sadness.

Back in the fifties, the last time the good times were rolling for that town, Antonito was a Friday and Saturday night Boggie town. Rancheros and canciones bounced out of five taverns and dance halls and the large Rainbow Ball Room a mile on the other side of town.

I rented a room at the Palace Hotel, an old stone two story structure built in 1902 with none of the toilet in each room and the air conditioning that the tourists demand. This relic from the past had the toilet down the hall, wallpaper, and in the tall lobby there was a mural of a pine forest on a wall and a large statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a holy shrine. A little touch of comfort for the weary catholic traveler. It was just the place to escape the institional feeling of the modern motel and the suspicion that the sheets hadn’t been changed since April, May, June and July.

On Tuesday, July 29, 2008, the San Luis Valley Drug Task Force, Colorado National Guard, Joint Counter Drug Task Force and Conejos County Sheriff Office uncovered a marijuana grow operation near Los Sauces, Colo. on the Rio Grande River.

Photo by SLV Native

The Cross Arrow ranch has a wonderful and colorful history. From the families that have owned and operated it like Headlee, Holmes and Willits to the guests that have visited like Capone, Siegel and other Cicero strong men. More about its wonderful history can be read about in the book Life in Los Sauces.



A photo from 1909, almost 100 years ago, shows of the Cross Arrow Ranch, a.k.a. Headlee Ranch, in Los Sauces.

“If you look at the San Luis Valley in general, the southern end of the Valley ... is where we are most likely to have flooding in my opinion,” Pat McDermott, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Water Resources Division III office, told members of the Rio Grande Roundtable this week.

To coincide with Wednesday's book signing (look at our calendar for event details), Dolores Valdez de Pong has set up a web site for her book, "Life in Los Sauces," which she co-authored with her mother. The site has a blog, extensive narrative about the history of the village, and a wealth of photos showcasing the area at the eastern edge of Conejos County.

Life in Los Sauces written by Colorado author Dolores Valdez de Pong with her mother Olivama Salazar de Valdez is a detailed account of the lives of people who once lived in an isolated Spanish-speaking village of the San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado.

Freecycle group is open to all who want to recycle that special something rather than throw it away. Nonprofit groups are welcome to participate! There is one main rule however: EVERYTHING posted must be FREE. This group is part of The Freecycle Network, a nonprofit organization and a movement of people interested in keeping good stuff out of landfills.

Check out Freecycle for:

Alamosa

Conejos County

Monte Vista

This photo from 1909 shows of the Headlee Ranch a.k.a. Cross Arrow Ranch in Los Sauces. The ranch house was originally owned by Lester Headlee and is still in use today.

Emma and Ruben Salazar have lived together through five wars, 70 Valentine's Days and one marriage. Their love was born in the San Luis Valley. Ruben, 91, and Emma, 88, grew up in Los Sauces.

Recent research in the hills of eastern Conejos County provide new evidence of the existence of a vast lake, called Lake Alamosa.

An adobe farm building with prodruding vigas and an earth covered roof sits high along the road in Los Sauces.

After decades of disuse, the former Mary Martinez Grocery Store in Los Sauces has fallen in disrepair. Translated to English, Los Sauces means "The Willows".