BH: And what was. . . why was there a watchtower?
Bob: That was for the Indians.
BH: I thought they were removed from Colorado. . . Bob: They were removed in 1868, but the ranch predates that. Well, I shouldn't say that. The activity around there predates that.
BH: So there was a watchtower?
Bob: Yeah, I've got pictures of it. This is taken on top of the watchtower—see—the platform?
BH: Yeah.
Bob: Looking down. So this structure has been there for a long time.
BH: Is is still there?
Bob: Oh, no! No! It was gone long before I was, you know, I was born in 29. It was gone. This is the Linger's, so it had to been gone somewhere 1911, 1912, and 1929. Because it wasn't there when I was born, at least to my knowledge. Of course, I should give myself a few years leeway.
BH: So you wouldn't have any idea who took that picture?
Bob: I don't know who took the pictures, but there's a lot of 'em. I mean, I've got a whole series of 'em.
BH: And did you ever hear any stories when you were growing up about times when Indians did attack?
Bob: The Utes, you know, occupied the high mountain valleys for eons of time, including the San Luis Valley. The controlled the passes, and moved in and out, the Arkansas, South Park, the San Luis Valley, and um, there were seven groups of the Ute Indians. And their allegiances changed. And that's why people. . . the early settlers didn't always know what to anticipate in terms of whether they were going to be friendly or not, and there were situations where the Utes joined up with the Pawnees—some of the Utes joined up with the Pawnees, and then there were other Utes that helped, I can't remember who it was—a Mexican governor, try to trace, track down ah. . . ah. . . what was his name? Cuerno. . . Cuerno Verde, the Pawnee chief. So there were Utes. . . what I'm simply saying is that there were seven groups of them, and their allegiances changed, Beth. And the settlers, you know, had to be kind of on alert, because Fort Garland was a long way away. And there wasn't any protection up there.
BH: Had you heard of any stories of attacks, or. . . ?
Bob: Well, there's lots of stories—I mean there's lots of indications that Teofilo Trujillo, the first settler?
BH: Um hum.
Bob: Had problems with Indians. And that he uh, would, uh, as the stories go, he would let the Indians uh have a cow here and there, you know, and not try to be combatant with the Indians because he was—he was isolated. So, the valley—the Utes signed the treaty, I think it was 1848—I think was when the treaty was signed, but they weren't actually moved until 1868. In the meantime, these precautions, I guess, were there. The headquarters was built in a square—block—okay? And then on the corner, on the southeast corner was the Indian watchtower. Uh. . . Pete Trujillo's corrals didn't have any exterior gate openings—
They opened to the inside, and I'm assuming there's a good reason for that. You know? Corrals you gotta access livestock to their enclosures, why you need gates. But they had to bring them into the yard of the Pete place, and then put 'em into the corrals, and I would think that is probably part of the reason. Either that, or their problems with cattleman. The Trujillos got along all right, as I understand, with the Anglos, until they brought sheep in. And then all hell broke loose.