Colorado

Baca House
On East Main Street in Trinidad, Colorado, an entire square block of buildings, gardens, and exhibits serves as a center for preserving and interpreting the history of southern Colorado. Two major historical houses stand on the property: (1) In 1870, during the heyday of the Santa Fe Trail, the Baca House was built by businessman Frank Hough and was sold to Felipe and Maria Dolores Baca three years later, and (2) the Bloom Mansion was built in 1882 by cattle baron Frank Bloom and his wife Sara. Also on the property is the Pioneer Museum, which is a collection of covered wagons, implements, and other memorabilia, much of it dating back to the Santa Fe Trail days. Interspersed between these buildings is a well-tended assemblage of century-old trees, historic gardens, and Victorian flower beds.

This property, which has been owned by the Colorado Historical Society for a number of years, was certified by the National Park Service in 1993. Beginning in 2002, as part of a two-year program of property enhancements, contractors conducted a program of archeological excavation and monitoring in areas surrounding the Baca House, along with architectural stabilization on certain portions of the Baca House itself. The two brief archeological reports show the results of those investigations. Reports: (1) RMC Consultants, Archeological Testing and Monitoring at the Baca House, Trinidad, Colorado, 2004 and (2) Marc Diament Architecture, Baca Adobe and Porch Stabilization, Trinidad Historical Museum, Trinidad, Colorado, 2004

To learn more about this project, contact the the NPS NATIONAL TRAILS INTERMOUNTAIN REGION at e-mail us

 

Bacs House kitchen, Trinidad, Colorado

Colorado Historical Society