Last updated: October 16, 2023
Place
Canon Largo ATV Trailhead
Quick Facts
Location:
Near Counselors Trading Post on US 550, approximately one hour south of Farmington or one half hour north of Cuba, NM.
Significance:
Largo Canyon is also where Armijo and his men camped while traveling through to meet the San Juan River.
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
When visiting Largo Canyon, visitors may find historical Puebloan sites, historic Navajo settlements, and early 20th century small-scale ranch and farm homesteads. These homesteads represent some of the last humans to occupy this canyon. During the late 19th century to early 20th century, this canyon had approximately 200 known residents. This population was primarily Spanish Americans, but Anglo Americans and Native Americans also lived in this canyon. The population, which survived off livestock and small-scale vegetable farming, did not last through the economic turmoil caused by the Great Depression.
In its peak, alongside the homes that can be found today, this community had a small church, school, cemetery, and trading post. The trading post proved somewhat valuable to those traveling past the canyon between the San Juan region to Abiquiu or Santa Fe, New Mexico. Haynes Trading Post was opened by two brothers somewhere between 1875 and 1908. While the post was abandoned in the late 1920s, the structure is still somewhat intact today.
Today you can see several rooms that were used as living quarters, storage space, and animal containment areas. Near the trading post, visitors can find the remains of Navajo Dwellings, known as hogans, and sweat lodges which were used by those operating and running the post. Largo Canyon is also where Armijo and his men camped while traveling through to meet the San Juan River.
Site Information
Location (Near Counselors Trading Post on US 550, approximately one hour south of Farmington or one half hour north of Cuba, NM.)
- Canon Largo: 36.4794, -107.5278
- Haynes Trading Post: 36.2709, -107.4270
- Boca la Canon Largo: 36.3136, -107.4235
Roads are rough and can be impassable when wet. Visit the BLM office in Farmington to obtain information, check road conditions, and get maps for your journey.
Safety Considerations