History tells us that before the Spanish exploration of Western Colorado, the native inhabitants had a variety of routes for traveling on the Western Slope. With Spanish exploration those routes were utilized along with native guides, bringing explores up from such colonial outposts as Santa Fe into our region. Rivera, exploring in the summer and fall of 1765 being the first in Western Colorado with travel along the western San Juan Mountains north into the Delta area. Rivera’s travels with the assistance of native guides would expose the Spanish to the many trails and topography of our region. These explorations would lay the foundation for individuals like Antione Roubidoux to trap furs, host trappers, trade with the Utes prior to the Mexican War in 1846.
Loading contexts...
