By Anthony Guerrero
The oldest professional rodeo in Colorado is held every summer in Monte Vista in the San Luis Valley. Started in 1919, it is a deep Valley tradition having been held every year since, except for two years during World War II.
monte vista
The Homelake Veterans History Center Museum
By Jane Rhett Homelake Veterans History Center Museum is located on the site of the Colorado Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, now the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake just east of Monte Vista in the San Luis Valley. The Home was established in 1889 at the behest of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) …
What is an Escape Room?
By Anthony Guerrero
On a country road seven miles outside of Monte Vista, a new and unique concept has arrived in the San Luis Valley. Since late November the Country Escape Room has opened its doors and then locked them behind its visitors.
Restaurant Reviews
By Mike Rosso Baldo’s Mexican Restaurant 1100 Park Ave, Monte Vista, CO (719) 852-0222 Open 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., Mon. – Sat. Sun. 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 pm. Closed Wed. A wave of hunger after a Monday morning drive over Wolf Creek Pass, which included getting stuck in a cattle drive outside Del Norte, …
The Gosar Ranch: A Local Foods Model
by Mike Rosso
Above the din of motors, drive belts and grinders, Kris Gosar demonstrates the wheat milling process his father designed and built 40 years ago. In the final step of the process, the finely ground, brownish-white, Mountain Mama brand whole wheat flour is bagged and weighed on an aging, mechanical scale, then sealed and stacked atop other bags awaiting delivery to bakeries and stores around the region.
The local foods operation, located on the Gosars’ ranch, southwest of Mosca, Colorado and north of Monte Vista, in the middle of the San Luis Valley, is decidedly low-tech. There are no computers monitoring the motor speeds or coarseness and temperature of the milled flour; this is done with the human senses, employing sight, smell and sound, much like it was done a century ago. “Even when the weather changes, it can change the process a little bit,” said Kris.
