Cobweb Express

When This area was Explored
by Mel McFarland

The West, and specifically Santa Fe became a popular destination for travelers from the east once word spread into the United States. On the frontier there were many new businesses being developed but Santa Fe was in Mexico. Mexico did not want any visiting businessmen from the US. Many who heard the tales traveled on the Santa Fe Trail through southeast Colorado, over Raton Pass. It became a major reason for the war with Mexico, and what many remember as the battle for Texas. in the 18,40's.

In the 1850's with the war with Mexico out of the way there were more, explorations in our area, including John C. Fremont. In the northern part of the state Fort St Vrain came about. Down on the Arkansas, Bent's Fort first" was at what is now Pueblo, on the Taos Trail. The Taos train headed into the mountains and south through the San Luis Valley into Taos. Bent's Fort was later moved to near present day La Junta on the Santa Fe Trail. It became the major "jumping off point" for the trip into Mexico.

Many early settlements or outposts were built along the Santa Fe and the even older Taos Trail. There were other trails that fed into these trails. One ran northward along the mountains to present day Pueblo, up the Fountain all the way north through present diy Falcon, Kiowa.and Elizabeth toward Denver and even to the Black Hills in South Dakota. As it followed Fountain Creek a stream branched away from the mQuntains and today is named for the, little....settlement where it starts. Jimmy Camp Creek is this spot of interest to us. On the high ground at the junction of the Fountain there are a few storys of a regularly used Indian camp at what is npw Fountain. At the other end of this stream on the side of a low hill sat Jimmy ´amp, a small set of cabins used as a trading post.

Jimmy Camp was little more than a crude set of cabins, but it was a place where travelers met to trade. Trappers and Indians alike used the Indian's trail, but not all their meetings were friendly. There are no records of battles, between the Indians and the trappers, or in fact each other in this area, but it is known that occasionally raiding parties from the Pawnee, Cheyenne, and Apache did skirmish with each other on the hin.s in this area as well as raiding early settlements.

Jimmy Camp's name is prominent in our history, and next time we will talk more about its historical significance.

CONTACT THE WRITER • MCMIDLAND@YAHOO.COM

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