Jasper — The Mining Town That Never Knew

High in the San Juan Mountains, far up the Alamosa River from the floor of the San Luis Valley, there was once a small mining community called Jasper.

It was never as famous as Summitville. It never grew into a major Colorado mining center. Today, the original mining town is largely gone.

But Jasper left behind one of the more intriguing stories from the Valley's mining era — the story of a town that may have disappeared before its residents realized what they had found.

Two Camps in the Mountains

The beginnings of Jasper reach back to about 1874 or 1875, when prospectors began opening mineral claims along the upper Alamosa River near Cornwall Mountain.

Two small settlements developed close together: Cornwall and Jasper.

Cornwall initially appears to have been the more important of the two. Its post office operated until November 20, 1882, when it was discontinued and transferred to Jasper. As activity shifted, the two neighboring camps effectively became one community under the Jasper name.

The country surrounding them looked promising.

Gold and silver drew miners into the mountains, and claims including the Perry, Miser and Guadalupe mines were developed around Jasper.

The Perry was reportedly the first mine located in the area. Among those associated with the early mining activity was Alva Adams, who would later serve three terms as governor of Colorado.

For a time, there was reason to believe Jasper might have a future.

A Town Waiting for an Answer

Then came 1887.

According to historical mining accounts, Jasper's miners shipped approximately ten tons of ore to a smelter in Denver.

They needed to know what they had.

If the ore proved sufficiently valuable, the results could help attract investment and encourage additional development of the mines around Jasper.

But the assay didn't happen.

Before the ore could be tested, the Denver smelter burned.

Jasper never received the answer it had been waiting for.

Later, according to accounts of the district, it was discovered that the ore actually was valuable.

By then, it was too late.

Jasper had already declined.

The Sanger Mine and a Tarnished Reputation

Jasper had another problem.

About two and a half miles above town stood the workings of the Sanger Mine.

When the Colorado Geological Survey examined the district in the early 20th century, it recorded an old story associated with the property.

Promoters of the Sanger enterprise reportedly claimed to possess a mountain of ore worth about $10 per ton and used those claims to attract investors. According to the story, the promises proved greatly exaggerated and investors lost their money.

Even the geologists writing in 1917 cautioned that some details of the story could not be verified.

What they could say was that the reputation surrounding the Sanger property hurt Jasper.

Suspicion surrounding the venture reportedly discouraged people from investing in other mining operations in the district — including legitimate prospects that may have deserved further development.

For a small mining camp dependent upon outside money, a bad reputation could be devastating.

Jasper Hangs On

Jasper didn't disappear immediately.

Mining continued intermittently in the surrounding mountains, and the community survived through several periods of renewed activity.

At its height, historical estimates place Jasper's population at roughly 200 people.

Its isolation, however, was always a challenge.

This was a high mountain settlement at about 9,100 feet, tucked into the upper Alamosa River country. Winters were long, transportation difficult and the nearest larger communities were many miles away.

Mining communities existed because of the mines. When investment and production declined, there was often little else to sustain them.

Jasper's post office apparently closed and reopened at least once before finally closing for good in 1927.

The old mining town slowly faded into the mountains.

Jasper's Second Life

Unlike many of the places featured in Lost Places, however, Jasper has an unusual ending.

People came back.

Beginning in 1981, land encompassing the old Jasper townsite and surrounding area was developed as a recreational mountain subdivision.

Today there are more than 80 cabins in the Jasper community, many used seasonally.

The modern community even describes Jasper as a “Near Ghost Town.”

That distinction is important.

The Jasper that disappeared was the mining town — the collection of miners, prospectors, businesses and families whose lives depended upon the ore hidden beneath the surrounding mountains.

The name survived.

And eventually, people returned to the same beautiful stretch of the Alamosa River for an entirely different reason.

Following the Alamosa River Into the Past

Jasper remains one of those places that demonstrates just how much history lies beyond the agricultural floor of the San Luis Valley.

Travel into the mountains along the Alamosa River and today's quiet landscape gives few clues to the hopes once attached to the ground beneath it.

More than a century ago, miners dug into Cornwall Mountain and the surrounding country believing they might uncover the next great Colorado mineral strike.

They established claims.

They built cabins.

They created a community.

And in 1887 they sent ten tons of ore away to discover whether their gamble had paid off.

Then the smelter burned.

The answer came too late.

Jasper never became another Summitville or another great Colorado mining town.

Instead, it became something perhaps even more interesting:

A place forever connected to the question of what might have been.

Rio Grande Farm Park — A Place to Learn, Grow and Gather

Along the banks of the Rio Grande in Alamosa sits a place where agriculture, education, recreation and community have come together in a uniquely San Luis Valley way.

The Rio Grande Farm Park is a 38-acre community farm and public space that provides land for local growers, educational opportunities for young people, walking trails, recreation and a place for Valley residents to reconnect with where their food comes from.

But the story of the Farm Park actually began long before it carried that name.

From School Grounds to Farmland

The property was once home to Polston Elementary School.

In 1995, the Alamosa Community Gardens program began at the school, giving students hands-on experience growing, harvesting, preparing and eating vegetables.

When the school closed in 2008, the agricultural connection didn't disappear. Members of Alamosa's Guatemalan and Mayan communities continued using the land to grow food for their families.

At the same time, local residents began looking for a way to preserve the property rather than see an important piece of open land disappear to development.

That effort eventually led the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition to purchase the property in 2014 with assistance from the Trust for Public Land, LOR Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado and local supporters.

Today, a conservation easement helps protect the property's agricultural, recreational and natural resources for the future.

Growing Food — and Farmers

Farming remains at the heart of the Rio Grande Farm Park.

The park provides both community growing areas for families raising food for themselves and commercial plots for farmers producing crops for sale.

Those farmers grow everything from peas, onions and lettuce to cucumbers, squash, beans, garlic, herbs and other vegetables.

The Farm Park emphasizes regenerative agriculture and sustainable growing practices, including crop rotation, cover cropping, water conservation and growing without synthetic chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.

The results reach well beyond the Farm Park's boundaries.

In 2025, the Rio Grande Growers Co-Op produced more than $70,000 worth of food, supplying farmers markets, small grocers, local schools and food banks.

Farm Park growers also help supply fresh produce to organizations serving families throughout the San Luis Valley.

In other words, food grown on these few acres finds its way onto tables throughout the Valley.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Education continues to be part of the property's mission, just as it was when schoolchildren first planted gardens here more than 30 years ago.

The Farm Park's Education Center hosts workshops and training on subjects ranging from soil health and food preservation to regenerative agriculture and other hands-on skills.

The park also offers youth programs that give young people experience with agriculture, food systems, ecology and outdoor careers.

Growing Year-Round in the San Luis Valley

Anyone who has tried gardening in the Valley knows what a challenge the short growing season can be.

The Farm Park's passive-solar greenhouse, constructed in 2023, helps overcome that problem.

Sunlight enters through south-facing windows and heats black water barrels inside the greenhouse. After sunset, that stored thermal energy is slowly released, helping keep temperatures more stable for plants.

The greenhouse is used for seed starting, extended-season growing and youth education — an innovative approach to producing food at more than 7,500 feet.

More Than a Farm

You don't have to be a farmer to enjoy the Rio Grande Farm Park.

Visitors can explore walking trails connected to Alamosa's trail system, enjoy the Nature Play Area, have a picnic or simply spend some time outdoors along the river.

Then there's the laguna.

Covering roughly nine acres of the property, the laguna provides opportunities for kayaking, fishing and enjoying the Rio Grande while also serving an agricultural purpose as part of the Farm Park's irrigation system.

In June 2026, the laguna was stocked with 200 largemouth bass for future community fishing. Plans for additional fishing and accessibility improvements have also been moving forward.

Mercadillo en el Río

One of the most visible ways the Farm Park brings the community together is Mercadillo en el Río.

What began as a small farm stand has grown into a summer market combining locally grown food with artisans, makers, music, performances and other community activities.

It's a chance to meet local growers, support Farm Park farmers and celebrate the end of another Valley growing season.

A Place That Belongs to the Community

Perhaps what makes the Rio Grande Farm Park special isn't any single program. It's the combination.

A former elementary school has become farmland. Families have a place to grow their own food. Beginning farmers have an opportunity to build agricultural businesses. Young people can learn skills outside a traditional classroom. Locally grown vegetables make their way to markets, schools and food banks. And residents can walk, fish, kayak or simply enjoy a little open space beside the Rio Grande.

It's a place where the San Luis Valley's agricultural past is being used to help build its future.

 Mosca
More Than the Road to the Sand Dunes

For many people traveling through the San Luis Valley, Mosca is a familiar name on a highway sign — a small community along Highway 17 and the turnoff toward Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

But like so many of the Valley's small communities, there is much more to Mosca than what you see from the highway.

At one time, Mosca had ambitions of becoming a thriving commercial center. It had hotels, blacksmiths, lumber yards, churches and a flour mill that became the largest in the San Luis Valley.

Its story also includes an anticipated railroad, an old stage route, a fierce school rivalry and a mountain pass that had been traveled for thousands of years before the town existed.

Before Mosca, There Was Streator

The community we know today as Mosca was originally called Streator, named for Streator, Illinois, where a number of its settlers had come from.

Around 1890, Mosca was serving as a stagecoach stop on the route between Pueblo and Alamosa, with travelers coming into the Valley over Mosca Pass.

But residents were looking toward something much bigger: the railroad.

They anticipated that a railroad would enter the San Luis Valley through Mosca Pass. According to the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, residents actually moved the town so that it would be positioned along the expected railroad route.

They weren't thinking small.

The developing community eventually included two elevators, two lumber yards, two hotels, two blacksmith shops, two barbers, two druggists, two churches and a saloon.

When a post office was established, the community's name was changed from Streator to Mosca, taking its name from nearby Mosca Pass.

There was just one problem.

The railroad didn't come the way everyone expected.

The Denver & Rio Grande entered the Valley by way of La Veta Pass instead, and Mosca's dreams of becoming a railroad boom town never fully materialized.

The Valley's Largest Flour Mill

The railroad disappointment didn't mean Mosca disappeared.

Agriculture became an important part of its economy.

The Mosca Land and Farm Company was organized in 1891 to provide land for tenant farmers, and the community was envisioned as an agricultural venture producing wheat and vegetables for markets outside the Valley.

By 1900, Mosca was home to the largest flour mill in the San Luis Valley and even had its own newspaper.

It's an interesting picture to imagine today.

The quiet community along Highway 17 was once a place with hotels, businesses, grain elevators, a newspaper and a major flour-milling operation.

A Pass With a Much Older Story

Mosca's history is closely tied to the mountains rising east of the community.

Mosca Pass was an important travel corridor long before there was a town called Mosca — or even a Colorado.

Indigenous people used Mosca and Medano passes as routes into the San Luis Valley for thousands of years.

During the 1820s and 1830s, mountain man and trader Antoine Robidoux crossed the pass with two-wheeled carts while trading with the Ute and other tribes. For many years, the route was actually known as Robidoux Pass.

In 1871, Frank Hastings received a charter to improve the route into a toll road.

Settlers traveling in covered wagons used it. So did stagecoaches, traders, mail carriers and soldiers from Fort Garland. A small settlement called Montville developed near the western base of the pass to serve those travelers.

Buffalo Soldiers also patrolled the Mosca Pass area during the 1870s.

Today, much of that old transportation route has returned to a much quieter existence. The Mosca Pass Trail at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve follows Mosca Creek through aspen and evergreen forests for about 3½ miles to the summit of the pass.

Where Did the Name “Mosca” Come From?

That's where the story gets a little murky.

Mosca is the Spanish word for fly, and one theory is that the name came from the abundance of mosquitoes found in the area during early summer.

But even the National Park Service says the origin isn't certain.

Earlier variations of names associated with the pass included Mosco and Moscow City, and another possibility is a connection to early explorer Luis de Moscoso.

So while the town clearly took its name from the pass, exactly how the pass became “Mosca” remains something of a Valley mystery.

Cowboys, Bulldogs and Thunderbirds

Mosca also has a wonderful piece of school history.

For years, Mosca and nearby Hooper operated separate schools — and apparently nobody needed to be reminded that they were rivals.

The Mosca Cowboys wore purple and yellow.

The Hooper Bulldogs wore red and white.

The rivalry extended beyond athletics into the schools and communities themselves.

Financial difficulties and limited class offerings eventually pushed the two communities toward consolidation during the 1959–60 school year.

There was one catch.

Neither side wanted the new school to use the other community's mascot or colors.

So they started over.

The new district took the name Sangre de Cristo, honoring the mountain range along the eastern side of the Valley, and its teams became the Thunderbirds.

Even the colors were new.

Black and turquoise were initially selected, although turquoise proved difficult to obtain for uniforms and was replaced with Columbia blue.

The old Hooper school became the elementary school, while Mosca housed the junior/senior high school. More than 50 years later, a new school was constructed between the two communities, finally bringing students together at one location.

A Community Gathering Place

Another reminder of Mosca's earlier years is the Mosca Community Hall and Gymnasium.

Constructed around 1934 with assistance from New Deal programs, the adobe-and-wood building wasn't simply a school gym.

It became a gathering place for the entire community, hosting everything from sporting events to plays and political speeches.

A 1947 fire destroyed its original Spanish Revival façade, but the building remains part of the historic record of a time when community halls and schools were often at the very center of rural Valley life.

A Small Town Connected to a Very Big Landscape

Mosca may never have become the railroad boom town its early residents imagined, but its name became connected with something much larger.

Today, the Mosca ZIP code encompasses a broad rural area, and even the mailing address for Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is Mosca, Colorado.

That seems fitting.

The history surrounding Mosca reaches far beyond the handful of buildings a traveler sees along Highway 17.

It reaches east into Mosca Pass and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, back through stagecoach days and early agricultural development, and even further back to the Indigenous people who traveled through these mountains thousands of years ago.

Plan Ahead: A Big Weekend Around the San Luis Valley — Sept. 11–13

If you’re looking for something to do in the San Luis Valley, the weekend of September 11–13 is shaping up to be one of the busiest of the fall.

From potatoes and chili to art, live music and sustainable living, communities around the Valley have a wide variety of activities planned. With several events happening at the same time, now is a good time to start deciding where you want to go.

San Luis Valley Potato Festival — Monte Vista

Saturday, September 12
8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Monte Vista

One of the San Luis Valley’s signature harvest celebrations returns Saturday, September 12, with a full day of activities celebrating the crop that has helped make the Valley famous.

The day gets an early start with Tater Trot 5K registration opening at 7:15 a.m. on the City Hall lawn, followed by the race at 8 a.m.

The Potato Festival runs from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. with food and craft vendors, kids’ games, photos with agricultural equipment and FREE baked potatoes while supplies last.

Two guided agricultural tours are scheduled during the day, departing at 8:15 a.m. and 1 p.m., with buses loading at the church parking lot.

Other highlights include AIRBOUND large kids’ games from 9 a.m.–4 p.m., the Mashed Potato Dunk Tank at 10:30 a.m., Colorado Gators Reptile Park from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., and a live performance by the SLV Community Band at 11 a.m. in the pavilion.

At 1 p.m., a Professional Chef Cooking Competition will feature Chef Tim Alfrey of The Windsor, Chef Jason Morse of 5280 Culinary, LLC, and Chef RJ Harvey of Potatoes USA. The competition will be held under the CPAC tent.

The day wraps up with the Swoop of Cranes Live Auction at 3 p.m. under the CPAC tent.

More information about the San Luis Valley Potato Festival

Alamosa Creates: ARTsFest — Downtown Alamosa

Friday & Saturday, September 11–12
Downtown Alamosa

Downtown Alamosa will turn its attention to the arts during the two-day Alamosa Creates: ARTsFest.

The celebration begins Friday with a public artist reception. Saturday brings the Downtown Artwalk, live music, opportunities to meet local artists and the unveiling and tour of Alamosa’s newest public sculptures.

The event is free and family-friendly.

More information about ARTsFest

Alamosa Open Studios

Saturday & Sunday, September 12–13
10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Art lovers can make an entire weekend of it with Alamosa Open Studios, a free, family-friendly, self-guided tour that gives visitors an opportunity to step inside the working spaces of area artists.

Rather than seeing only the finished work, visitors can meet artists where they create and get a closer look at the people and processes behind the art.

Because the tour is self-guided, visitors can choose which studios they want to visit and set their own pace throughout the weekend.

Alamosa Open Studios information and map

SLV Battle of the Bowls — Alamosa

Saturday, September 12
1–4 p.m.
Alamosa / Great Sand Dunes KOA Journey

Things will be heating up Saturday afternoon during the fourth annual SLV Battle of the Bowls.

Competitors will put their best red chili, green chili and salsa before the public, with a $500 prize up for grabs in each category.

Entry is $25 per chili or salsa, while $15 allows members of the public to taste the entries and vote for their favorites.

Proceeds benefit the Care Camps Foundation, which helps children with cancer attend specialized oncology camps.

New this year is a free Freedom Wagon shuttle operating from the Alamosa Visitor Center Depot, making it easier for people to attend without having to drive to the KOA.

Battle of the Bowls information

37th Annual Crestone Energy Fair — Crestone

Friday–Sunday, September 11–13
Crestone

The Crestone Energy Fair returns for its 37th year with three days devoted to sustainable and regenerative ideas involving construction, energy, land stewardship and community.

The fair combines education with demonstrations, workshops, discussions, entertainment and opportunities to see alternative approaches put into practice.

One of the weekend’s highlights is the popular alternative home tour, offered from 8 a.m.–noon Saturday and Sunday. The two days feature different homes, including completed projects and homes still under construction. Tickets are required for the home tours.

Saturday afternoon also features the ScSEED Chili Cook-off from 1–3 p.m. — meaning chili lovers actually have two different cook-offs to choose from in the Valley that afternoon.

Sunday includes a Crestone Fire Department pancake breakfast from 9 a.m.–noon and an EV Car Show from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

The main Crestone Energy Fair is free to attend.

Crestone Energy Fair schedule and information

The Show Before the Fall ’26 — Alamosa

Saturday, September 12
4:30–10:30 p.m.
Luchas Cantina & Speakeasy, Alamosa

For those who want to finish Saturday with live music, The Show Before the Fall ’26 brings together San Luis Valley performers and visiting artists for an evening of music in Alamosa.

Local performers include The 11th Hour, Lamar and Custom Reaper, joined by visiting artists Tacet, Lobatomy and DAZED.

The event is listed as all ages and runs from late afternoon into the evening.

Event information and tickets

Know of another event happening September 11–13? The San Luis Valley Beat welcomes event information from throughout the Valley. Send us the details and we’ll help spread the word.

Event schedules can change. Readers are encouraged to check with event organizers for the latest information before heading out.

🐾 Adoptable Pet of the Week — Meet Tortellini

This week we're introducing Tortellini, an adorable baby female German Shepherd mix waiting for a home through the Upper Rio Grande Animal Society's Conour Animal Shelter in Monte Vista.

Born June 12, 2026, Tortellini is still very much a puppy. With those big dark eyes, floppy ears, and classic black-and-tan markings, she certainly has the kind of face that's hard to scroll past.

Because Tortellini is so young and her shelter profile is still limited, there isn't much information posted yet about her personality, training, or how she does with children and other animals. Anyone considering adopting her should contact the shelter to learn more about her and what kind of home would be the best fit.

Adopting a puppy means taking on all the fun and responsibility that comes with raising one — training, socialization, exercise, and plenty of patience as she grows.

If Tortellini's little face has already won you over, perhaps it's time to arrange an introduction.

📍 Adoption Information

Upper Rio Grande Animal Society
Conour Animal Shelter
2825 Sherman Ave
Monte Vista, CO 81144
📞 (719) 852-3366
📧 shelter@urgasconouranimalshelter.org

👉 Contact the shelter directly to learn more about Tortellini or schedule a meet-and-greet.

Quick Facts

• Breed: German Shepherd Dog mix
• Sex: Female
• Age: Baby — born June 12, 2026
• Pet ID: #2146
• Location: Conour Animal Shelter, Monte Vista

Not ready to adopt? Sharing Tortellini's story may help this little pup find the family that's looking for her.