Sangre de Cristo Pass, elevation , is a
mountain pass in the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the U.S.
State of Colorado. The pass is located immediately north of
U.S. Highway 160
U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a 1,465 mile (2,358 km) long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 five miles (8 km) west of Tuba City, Arizo ...
one half mile (800 m) northwest of
North La Veta Pass. The pass separates
Costilla County
Costilla County (Spanish for "rib") is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,499. The county seat is San Luis, the oldest continuously occupied town in Colorado.
History
On July 8, 1694, ...
from
Huerfano County, the
Rio Grande drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
from the
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
basin, and the headwaters of
Sangre de Cristo Creek
Sangre de Cristo Creek is a stream in Costilla County, Colorado. It starts atop La Veta Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The creek flows alongside Highway 160 as it descends from the top of the pass into the San Luis Valley.
The creek's ...
from those of
Oak Creek.
Sangre de Cristo Pass was a popular early route between the Rio Grande and the Arkansas River for
native peoples,
trappers
Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management.
History
Neolithic ...
, and
traders. The pass was the site of the
Spanish Fort of 1819, the only permanent structure built by the Spanish government in the
Mountain West north of the present
State of New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex
, Offi ...
.
See also
*
Mountain passes of Colorado
This is a list of some important mountain passes in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. State of Colorado.
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Mountain passes and highway summits traversed by improved roads
Mountain summit highways
Mountain passes traversed by unimproved ...
References
External links
Spanish Fort
Mountain passes of Colorado
Landforms of Costilla County, Colorado
Landforms of Huerfano County, Colorado
Transportation in Costilla County, Colorado
Transportation in Huerfano County, Colorado
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