The Colorado State Fair, held annually in Pueblo - Photo by Denise Chambers/Weaver Multimedia Group

Although history books usually begin with the 19th-century gold rush to the central Rockies, the real cradle of Colorado is here, on the wind-swept plains of the Southeast. It was here, in the 1540s, that the first gold-seekers arrived - Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his band of conquistadores. It was here, in 1806, that Colorado received its first emissaries from the United States - the expedition led by Zebulon Pike. And it was here, in 1833, that the first American settlement was raised - Bent's Old Fort.

The Arkansas River represents a direct line into the past. The Santa Fe Trail ran right alongside it, bringing traders and, later, armies into one of the country's last Native American strongholds. For legendary frontiersmen such as Kit Carson and John C. Fremont, the Arkansas provided a gateway to the Rockies. Homesteaders traveled upstream in their wake, moving in tandem with the railroad crews and building towns - Lamar, La Junta and Rocky Ford - that still dot the banks of the river. The two largest cities of Southeast Colorado, Trinidad and Pueblo, made their wealth on ranching, coal mining and commerce.

Today the region possesses the dignity that comes with age. There's no heritage of hurry here, no rush to riches at the foundation of the culture. Time is as plentiful as the prairie shortgrass. Visitors who overlook this quiet corner of the state are missing out on something special. In the vastness of its landscapes and the bottomless depth of its roots, Southeast Colorado conveys a sense of the eternal.

LARGEST CITY: Pueblo, population 100,471.

FAMOUS RESIDENTS: In late 1867, Kit Carson moved to Boggsville, his last home before his death in 1868 at Fort Lyon.

HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS: Like a lifeline stretching from one end of the region to the other, the Santa Fe Trail served as the conduit of commerce for Southeast Colorado during much of the 1800s. Today, a national scenic and historic byway traces its path from the Kansas to New Mexico borders. This route provides detours along the way to preserved sites where merchants traded and Anglo, Spanish and American Indian cultures interacted.

Additional articles:
Bent’s Old Fort
Town of Boggsville
Trinidad History Museum/El Corazón de Trinidad National Historic District

FUN FACT: The Purgatoire River was named in the 1540s after a rift occurred between two leaders of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's army. The expedition split into two groups, one of which was later found along the stream, dead to the last man. The place became known as the River of Purgatory because the soldiers had died without the benefit of a priest to administer last rites.