The San Luis Valley, Second Edition

Land of the Six-Armed Cross

Virginia McConnell Simmons

• Publisher: University Press of Colorado
• Year: 1999
• Print ISBN: 9780870815300
• eBook ISBN: 9781607321309
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Human habitation in Colorado's San Luis Valley stretches back to distant times. Ancient peoples lived there thousands of years ago, as did the Utes, who claim the valley has been theirs forever. Others, both native peoples and Europeans, knew the valley-Don Juan de Oñate claimed the valley for King Phillip II of Spain in 1598. Consequently, the San Luis Valley has many stories, told in many voices.

In this sparkling new edition of The San Luis Valley: Land of the Six-Armed Cross, Virginia McConnell Simmons lays before the reader the stories and voices of this multicultural land. Ranging from prehistoric peoples and historic Indians to early Spanish settlers, trappers, American explorers, railroads, and Euro-American pioneers, this book is a comprehensive volume covering the geography and social history of Colorado's San Luis Valley.

New to the second edition is additional material on Hispanic culture (in particular a description of their fiber arts) and a lengthy appendix cataloging and describing all of the San Luis Valley's Hispanic place names. In addition, the notes and bibliography have been expanded, and the book contains a new introduction by David Fridtjof Halaas, Chief Historian of the Colorado Historical Society. Acclaimed as the standard history for the south-central region of Colorado, The San Luis Valley: Land of the Six-Armed Cross is a book for students, scholars, and others interested in the history of this fascinating and culturally rich corner of the state.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter I: "A Most Beautiful Inland Prospect"
• Chapter II: "When the Sun Stands Still"
• Chapter III: "Those Who Are Considered Subjects of the King"
• Chapter IV: "Refreshing My French Grammar and Overseeing the Works"
• Chapter V: "In the Nibor Hood of Touse"
• Chapter VI: "Mule Tail Soup, Baked White Mule, and Boiled Gray Mule"
• Chapter VII: More Mule Meat
• Chapter VIII: "In Voices of Gladness"
• Chapter IX: "A Matter of Grace"
• Chapter X: "Do You Want to Work for Wages or the First Day’s Brandings?"
• Chapter XI: "Bring Their Heads"
• Chapter XII: "I Had a Dream"
• Chapter XIII: "Thirty-Six Saloons and Seven Dance-Halls"
• Chapter XIV: "Significant Little Evidences of Refinement"
• Chapter XV: "Manassa Was Strong on Religion"
• Chapter XVI: "They Do it In Good Faith"
• Epilogue: The Six-Armed Cross
• Appendix: Hispanic Place Names of San Luis Valley
• Endnotes
• Bibliography
• Additional Suggested Reading
• Index