Pagosa Springs Legends: How the Great Pagosa was Formed

by Norm Vance

There are many stories and legends about Pagosa Springs and the San Juan Mountain area. While researching this history at the Sisson Library, Lenore Bright, librarian at the time, gave me the following stories that were found in an old file at the library. They were poorly typed, and written in colloquial terms. The author is unknown, as is the date. It is obvious, from their appearance and evident age of the paper, that they were very old. The sex of the writer is also unknown, but I guess it is a woman by some of the references. Thus, this look into the past displays what the Pagosa’s legends were, and how they were recited earlier in our history. There are bits of information here not given in modern versions of these tales. We present these stories unedited and just as they were written. We hope you find the legends and the writing charming.

What I Have Found Out About Pagosa Springs’ Legends

Everyone likes to know about the early times of the country in which one lives, and I am no exception. I will not guarantee what I put down here is true, or that it is all that happened; but it is what I have dug out of the old extracts of newspapers and books that I have read, especially one by a newspaper editor from Grand Junction. Let's start by telling of the Ute Legend of how the Great Pahgosa was formed. They say the gods were mad at them for some transgression and neglect. This brought on a great sickness which the Medicine Men had no power to cure, although each of them gathered their most potent plants; and when this did no good, they exchanged plants with each other--hoping someone might effect a cure. They exhausted their varieties and uses of plants, but still the tribe died in great numbers. As a last resort, they gathered the whole tribe together--from the furthermost canyons--and when they assembled on the low ground above the river and below the hills that surrounded their campground, they selected a spot and built a huge fire. First the Medicine Men danced, then the tribe and then the Medicine Men again. They kept this up until midnight, but when they got up the next morning; they found the ashes were washed away, and a large depression (in which the fire had been built) contained hot water. Upon bathing in this pool, their sickness was cured. From this effect, the spring was called Pahgosa meaning healing water.

Some of the papers from the Colorado Historical Society explain it differently. They report Pahgosa means Hot water: "pah" meaning "hot", and "gosa" meaning "water". Anyway, all tribes of Indians came to partake of the healing water. This led to another story in spite of the fact (according to the legend) that the Utes let the tribes of the Navajo and the Apache freely use the healing water without hindrance; for they thought it was a gift of the gods, and all were entitled to partake of its healing power.

The next story about the spring relates to the healing qualities "which the gods gave it". All the tribes wanted to use it, so it was not long until they had forgotten their command to let all use it. Those who's hunting grounds it was on felt like they had control of it. The Navajo was one tribe that could not see it that way, and there were many fights and warpaths brought about for the possession of the Great Pahgosa. This went on for many years until finally the older chiefs asked themselves what good the fights and war parties were doing. They finally came to the decision that they would select one from their tribe who was a good warrior and ask the Navajos to do likewise the next time there was trouble. They did not have to wait long until their lookouts reported a group of Navajos coming toward the spring. Gathering a group of warriors, the Utes marched out to meet them. They encountered each other a few miles from the spring and halted to gab. The idea was put to the enemy; and, as they were much larger in stature than the Utes, they figured they had nothing especially to lose when the dual idea was settled upon. The Navajos selected a splendid specimen, and when the Utes saw him there was not one warrior that volunteered to meet him. Among those that marched out from the spring was a Colonel Pfeiffer, who was a great friend of the Utes, having married into the tribe. The chiefs went to him with their problem. He volunteered to meet the enemy if he could elect the weapons they would use. They met, fully unclothed, excepting their breechcloths. Now the Colonel was even smaller than the members of the tribe; or rather, the Indian members of the tribe, for the Colonel had been adopted into the tribe. Well, his stipulations were accepted, for the enemy knew how short the colonel was. They both came out of their teepees stripped, with only their loin clothes for clothes and a Bowie knife for weapon. They cautiously advanced. The Indian had the advantage in reach, and the Colonel knew it. Suddenly, however, when the Colonel was some feet from his adversary, he made a very quick movement with his arm, his knife left his hand and was buried in the enemy's heart. Well, the many fights were over, for the Navajo withdrew, and never more did they lay claim to the "Great Pahgosa". Often they came here and bathed in the small springs that surrounded it, or buried themselves in the hot mud. But it was by invitation only. They claimed no proprietorship. At present, the Colonel's grave is in the San Luis valley, and many of his descendants live in that valley.

This is another interesting story that, whether fact or fiction, has never been proved. According to the story, a group of French explorers (about 300) wandered unintentionally into Spanish country. There they mined and washed gold out of the streams until they had 300 bars; but by the time this was accomplished, their number had diminished to three. This had been caused by the harassment of the Indians and the altitude in which they worked. After talking it over, they decided to bury the bars and plainly mark the location, so they could find it again to take out for their base in Levenworth, Kansas. Various duties prevented the three soldiers from returning for the gold, but not too long after their deaths, maps to the hiding place began to show up. More than one location was pointed out at the place, and more than one group of people hunted for the gold. Many insisted that they were on the verge of locating it, even finding the rocked over caves of which the map told. None of the early settlers here missed looking for it. It has been hinted that at least one found it, but if that was so, he never owned up to it. I wonder if any finder would acknowledge finding it. Some even hunted the land in the Wiminuche country and over that range to the eastern mountains.

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