Otto Mears Park

Otto Mears, a Russian-born Colorado pioneer known as “The Pathfinder of the San Juan,” came to the San Luis Valley in 1865. In Saguache, a Ute Indian word meaning “blue earth,” he married in 1870 and established his home across from this park. He built a toll road over Poncha Pass, the first in the area, ran freighting teams, established mining camps, published two newspapers, and constructed railways. For a time he served as treasurer of Saguache County. As a commissioner he helped build the state capitol and suggested covering the dome with gold leaf. As a friend of Ouray, he induced the Utes to cede the “mining triangle” of the San Juan to the government.

Saguache, Colorado · United States