Long before the roads came to Southwest Colorado's high country, the San Juan Mountains were shaped by the labor and lives of Hispano and Basque sheepherders who drove their flocks through these rugged passes each season. In this video, Peggy Montaño reflects on that deep legacy through her own written words — one that runs through her own family across multiple generations. Drawing on oral history, on-the-ground exploration of ancestral sites, and collaboration with Forest Service researchers, the film traces the parallel journeys of two immigrant communities who found common ground in these mountains. It is a portrait of sacrifice, resilience, and the enduring bonds between people and place — and a reminder that the landscapes we treasure have always been shaped by those who came before us.

The Power of Place Magazine is a special initiative of the Colorado 150 Southwest organizing committee, featuring 20 articles by professional historians and local writers exploring Southwest Colorado's rich and complex heritage.

By Peggy Montaño

This story is sponsored by Alpine Bank, Sky Ute Casino and Strater Hotel

Watch the full series, Voices of the Past: Southwest Colorado.

Southwest Colorado's mountains are celebrated today as a playground — but for Peggy Montaño, they have always meant something more. As a descendant of Hispano sheepherders with deep roots on both sides of her family in northern New Mexico and the Ignacio area, Peggy grew up understanding these peaks as a place of labor, sacrifice, and identity. In this podcast episode, she reflects on why she felt called to write and share this story — and why she believes understanding the full history of a place matters not just for those living here now, but for the generations still to come. It is a thoughtful, personal meditation on what it means to belong to a landscape, and to honor the people who shaped it long before recreation ever entered the picture.

The Power of Place Magazine is a special initiative of the Colorado 150 Southwest organizing committee, featuring 20 articles by professional historians and local writers exploring Southwest Colorado's rich and complex heritage.

By Peggy Montaño

This story is sponsored by Alpine Bank, Sky Ute Casino and Strater Hotel

Watch the full Voices of the Past: Southwest Colorado series on our YouTube.

High on the slopes of Galena Mountain at 12,500 feet, the Old Hundred Mine's 1908 boarding house stood as a testament to the audacity of Colorado's early miners — until decades of heavy snow and neglect brought two-thirds of its roof caving in. In 1996, Beverly Rich and a consortium of partners launched what they called "extreme preservation," airlifting supplies by helicopter up a precarious mule trail to save the historic structure before it plummeted 3,000 feet into Cunningham Gulch below. Workers stayed a week or two at a time, rebuilding the roof and securing the building to the rock cliff with cable. A year later, the tram house was also restored. The effort was immortalized in a documentary, Castle in the Clouds: The Saving of the Old Hundred Boarding House — a tribute to the immigrants from around the world who left everything behind to chase the promise and adventure of America in one of its most remote corners.

The Power of Place Magazine is a special initiative of the Colorado 150 Southwest organizing committee, featuring 20 articles by professional historians and local writers exploring Southwest Colorado's rich and complex heritage.

By Beverly Rich

This story is sponsored by Alpine Bank, Sky Ute Casino and Strater Hotel

Watch the full Voices of the Past: Southwest Colorado series on our YouTube.