Almost 170 years ago, an influential figure in western settling of the San Luis valley opened a store that still operates today.
In 1857, Colorado wasn’t even formally organized as a territory of the U.S. — much less a state.
Among the earliest western settlers of what today is Costilla County was Dario Gallegos, who opened a general store, something critical to permanent sett… [2734 chars]
Source: Fort Collins Coloradoan | Published: 2026-06-19T11:01:51Z
Credit: Fort Collins Coloradoan
