DEL NORTE – The Rio Grande County Museum will be hosting a Heritage Fair on Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the fair, the museum will be working with the congregation of the St. Francis of Assisi Church which is in the Seven Mile Plaza south of Del Norte.
For the past several years, parishioners like Ernie Martinez and his wife have worked to raise funding to help save the St. Francis of Assisi Church that is in dire need of repair. The building needs a new roof and patch work done to the outside stucco as well as work to the inside.
According to research provided by History Colorado, the St. Francis of Assisi Mission Church was constructed in 1881. Approximately 30 years had elapsed since Spanish settlers first arrived in the San Luis Valley and established settlements in the area around San Luis, Colorado.
In the 1850's, settlers from the southern part of the San Luis Valley arid northern New Mexico also moved into the northern and western reaches of the San Luis Valley. Anglo settlers soon started to move into the area to pursue their interests in the mining, agriculture, transportation, and commerce, but the settlements in the hills south and east of Del Norte were primarily focused on farming and ranching and strongly centered around the practice of the Catholic faith.
In 1881, travel in the immediate area was accomplished primarily by horse. It was not practical to travel long distances daily for trade or worship. Thus, there were many small Hispano settlements throughout the area. The people lived in relative isolation in close-knit communities. The St. Francis church and cemetery are located on a 5.49-acre tract of land donated by Juan Pio Valdez in a community known as Plaza de Los Valdezes. Today, it is sometimes called Plaza. In the 1870's and into the early twentieth century, there was also a schoolhouse, and a railroad stop in addition to the church.
In the early days, a small number of priests served the widely dispersed Catholic population. Priests traveled to the various parishes as they were able. By 1895, the Del Norte parish served twelve missions, including St. Francis of Assisi. After the advent of automobile travel, the priest was able to visit on a weekly basis. The 1920's through the 1940's were probably the heyday of the Mission Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The community was closely knit and devout. The large families filled the church to capacity. After the war, people became more willing and able to travel by auto to Del Norte and Monte Vista to attend mass.
The Heritage Fair will also include demonstrations by local artists and herbalists and reenactments by local historians. The St. Francis of Assisi Parish will be cooking in the old style Spanish Horno oven and supplying food for the occasion. It will be an event the entire family can enjoy so come on out, support a wonderful cause and have some fun to kick off Fall in the San Luis Valley!
