La Garita (1858, 7,840 feet) was settled by Hispanics who named it for nearby La Garita (Spanish, lookout) Peak in the San Juan Mountains and began raising cattle, sheep, and crops. Newer log buildings include the La Garita Cash Store and Post Office, while the old adobe school, with its trefoil gable ends, is now a private house. A 155-acre ranch has been converted to the Wild Iris Inn Bed and Breakfast, 38145 Saguache County E-39, for tourists and outdoors-people interested in the La Garita Wilderness Area. Also nearby are the Carnero Creek Pictographs, fifty-four figures in red hematite on rock, painted by Native Americans.
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