Public Art in La Junta, CO

I'd never heard of La Junta until I decided to come see the dinosaur footprints at Picket Wire (a.k.a., Purgatoire), reputedly the longest known trackway in the country. I still have not seen them. It's a 10.5 mile hike round trip that I do not relish doing by myself, particularly in an unfamiliar place that has rattlesnakes (until yesterday, it was warm enough for them to be out). I have not yet found the person whom I'm told might be willing to take me there, so in the meantime, I'm exploring La Junta and surroundings.

With a population of just over 7,000, La Junta feels far smaller than Niwot's 4,000. Niwot is essentially a suburb of Boulder, and Boulder is a big place. La Junta is 60 miles east of Pueblo. Tiny towns are farther apart and there is no hint of a suburb. The landscape is gloriously huge. La Junta is not nearly as prosperous as Niwot, but its plain charms quickly grew on me. November is likely not its prettiest time of year, and a year-plus-long drought has not helped. Trite as it sounds, the plainness is more than compensated for by the warmth and helpfulness of the people who live here and the obvious pride they take in their history and its several wonderful little museums. The proprietor of the Mid-Town Motel, the partners at the Copper Kettle Cafe, the women of the artists' cooperative ("The Emporium"), and other women at the Mennonite fair trade and thrift store have made me feel welcome and given helpful suggestions for where to go and what to see.

The Copper Kettle has coffee, a great breakfast, and really nice people who get psyched about dinosaur footprints. I was told to go there by the woman running the gift shop at Bent's Fort, a beautiful and interesting National Park Service site a few miles away. She said that Jim, the man who might be able to take me to see the dino tracks, sometimes stops by here for breakfast, so I did, too. Owner Adam, busy as he was, looked through several old phone books to find the number for me and then called on his own phone, passing it over to me to leave a message. The following day, Adam's business partner (who is also his father-in-law) tried to locate Jim's mother for me. I hope to hear from Jim, of course, but this kindness has already made my stay worthwhile.
     Below, the Oddfellows Hall. (Is it just that I'm oblivious, or are they really more prevalent here than at home?) Note the taxidermized antlered creature (elk?) on the second floor. The window of the Railyard next to the Copper Kettle celebrates La Junta's raison d'etre as a railroad junction (La Junta means junction).

The sign says "Rare Books, Art, Antiques," so I had to go in. Turns out it's now an artists' cooperative, with lots of very nice stuff, fairly priced. Again, everyone was friendly, and when I told my purpose for being in La Junta, I was told that I just have to find Jim. (An hour later, women at the Mennonite fair trade/thrift shop also told me I had to find Jim.) I did nearly all my Christmas shopping here and even went back a second day because (1) they were having an opening, and (2) I wanted to buy more locally made salsas, jalapeno ketchup, etc. (After I wrote this, the phone rang. I won $25 on the raffle ticket I bought there! Psyched!)
   

The Post Office is in a gorgeous, graceful old building.This photo does not do it justice. I took a shot inside, but was quickly told to stop. One of those 9/11 things, or did the ban predate that?

I really wish I wanted to see "We're the Millers" so I could go to a movie here and see the inside, but I just don't. I love the distinctive southwestern architecture here, and wonder how old the building is. All the red brick suggests a none-too-recent date, but how far back it goes, I don't know.

Lucy's Tacos, the best food I've had, and I'll continue to go until I leave. I regret only that I didn't go here the first night in town. Fresh, nongreasy, tasty, cheap, just right. It isn't public art per se, but the style of the building and trailer, and the signage on both, certainly contribute to the look of the town.

Similarly to home, the dinosaur footprints so well known to afficianados elsewhere are not necessarily known residents. Most people I've talked to have perked up at the mention of the tracks and tell me they have seen them. (Adam's reaction at the Copper Kettle: "You're going to LOVE them!") On the other hand, a woman at the art cooperative told me she'd lived here 60 years and only recently learned of them. All have suggested that I find the elusive Jim for help getting down to see them myself.

Public art appears in the downtown. There isn't a lot of it, but the area is small, so would be overwhelmed by too much bling. The style of this family group (left) is similar to the art produced by one of the women at the artists' co-op, particularly her garden decorations. Another woman there told me that her husband did the welding, so perhaps this was a collaboration. Neat, anyway. It's on the corner next to the parking lot by the Oddfellows building.

I didn't notice the art in the sidewalk slabs until I got out of the car and started walking (gee, what a surprise). I love this one. I don't know what it means. I bought a book of hand signals that tribes who spoke different languages used to communicate with one another. Perhaps this is a written version? This is effective public art, because it's motivating me to ask somebody what it means, and isn't public art supposed to bring people together? [Update: They're the cattle brands used by the ranches.]

The slab at left and the one below are at a main intersection, although similar ones are elsewhere downtown, too. La Junta is on the old Santa Fe Trail. Below, anyone who has visited Bent's Fort (a trading post from c. 1830-1847) would instantly recognize the fort with conastoga wagon out front. This is a nice take on the pioneer wagon theme found in so many places, because they have connected it clearly and specifically to local history.


I was beginning to wonder where the dinosaur tracks were when, lo and behold! What was that just ahead? Oh, boy! I find it interesting that they have chosen to use the tracks of a therapod (i.e., meat-eating) dinosaur as their symbol, when many sauropod tracks have been found here as well. I guess nobody wants to identify with the one who gets eaten.

 I arrived on Sunday evening thinking I would stay in La Junta one day, maybe two. It's Thursday. I'm leaving on Saturday morning because I have other places to be and things to do, but if you're looking for a laid-back, unpretentious, friendly and fascinating place to visit, this is a good bet. I also recommend the Mid-Town Motel. Clean, friendly, safe, in easy walking distance of the downtown, and the prices are great. SO glad I didn't bother looking into the chain hotels, although they're probably necessary in summer.