Just off
the Santa
Fe Trail
on Hwy 518


The Salmon Ranch & La Cueva Mill are opened daily from 9 to 5 in the summer and Thursday through Monday from 9 to 4 in the winter.

The rasberry picking season is from August through October.
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La Cueva Historic District

      ...along the Santa Fe Trail

A few miles off of the Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway from a small village called Buena Visat located where Hwy 161 meets Hwy 518, you can drive north on Hwy 518 towards Mora and encounter the historic district called "La Cueva".


The surrounding ranching community was established by Vicente Romero in the early 1850s. Romero had previously purchased the land from several grantees of the Mora Land Grant which was ceded by Governor Albino Perez in 1835.

The grist mill was built in the 1870s. The mill was one that helped to supply Fort Union.

The Santa Fe Trail along with Fort Union helped the ranch develop into one of the region's most important commercial centers.

The mill, mercantile buildings, two residences, and San Rafael Church were designated a National Historic District in 1973.

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