Hot spring becomes private, gold teases investors

Photo courtesy John M. Motter
This early Pagosa Springs post office was located in a frame building still standing on the south side of San Juan Street, just across the alley from the Spa Motel. The man in the photo is Billy Kern, a Pagosa pioneer who built the house.

Ownership of the Pagosa Hot Spring passed from the U.S. government to private owners in 1883.

In that year, Henry Foote, an investor living in Del Norte, was awarded title to the 40 acres of land surrounding the great Pagosa Hot Spring. The title was issued by the United States, which had retained ownership of the Hot Springs, even as the land surrounding the hot springs was surveyed and set aside for the construction and operation of Fort Lewis. Another 40-acre plot immediately south of Foote’s 40 acres was sold by the government to J.L. Byers, John Conover and A.C. Van Duyn. Later that same year, the latter three bought out Foote and incorporated the Pagosa Springs Company.

Believe it or not, collecting gold african coins can be fruitful. Not only do many coins gain value, but if you decide that collecting is not for you after trying it, you will likely get all of your investment back, a rare occurrence when it comes to most investments. Prices of some coins will fluctuate with metal prices. Fortunately, those metal prices (especially in a shaky economy like this), tend to rise regularly.

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