(Old) La Veta Pass
Inscription
According to The Colorado Magazine, Volume 47, Number 3, Summer 1970. "Tales Told with Markers" article, the plaque read: La Veta Pass. Between the waters of the Arkansas and the Rio Grande. Altitude 9,382 feet. "La Veta" is Spanish for "the vein." Named for the mineral veins appearing on the mountains.
Narrow guage railroad built 1877. Railroad later re-located. Abandoned grade converted into highway 1921-22. Erected 1929. As seen in the Google Maps images, the replacement sign reads: Route of the D&RG "Railroad Above the Clouds", 1877-1899, National Historic District, Est. 2011