Look around the mountains of Northern New Mexico and you will see the evidence of a rich and colorful past. The early days of Red River are a fascinating study in human motivation and personal endeavor. Long before the Spanish came to the continent, the meadows, streams and rocky canyon walls witnessed the day-to-day events of the dramatic civilizations that have been labeled pre-Columbian (Remember, he sailed under a Spanish flag.) Evidence of the Spanish presence can still be seen today, including a mine in nearby Cabresto Canyon, said to be the only one of seven. (Location of the other six has never been established.) The nearby Spanish village of Questa - first named Rio Colorado or Red River - was established around 1816. It was not until the 1860s, following the Great Civil War, that the flow of immigrants inspired by Horace Greeley - "Go West, Young Man!" - came to the Sangre de Cristo mountains, lured by the promise of riches. Gold, silver and other precious metals drew people to the Moreno Valley, and Elizabethtown boosted of 5,000 citizens. Adventurous miners ventured over the mountain to the Red River Valley, exploring the streams and river banks for signs of color. The first official mine in the valley was established in 1879 by the Red River Mining Company. It wasn't until the early 1890's, though, that prospectors began serious exploration. By July 4, 1895, the rainbow chasers were joined by the settlers who found the river bottom soil to be favorable to crops, and the town of Red River City was established. Newspaper accounts in 1897 estimated a population of 1,500 souls, but land speculators preferred an estimate of 3,000 lively souls. By 1905 the miners had moved on and their cabins were the source of new revenue, rented to visitors interested in escaping the summer heat of desert and plains. The building of a new pass road in 1917 opened the valley to more vacationers (fondly referred to by the locals as "Texicans") and the hospitality business became Red River's new vocation.