Historical Marker

Palo Flechado Pass (2)

Side 1

The east entrance of Palo Flechado Pass marked the ascent to Taos Canyon, establishing it as an important route for Plains Indians trading with Taos Pueblo. Used in battle among indigenous peoples, the pass also figures prominently in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, the reconquering by the Spanish and their territorial disputes with the French. Related histories are found on historic markers along U.S. 64 and at the west entrance of the pass.

Side 2

From this point, sixteenth and seventeenth century travelers entered the Moreno Valley and its Spanish agricultural settlements sheltered by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The route from Cimarron Canyon provided access to and from buffalo hunting lands for the Plains Indians. The discovery of gold in 1866 increased the commercial importance of the route, especially at Elizabethtown.