Historical Marker
Chama
Historical marker location:
US 84, Chama vicinity, New Mexico
( just south of Chama)
From a small crossroads town, Chama became an important site on the Denver & Río Grande Western Railroad after 1880. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the remnant of the San Juan Extension, a narrow-gauge line which once served the mining areas of southwestern Colorado. Population–1199 Elevation–7850 ft.
The first European to visit what is now New Mexico was likely Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer who traveled through the region in the early 16th century. However, it was not until the arrival of Juan de Oñate in 1598 that the Spanish established a permanent settlement in the area.