A Brief History of Monte Vista
Monte Vista grew around a watering stop built in 1881 as the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad extended its narrow gauge line west from Alamosa. The stop was called Lariat Siding. The settlement later took the name Henry for T. C. Henry, whose canal project promoted farming in the surrounding San Luis Valley. In 1886 the community incorporated as Monte Vista, Spanish for “mountain view.” The Monte Vista Library Association later worked to establish a public reading room, an effort commemorated in the historic library’s National Register nomination.