I will start right off by saying that I am not a student of history…but in researching this and that…I have discovered some interesting facts about Buena Vista and here is one of my favorites. In 1803, the United Stated doubled its size with the Louisiana Purchase. For years the western border had been the Mississippi River, but now it was out there somewhere and no one knew just where. Following the purchase, parties of explorers were formed by the U.S. government and sent west to find out what the U.S. now owned. Zebulon Pike, who was one of the early explorers, set out in 1806…and as we know spent Christmas, 1806 here in the Arkansas Valley. Another leader was Stephen Long, who in 1817 headed west along the Platte. Long’s Peak bears his name. While the nature of the land was one reason for the exploration, another was was to find headwaters of the Platte, Arkansas and Red Rivers, with the idea of defining official boundaries, which still had not been determined. The land beyond belonged to Spain.
Finally, in late 1818, following negotiations with Great Britain, the northern boundary was set and in 1819 the southern boundary was agreed upon, following negotiations with Spain. The southern boundary was a line drawn westward along the Red River, briefly north on the 100th meridian to the Arkansas River, then following the Arkansas past Salida, Buena Vista and Leadville to the source of the Arkansas, just south of Fremont Pass, then north to the 42nd parallel and west to the Pacific. This remained the border until 1846 when the U.S started acquiring additional land in a westward push that, in 1848, took it to the west coast.
If you give this much thought, or like me drag out a map to see the lay of the land, you realize that the future site of Buena Vista was still in New Spain and Midland Hill was across the river in the United States and I think of this every time I cross the foot bridge to the Whipple Trail or gaze at Sleeping Indian from my easy chair. The Arkansas River as the U.S border only lasted for 26 years…but still seems to be in my mind!
