Saguache County Stories

For Everett Wilson Crestone, Colorado was only a footnote in a book about somatic meditation by Reginald A. Ray when he decided to follow his wife Anoushka on a spiritual journey from California to their new home. Everett and Anoushka met at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center about two hours drive inland from Monterey, California, and after a couple of years trying to figure out what to do after living in a Zen monastery for five years,...

This episode of Saguache County Stories focuses on the history of the region and seven generations of the local Archuleta family. Dario speaks on his own culture past and present, the history of the Mexican land agreement and even some ghost stories. 

This podcast is made possible in part through a generous Saguache County Sales Tax Grant. Music created by Lydia Schultz Sprouts & Rob Treaphort with Golden Turtle Sound. Con...

The San Luis Valley has long been known as a land full of mystery and unexplained phenomena. The Northern Saguache County Library District presents an opportunity for folks to share their own unexplained stories from around the valley during its Unexplained Saguache County community storytelling events. Join locals on October 18th at 5:00 at the Saguache Public Library and October 25th at 5:00 at the Baca Grande Library to share yo...

Alannah Godwin tells her story of home displacement in California, her plan to move to Ireland and her new life here in Colorado. This podcast is made possible in part through a generous Saguache County Sales Tax Grant. Music created by Lydia Schultz Sprouts & Rob Treaphort with Golden Turtle Sound. Concept development by Maureen Eich VanWalleghan with Dusty Dog Films along with the staff of the Northern Saguache County Library...

Finding Home Episode 8: Four Horses, Four Kids and Forty Dollars. Deb Skadberg brings us along on her journey from North Dakota to Colorado in a handbuilt stagecoach with her husband and four children in the 1980s, as she describes their once in a lifetime adventures that led them to Saguache County. This podcast is made possible in part through a generous Saguache County Sales Tax Grant. Music created by Lydia Schultz Sprouts &...

Christine Gingrich de Mendez

Creating A Zero-Waste Lifestyle

In this podcast interview Christine Gingrich de Mendez shares the process she went through to create her life here in the San Luis Valley. With the goal of zero waste and no bills, she and her husband built a tiny straw bale house utilizing conventional insulation and solar power to create an off-grid, no-mortgage home in the community that is Crestone, Colorado. Enjoy Ch...

In this podcast interview Mae Folsom describes how she came to live in the KV Estates back in 2000. She shares some of the issues that the KV HOA has faced through the years from the cannabis boom to water installation. Mae also shares the ways that she has contributed to creating affordable housing in the KV. As the KV HOA Board President, Mae’s dream is to create a real sense of community in the KV Estates and develop even more a...

In this podcast interview Suzanne Rougé describes her vision for an Earthship in the San Luis Valley that she plans to build and why she believes this type of house is important for the future of sustainability. Her journey of becoming a self-taught builder began in her 40’s when she took classes at Home Depot and volunteered on numerous building projects in Colorado and abroad. Her goal of retiring with a smaller footprint is one ...

In this podcast interview Wade Lockhart shares his journey to the San Luis Valley and his process for completing his straw bale home. Wade— who first lived in a camper, then the garage he built—paid for his home as he built it. The process was at times stressful for the compounding fees imposed by the POA for building extensions, but in the end Wade finished his home build debt-free. This is the link to a slide presentation ...

In this podcast interview Richard Trotter shares his journey to Saguache and his desire to buy a house that became his forever home. Richard shares the history about the house reading from The Saguache County Museum publication Images Of The Past Volume IV —People, Places, Events, available at the Saguache Public Library  . This is the link to a few images highlighting Richard’s historic home. Listen to his 14-minute po...

In this podcast interview Goldie Mariola shares her years-long journey to build an Earthship home in the Baca Grande subdivision outside of Crestone, CO. The process involved she and her partner working on building each summer for a number of years and paying for the home as it progressed. Now completed and fully paid for, Goldie’s home is regularly featured in the home tours for the Crestone Energy Fair, an ev...