Col. John M. Francisco, the
sutler at
Fort Garland, and his business partner, Henry Daigre, purchased 48,000 acres of land in Cuchara Valley in 1862. The land was part of the Vigil land grant. They established a settlement for farmers and ranchers, with
Francisco Fort as the commercial center. The fort is now operated by the Huerfano Historical Society. A post office called La Veta has been in operation since 1876. The community was named for a mineral deposit near the original town site,
La Veta meaning "
mineral vein" in Spanish. On the morning of November 8, 1913, William Gambling, a miner who had refused to join the 1913–1914
United Mine Workers of America strike against the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company, was intercepted and accosted by pro-strikers as he was traveling to the dentist in La Veta. He left the dentist's office later and was picked up by a car carrying three mine guards and a driver. A volley of gunfire was aimed at the car, killing all but Gambling. At least five men were arrested by the
Colorado National Guard in relation to this incident, part of the early stages of the
Colorado Coalfield War. Gambling, who managed to escape to a nearby dairy farm on Middle Creek, was attended to and aided back to the Oakview Mine the next day by the dairy farmer who routinely delivered milk to the mining camp. Colorado's youngest-serving politician, Logan Taggart, was appointed to the La Veta town council at age 18 in 2013. == Geography ==