On April 11, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed Proclamation 467, officially creating the San Isabel Forest Reserve. This early conservation victory reserved forested lands in southern Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Range from unrestricted settlement and resource extraction. It formed the nucleus of what would become today’s San Isabel National Forest and exemplified Roosevelt’s aggressive use of presidential authority to safeguard America’s public lands during a time of rapid western development.
Article written and published on Colorado Welcome Center Trinidad’s Facebook page on April 11, 2026.