Early travelers on the Santa Fe Trail knew this location as La Junta for being situated at the confluence of the Sapello and Mora Rivers. When the AT & SF RR came through here with its line in 1879, it named its station WATROUS, after an early Anglo-American settler, Samuel B. Watrous.
Samuel Watrous had moved here in 1835 from Vermont. He built and operated a mercantile store as well as being a rancher and who became quite famous for servicing this area. Since there was already a La Junta along this rail line in Colorado, the railroad company named this station after Watrous.
One of Samuel Watrous' daughters married a Tipton and they built and established a community north of Watrous also along the Santa Fe Trail. This was known as Tiptonville where there were a few residences. The Tiptonville Cemetery exists there today.
The post office under the La Junta name was in operation from 1868 to 1879. Since then, it has been in the Watrous name.
This Watrous Cemetery located along State Road 97 north of town is the final resting place for many of the settlers, ranchers and workers who developed this area. This cache is placed as a tribute to these pioneers. We solicit your support as a volunteer cacher to place a "Spirit" cache at or near a cemetery of your choosing.