Trinidad launches summer historic building scavenger hunt with $1,000 prize

Trinidad’s Historic Preservation Commission is running a Historic Building Scavenger Hunt from Independence Day to Labor Day, inviting people to walk downtown, study old buildings and compete for a $1,000 cash prize. The city is framing the project as a hands-on way to rediscover the landmarks and streets many residents pass every day.

The hunt is built around Trinidad’s historic core, where the city says participants can step through 13 of the community’s most iconic historic locations. The city’s own page greets players with the line, “Welcome, time traveler! You’re about to explore 13 of Historic Trinidad’s most iconic historic locations.” That setup turns preservation into a summer activity families, visitors and local history fans can take on at their own pace.

For anyone trying to get started, Tara Booth is the contact listed for the scavenger hunt. History Colorado’s Certified Local Government directory identifies Booth as Trinidad’s Development Services Administrator and historic-preservation contact, with an office at 135 North Animas Street and extension 136. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission meets the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 135 N. Animas Street, giving the effort an official base inside the city’s preservation structure.

The setting matters. Visit Trinidad describes downtown as a walk through El Corazón de Trinidad National Historic District along the Santa Fe Trail, and the National Park Service says Trinidad grew in response to trade along the Santa Fe Trail Mountain Branch. Temple Aaron in Trinidad was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as part of the Corazon de Trinidad Historic District, tying the scavenger hunt to a district recognized within the federal preservation system created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

The city is also using the hunt as part of a broader downtown preservation push. A Trinidad survey notice says about 74 historic resources are being surveyed in each phase along and within portions of Main Street, Church Street, North Animas Street and Convent Street. That work, paired with a summer contest and a cash prize, keeps attention on the buildings that shape Trinidad’s identity and the walkable downtown that supports it.

The scavenger hunt fits a larger effort to make Trinidad’s history visible, accessible and useful to the people who live and spend time here. Instead of treating historic buildings as scenery, the city is asking neighbors to look closer, move through downtown and connect daily life with the places that tell Trinidad’s story.