Mosca, Colorado
Mosca (mahs-kah) was settled in the 1800s by pioneers from Kansas and Nebraska. The town was named for nearby Mosca Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The origin of the pass name is uncertain, but early names associated with pioneer settlement there include Mosco and Moscow City.
In the late 1800s, Mosca had 15 businesses, including a newspaper, two hotels, a livery, a general store, a candy store, and a pharmacy. A Baptist church (with steeple in photo above) was eventually lost in a fire, but today the original Methodist church is intact. The first K-12 school (left) was built in 1890.
Mosca History
Mosca Today
Today Mosca is still a small community, but with an excellent new school, beautiful views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, diverse recreational opportunities in two mountain ranges, and a Colorado country lifestyle. Mosca is the mailing address not only for the town, but also area farms and ranches, the Zapata mountain subdivision (about 50 homes), and Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Infrastructure
Mosca is an unincorporated community in Alamosa County, Colorado. While each residence maintains its own well, there is a community sewer system. The Mosca-Hooper VFD and two resident sheriff's deputies provide rapid emergency response.
Recreation
There is a small park in Mosca with basketball court, tennis court, and play equipment. However, the greatest recreation opportunities are in the spectacular mountains surrounding the San Luis Valley.
Historic Church
While there are many churches 13 miles south in Alamosa, the community of Mosca has the beautiful 120 year-old Mosca Methodist Church. A recently completed brick fellowship hall adjacent to the church hosts church and various community meetings.
Nature
Mosca is the closest town to Great Sand Dunes National Park, where the tallest dunes in North America lap up against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains towering 14,000 feet in elevation.