Trinidad is a city in southeastern Colorado in Las Animas County. Seated about 14 miles from the New Mexico/Colorado border, Trinidad is a non-traditional "tourist spot" that is well worth a visit despite all the stereotypes concerning Trinidad from the 1960s.
In the 1960s, a surgeon named Barber moved to Trinidad; one of the services he offered was sex changes. According to some rumors, Barber performed sex changes up to four times a day, leading to Trinidad's nickname, the "Sex Change Capital of the World."
According to the city's website, Trinidad was established in 1842 by Mexican entrepreneurs attempting to take advantage of the Santa Fe Trail and the up-and-coming cattle rushes. To help settle the town, the city boasts the assistance of Bat Masterson, a "fearless lawman." The city also attributes the discovery of coal there in 1862 as the cause for the attraction of a "melting pot" of various cultures.
Despite the rumors and jokes, Trinidad has a reputation for being a smaller Colorado town that provides business opportunities, Colorado-style recreation and a point of interest for the arts as well as several historical buildings.
There are several points of interest in Trinidad including the intersection of Main and Maple, which is the "former site of the United States Hotel," where Ulysses S. Grant once stayed. There is the Opera House, built in 1883, and the West Theater, which is the only theater in Colorado with a double-tiered balcony. The Palace Building is also a point of interest; the only time it has not been a bar is when it was a candy shop during Prohibition.
Trinidad, according to its website, is the smallest of the four cities that separate the Rockies and the Great Plains. Around Trinidad are the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the Huajastollas (Spanish Peaks) and Fisher's Peak, a volcanic landmark.
