Highway of Legends Wayfinding Project Announces Timeline and End Date

Representatives of the Highway of Legends Wayfinding project, including Judy Walden and project director Deborah Malone, presented an updated timeline and announced an end date at a briefing in the Las Animas County Courthouse on November 21, 2025. The presentation described planned wayfinding elements such as visitor signage, interpretive markers and coordinated design standards intended to help travelers navigate the scenic byway and find local historic sites.

At the top of the project agenda are standardizing the visual language along the route and installing interpretive displays at key sites. Project materials cited examples that would receive enhanced signage, including coke ovens and mining era landmarks, along with other features tied to the Highway of Legends identity. Organizers said the coordinated approach is intended to make the byway easier to follow, encourage longer visits and highlight the region's cultural and industrial history.

Local officials at the courthouse reacted with cautious optimism, recognizing the project's potential to increase visitation while also pressing for clarity on costs and timelines. County leaders underscored the need for meaningful local input into design choices and site selection, and they emphasized that any tourism gains must translate into measurable benefits for businesses and residents across Las Animas County. Project representatives outlined plans to solicit community feedback and to align project phases with funding milestones so that work proceeds only as resources are confirmed.

Economic development advocates said better wayfinding could broaden the customer base for small businesses in towns along the byway and make historic sites more accessible to family travelers and heritage tourists. Preservation stakeholders noted that interpretive markers offer an opportunity to frame mining era stories and industrial archaeology in ways that respect both facts and local perspectives. Project staff described the design standards as a mechanism to balance consistency with local character, so signage will feel unified without erasing community identities.

Funding remains a key determinant of how quickly elements are installed and how extensive the program will be. The presentation identified phased funding milestones that must be reached before larger installations move forward, and the timeline presented by Deborah Malone sets an end date for the project that organizers say will guide contracting and installation schedules.

Next steps include outreach to communities along the Highway of Legends to gather input on marker content and placement, and coordination with funding partners to secure the milestones outlined in the timeline. If those tasks proceed as planned, residents can expect new directional signage and interpretive displays at sites such as the coke ovens and other historic locations along the scenic route.