The San Luis Institute of Arts and Crafts brought classes to the southern SLV

The San Luis Institute of Arts and Crafts opened its doors 80 years ago, as a satellite campus of Adams State. At the time enrollment had dramatically increased, due in large part to returning WWII veterans. Ira Richardson, Ph.D., Adams State’s first president, opened the branch school in San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado, after the town offered a Works Progress Administration community building.

Adams State provided expansion of education across the rural landscape. Dr. Richardson wanted to allow easier access to practical courses and trade professions away from the main campus. Luther Bean, Adams State professor of education, became the director. He divided his time between Alamosa and San Luis while resident instructors maintained their full-time schedule at the satellite branch.

The San Luis Institute of Arts and Crafts is a significant part of Adams State’s history, not to be forgotten by those students who appreciated the opportunity to begin their college career closer to home before attending the main campus.

Mitch Medina ’60, ’64, fondly remembers the Institute and fellow students including Gene Medina and Irene Trujillo from Fort Garland. “From the community of Garcia where I was born and raised, there was Richard Archuleta, another veteran, and a small tight-knit community of people out of Garcia who benefited from attending the San Luis Institute. They continued on with their education (at Adams State) just like I did.”

When the doors first opened on Nov. 8, 1943, enrollment was strong and the courses focused on preservation of the Spanish Colonial Arts. Students learned traditional weaving and furniture making. Eventually the school turned towards professional development for educators and offered courses in industrial arts. At its peak, the school employed eight faculty members.

The San Luis Institute of Arts and Crafts conducted research on the treatment of impetigo, provided local schools with textbooks, sponsored teacher summer workshops, created a farm equipment repair shop and established programs for veterans who had not received a high school diploma.

Throughout its 10-year existence, the Institute’s students were active in clubs, published their own newspaper and yearbook, participated in sports and held socials which members of the community often attended. About 70 percent of students from the satellite campus completed their undergraduate degree on the Adams State campus.

As WWII veterans completed their classes/training, enrollment dropped significantly. The Institute held on for a few more years, closing in 1953. The building was turned back over to the town of San Luis.

Sources include: The South Coloradan; Vol. VX Number 8; and From Crested Peaks: The Story of Adams State College of Colorado by Beryl McAdow, emeritus professor of English.