Angel Creek: A History

You wont find Angel Creek on a real map, it doesn’t exist, it never did, but it could have.

Whilst scouring a map of the western states of America, looking for somewhere suitable to set wild west games, I came across the name Purgatoire River and couldn’t resist locating my western town on its banks. I had visions of a large town with riverside facilities and steamboats coming and going, until I found pictures of the Purgatory River on the net. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the Purgatory looked only a few metres wide   and not deep enough to float a canoe let alone a paddleboat. However I’m not playing in the real world, this is Blaze of Glory. So my Purgatory River will be wide enough to get that paddle steamer up it, when it gets built!!

This area of America also provides many modelling and miniature possibilities. It’s on the edge of the Great Plains and the Rocky mountains. Allowing wild rock formations, green river valleys and more desolate scrub, and that’s just outside town.  The figures useable include: All sorts of Westerners, Plains and Apache Indians and of course the US Cavalry.

I have set our campaign around about 1870, mainly because the railway has yet to stretch right across America, and I have an excuse to buy some prairie schooners and a stage coach. Anyway train models in 28mm are very expensive I may buy one eventually, then we will move to post 1872!

The events that might occur in and around Angel Creek are all based on events that are recorded in the history of Southern Colorado, especially from Trinidad, the main town in Las Animas County. The area was subject to several Range Wars, minor disputes between local Native American tribes, horse rustling, murder and worse. The Ancient History of the area also lends itself to some great ideas for games. The Purgatory River supposedly got its name when a large number of Spanish soldiers were ambushed by hostile natives and massacred on the banks of the river, these soldiers who did not receive the last rights are doomed to walk in Purgatory. Subsequent stories accompany this one, including lost golden artefacts from mountain tribes that were being transported back to ‘civilisation’

To read about the fictional history of Angel Creek Click here!

For more information about this area try visiting