The Hough- Baca House was built near the end of the Santa Fe Trail era by John Hough. John Hough moved to Trinidad with his wife Mary and their two daughters from the Trail town of Boggsville. His mercantile firm in Trinidad, Prowers & Hough, boasted that it carried the "Largest and best selected Stock of Dry Goods, Groceries, Tobaccos, and Liquors in Colorado Territory." The Santa Fe Trail passed near the house and several of its present furnishings were brought west on the trail.