Volume 5: Telluride/ Ouray/ Ophir
These mountain towns are gems in Southwest Colorado. Telluride and tiny Ophir are in San Miguel County, and Ouray, not far away if unimproved roads aren’t a barrier, is located in Ouray County. Telluride is the most populous (about two thousand residents) and best known of the three, home to a famous ski resort, many well-known music festivals, and exclusive luxury homes. Telluride’s colorful history as a hard-rock mining town where gold, silver, and tellurium were extracted beginning in 1878 changed dramatically in the 1970s when the Telluride Ski Resort opened. Telluride’s elevation is 8,750 feet above sea level, a bit higher than Ouray’s 7,792. (source) Fewer than 1,000 people call Ouray home, but each year many thousands of tourists visit the charming village, nicknamed the “Switzerland of America.” Like most mountain towns in the region, Ouray was founded on mining (gold, in this case), made accessible by the railroad, and popular with visitors. (source) Ophir, Colorado, is the highest in elevation of these three towns at 9,695 feet. Gold was discovered in 1875, and the town was founded in 1881, but the mines decreased until there was only one resident in 1970! Telluride’s popularity in recent has allowed a few hundred residents to call Ophir home. (source)
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- Aerial photo of Ouray; red cliffs/ mountains (with no snow) overlooking the town pine trees in the foreground.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- High vantage point photographic print of Ouray covered in snow. Hills leading to mountain peaks at left.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- View of Ouray amid the mountains. Image is smaller than the size of the postcard.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- Photo print image of autumn view of Ouray, CO through spruce trees. A highway the town streets lined with conifers, golden aspen, and buildings can be seen. A ridge of striated cliffs edges with conifers where it is level enough to grow separates the town from a distant rocky mountains beyond.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- A view of a street in Ouray, Colorado. Photograph shows the business section of Ouray which is virtually encircled by 14,000 ft. mountains
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- An aerial view of Ouray, Colorado.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- Graphic frame for a lithographic photo print image of downtown Ouray, CO.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- Distant photo of Main Street in Ouray in center of the photo; several large buildings on both sides of the street.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- Ouray, Colorado. Photograph of a street in Ouray, showing the Beaumont Hotel, across from a Texaco station.
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- Ouray (Colo.)
- Distant photo of Ouray in a valley; cliffs rise on both sides; Main Street is in center of the photo; several large buildings are on both sides of the street.
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- Ouray (Colo.) "Switzerland of America"
- Image of foreground spruce branches with an elevated view of Ouray, CO. beyond. Sunlight highlights the series of rocky slopes lining the valley. Trees fill the valley floor.