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, Colorado
- Approaching Ouray, Colorado, from the south, this colorful little mining town nestles at the base of Cascade Mountain. Cascade Falls can be seen just above the redroofed building in the center of this view.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray, Colorado. Lying in an amphitheatre almost completely encircled by towering cliffs of colorful granite 13,000 feet high is the city of Ouray at an altitude of 7,700 feet.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray in the spring time, the mountains and trees are covered in snow while the sun is out and the skies are clear!
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- Ouray, Colorado
- A photograph of Ouray, Colorado. The town of Ouray is visible in a valley surrounded by mountains.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray, Colorado, elevation 7,800 feet. Surrounded by 14,000 foot high mountain peaks, this colorful little town is a remarkable combination of scenery and recreation - in the Switzerland of America. The natural hot springs swimming pool is a popular attraction of Ouray.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- 1890 Bar Room, Western Hotel Museum, Ouray, Colorado, Color postcard
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray, Colorado.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Color panoramic view of Ouray, looking southwest.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray, Colorado.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray lies in a vast bowl or amphitheatre seemingly completely encircled by towering cliffs of highly colored granite 13,000 feet high. At the bottom of this great cup nestles Ouray at an altitude of 7,700 feet surrounded by mountains packed with ...
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Picture of Ouray, Colorado in the night time. The sun is setting over the mountains creating a purple/redish skyline. In the valley you can see the town of Ouray and the lights from the town and traffic.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray, Colorado, the "Switzerland of America" 7,800 feet in elevation, picturesque Ouray is surrounded by 12 to 14,000 mountains of the Uncompahgre National Forest. Entrance to an area of scenic grandeur, Ouray is reached by spectacular Highways 550 and