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
- View of the city of Ouray. Postmarked in Ouray on July 21 (year not visible); mailed to Mrs. Pearl Singleton in Overland Park, Kansas, from June and Merle.
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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
- Color panoramic view of Ouray, looking southwest.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Aerial view of Ouray, Colorado, with cliffs in the background. Printed in Ireland.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray, Colorado.
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- Ouray, Colorado
- Ouray, Colorado is located in the valley within the San Juan Mountains. The picture is taken from above the city and shows an ariel view of the city. The sky is clear and the trees and flowers are in bloom, the landscape surrounding the city is green and flourishing.
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- Ouray, Colorado Autumn Winter
- Two views of Ouray -- in the fall and in winter.
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- Ouray, Colorado at twilight
- Photograph of Ouray, Colorado. Image depicts town streets, houses, and vehicles with green mountain ridges in early evening light.
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- Ouray, Colorado, looking east
- Ouray, Colorado, looking east, a real photo black and white postcard, produced during the White Border era.
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- Ouray, Colorado, looking east
- Ouray, Colorado, looking east, a real photo black and white postcard, produced during the White Border era. Faded.
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- Ouray, Colorado, looking east
- Panoramic view of Ouray, Colorado, looking to the east.
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- Ouray, Colorado.
- A black and white photograph of the town of Ouray, Colorado, Gem City of the Rockies. The town of Ouray can be seen, surrounded by mountains.