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)
Pages
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- Public buildings (Ouray, Colo.)
- Five separate colored photographic prints of Ouray municipal buildings. Top left clockwise: Beaumont Hotel, Walsh Library, Public School, Court-House, and center is Elks Club
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- Radio-Active Hot Springs, Ouray, Colo. Natures Health Resort
- Radio-Active Hot Springs, Ouray, Colorado. "Nature's Health Resort."
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- Radium Hot Springs Court (Ouray, Colo.)
- A bathhouse and garage are shown under broad leaved trees with cliffs in the background. A car is parked on the side of the road next to a sign.
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- Radium Park Pool; Ouray, Colo.
- Photo print image of people sitting on park benches and swimming. Posted is a sign that reads: "RADIUM SPRINGS PARK NATURAL HOT WATER POOL." A mountain, still covered with snow in some crevices, rises above the scene.
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- Radium Springs Park, Mt. Hayden in background (Ouray, Colo.)
- In this had colored photo, a pool with a fountain sits in the foreground. A small group of cottonwoods can be seen on the right. Further in the distance is a cluster of red roofed buildings can be seen under more trees. Mt. Hayden, partially covered in snow, dominates the sky.
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- Radium Springs Pool Ouray, Colo.
- In this black and white photo, an oval pool with a bathhouse can be seen under the branches of a pine tree in the foreground. The cottonwood trees are beginning to leaf out. Beyond the pool, a snow covered mountain rises in the background.
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- Radium Vapor Health Institute (Ouray, Colo.)
- View of a three-story house on the left on the right is a house surrounded by trees in the background are tree covered hills
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- Radium hot springs swimming pool & municipal park (Ouray, Colo.)
- Distant view of pool and bath house with cars parked in front of it; a road running from town to the pool; is visible mountain peaks are in the background.
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- Radium hot springs swimming pool (Ouray, Colo.)
- Image of an oval pool. To the left is a bath house. People can be seen swimming in the pool and walking along its edge at the bottom. Cars are parked on the right side of the pool on beyond the pool.
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- Radium springs swimming pool & municipal park (Ouray, Colo.)
- Image of two pools, one angular, the other oval with a bathhouse to the left, fill the foreground. To the left a sign reads "Welcome to Ouray, Switzerland of America, Natural Warm Water Swimming Pool, Closed On Mondays, So Box Canyon Falls [Drs. Orders] 7800." A red car is parked on the right. Cliffs lined with pine trees in background.
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- Radium springs swimming pool & municipal park (Ouray, Colo.)
- Distant view of pool with cars parked in front of it; a road running from town to the pool is visible; snow covered mountain peaks are in the background.
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- Radium springs swimming pool & municipal park (Ouray, Colo.)
- Lithographic photo print image of a pool and pool side surrounded by lush mountain greenery and mountains is distance.