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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: San Juan Range near Ouray in the Colorado Rockies; Image of snow capped mountain peaks overlooking a valley; trees at the bottom of the valley are reddish orange indicating fall. Cattle graze in a field at the base of the mountain.

: San Miguel Co. Court House (Telluride, Colo.); Black and white photograph of the San Miguel County Court House, Telluride, Colorado.

: Savage Basin (Colo.); View of mountain range hanging over a steep valley; trees in the valley are changing color; a pine tree stands in the foreground on the right side

: Scene along Colorado's "Million Dollar Highway" near Red Mountain Pass; Scene along "Million Dollar Highway" near Red Mountain Pass, a color postcard.

: Scene on Million Dollar Highway - tunnel in the distance; Image of a road passing next to a rocky cliff, a telegraph pole, then through a tunnel. Beyond the tunnel are two more slopes in the distance, covered with scattered conifers.

: Scene on a four hour trip from Ouray (Colo.); Photo of a Jeep in the foreground overlooking a valley with a small reservoir, a small mountain peak overlooks the valley. Three people are on the road by the side of the keep looking at the scenery.

: Scene on the Million Dollar Highway near Ouray, Colo.; A view of a highway perched on the edge of a rocky cliff with square cement blocks lined along the edge. A rocky slope with fingers of conifers lies on the other side of the valley.

: Scenery around Ouray, Colorado.; Black and white photo print of mountains with bare rocks covering the slopes on the left and conifers covering the lower slopes to the right.

: Scenic Highway. O-S Road.; A road perched on a cliff curves right and continues off in the distance. Square cement blocks line the edge of the road and telegraph poles run beside it. A few pines grow from crevices in the steep, rocky slopes.

: Scenic Skyline Guest Ranch (Telluride Colo.); Image of a cabin with two wagon wheels in the foreground and trees in background.

: Scrapeing (sic) Snow from the side-walks, Telluride; Photograph of removing snow from a street in Telluride, Colorado, using horses.

: Serpentine Drive on Million Dollar Highway, Ouray, Colo.; b/w postcard. A vehicle is headed away from the camera in the distance. Produced by The Albertype Co. (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

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