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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: Bird's Eye View of Ouray, Colorado; Black and white vertical panoramic view of Ouray. The base of this postcard has a broad white border which contains the following information: postcard title, I.D. number, "Published for R. J. Derry", and "Germany".

: Bird's Eye View of the City of Ouray, Colorado, 8,000 Feet Above Sea Level.; A black and white photograph of a bird's eye view of Ouray, Colorado. The photograph shows Ouray in a valley, surrounded by mountains.

: Bird's eye view of Ouray from the peaks; Very high aerial view of Ouray; mountains hang over the town a road switch-backs to the right of the town leading out a hill

: Bird's eye view of Ouray, Colo.; Very high aerial view of Ouray; two snow covered mountain peaks overlooking the town in a valley "Ouray, Colorado." printed in upper right hand corner

: Bird's eye view of Ouray, Colo.; Very high aerial view of Ouray; mountains hang over the town a pine tree is in the foreground.

: Bird's eye view of Telluride Colo.; Photo overlooking Telluride Colorado [writing on the back] a 1 cent postage stamp is on the back addressed to "The Misses Riley" of Crafton, Pa.

: Bird's eye view of swimming pool looking west (Ouray, Colo.); View of circular pool surrounded by many people; cliffs in the background.

: Bird's-eye view (Ouray, Colo.); Aerial photo of Ouray; snow capped peak in the background.

: Birds eye view of Telluride, Colo.; A bird's eye view of Telluride, Colorado; a two-panel postcard.

: Birds-eye view (Ouray, Colo.); Birds' eye view of Ouray, Colorado..

: Birds-eye view of Ouray, Colo.; Panoramic view of Ouray taken from the south looking northward. Hand written on the front of the card is "with love, from Andrew. The back of the card has a one (1) cent stamp and is addressed to Miss Bessie Ives, 17 Rundel (?) Park, Rochester, N.Y.

: Birdseye of Bear Creek Falls (Ouray, Colo.); Birdseye [view] of Bear Creek Falls; a real photo black and white postcard, produced during the White Border era.

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