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
-
- Telluride Municipal Golf Course
- A photograph of Telluride Municipal Golf Course, with a stream in the foreground winding through several sandy areas, snowy mountains in the background, and a road in the foreground forking to the left around the golf course.
-
- Telluride Needle (Colo.)
- Image of tall rock outcropping with a family of 5 (parents with 3 children) posing at the bottom and sitting on rocky pedestals. Spruce trees surround the rock needle.
-
- Telluride Valley (Colo.)
- Image of cows grazing in foreground; background of snow capped mountains. Several clumps of hay lie in the field. In the distance, a road lined with telegraph poles and broad leaved trees leads off into the valley. Written on a distant sign or barn roof "HOME MARKET".
-
- Telluride and Smuggler Road.
- A photo looking down into the town of Telluride - with old mining roads visable on the mountains in the background.
-
- Telluride from Southeast
- Black and white photo print image of Telluride, Colo. from a high vantage point. Image reveals town grid, surrounding valley, and snow covered mountains in the background.
-
- Telluride, Colo.
- A black and white panorama of the city of Telluride, Colo with snow capped peaks in the background. The postcard is a double length one (with the photo spread over both sides (A and B). The card is dated on the back (10-25-1906). There is a colored version of the photo also available (2008:028.045).
-
- Telluride, Colo.
- A picture of downtown Telluride lined with classic cars, three of which are driving up or down the street. The Sheridan Hotel is on the left, with other cafes, bars and store fronts facing the street. In the distance vegetation topped mountains with steep rocky cliffs are softened by cumulus clouds drifting above.
-
- Telluride, Colo.
- An aerial view of Telluride, Colorado with a road leading upslope into the meadows, cliffs, and patches of scattered conifer trees of the opposite wall of the valley/
-
- Telluride, Colo.
- Colored photographic print panorama postcards of Telluride, Colo.. Image of the ceity buildings with surrounding valley and snow capped peaks in the background. A black and white version of the photo also available (2008:028.044).
-
- Telluride, Colo.
- Black and white photographic print postcard of Telluride, Colo.. Telluride and surrounding valley are at foreground with mountains in the background. Image fits to left-most side of postcard with right boarder.
