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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- 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).
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- Telluride, Colo.
- Color photograph print panoramic postcard of Telluride, Colo. View of town buildings; surrounding valley and mountain background.
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- Telluride, Colo.
- Sepia toned photo print image of a mountain valley from an elevated vantage point.
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- Telluride, Colo. Altitude 7856 ft.
- Telluride, Colorado. Altitude 7856 ft.
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- Telluride, Colo. In the winter
- Photograph of a street in Telluride, Colorado after a snow storm. Shows the National Club, Ted's, and Katz Clothing and Gent's Furnishings.
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- Telluride, Colo., Altitude 8,756 ft., looking northeast
- Telluride, Colorado, altitude 8,756 feet, looking northeast.
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- Telluride, Colo., Looking southeast, Altitude 8.756 ft.
- An overhead view of Telluride. Great mountains can be seen in the background and the shot was taken in such a way that the tops of the mountains are mostly out of the photograph. A road hugs the mountain that is closest to the camera.
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- Telluride, Colo., from Smuggler Road
- Telluride, Colorado, from Smuggler Road.
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- Telluride, Colorado Arpil 6, 1909
- View of high snow banks on main street in Telluride, with L. L. Nun's bank building and other buildings visible in the upper portion of the picture. Postmarked on April 6, 1909, and mailed to Miss Alpha Wabnitz in Muscatine, Iowa, from Emily A., who wrote on April 5th that "this picture was taken a number of weeks ago."
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- Telluride, Colorado by moonlight.
- Sepia photograph of Telluride, with a large full moon visible over mountains.
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- Telluride, Colorado in 1938.
- Black and white framed image of Telluride, Colorado in 1938. On the postcard is a handwritten note and is postmarked April 28th, 1909. There must be some sort of error with the dates listed, the postcard was copyrighted in 1902 but the photograph is titled 1938 Telluride, Colorado
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- The Amphitheatre, Ouray, Colo.
- A photograph of "The Amphitheatre" in Ouray, Colorado. The photograph is of mountains and trees.