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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- Twin Peaks on Million Dollar Highway near Ouray, Colo.
- Black and white vertical view of mountain-side dirt road and Twin Peaks in background. Under the name "Smith" is the word "Ouray".
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- Two houses (near Telluride, Colo.)
- Photo of two hoses street in front of the house has some debris in it there is a man and a woman between the houses the man is crawling on a board
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- Two men standing together and a dog.
- A black and white photograph of two men standing together with a dog. One of the men is holding a shovel.
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- Uncompahgre Canyon & Mt. Hayden Canon Creek (Ouray, Colo.)
- Aerial photo of Ouray; at bottom of photo mountain peaks with partial snow overlook the town Mt. Hayden Canon on right and Uncompahgre Canon on the left
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- Uncompahgre Canyon (Ouray, Colo.)
- Small waterfall leading into a small pool a bridge in the background with two people on it overlooks the bridge a tall pine tree stands above and to the left of the waterfall.
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- Uncompahgre Canyon, Ouray, Colo.
- Uncompahgre Canon, Ouray, Colorado, b/w postcard.
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- Uncompahgre Gorge
- View of Uncompahgre Gorge.
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- Uncompahgre Gorge on the famous Million Dollar Highway (Colo.)
- Photo of a dirt road against cliffs on the right side, to the left is a valley with a river running through it.
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- Uncompahgre Peak, 14,307 ft. high, near Lake City, Colo.
- A painted color picture of Uncompahgre Peak, near Lake City, Colorado.
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- Uncompahgre River (Ouray, Colo.)
- The Uncompahgre River, Ouray, Colorado.
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- Uncompahgre River (Ouray, Colo.)
- View of a bridge with a ladder on the right of it hangs over a river that is running through deep cliffs.
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- Uncompahgre River at Ouray, Colorado.
- Uncompahgre River at Ouray, Colorado.