History of Telluride

Before this town became known for the world-class Telluride ski resort and as a Colorado vacation destination, the area had a rich history. The Native American Ute Tribe hunted elk, deer, and sheep along the San Miguel River for centuries before Spanish explorers and fur trappers eventually passed through the region. The prospectors and miners seeking their fortune in gold arrived in the early 1870s and were the first to actually make their home in the harsh environment known by the Utes as the "Valley of Hanging Waterfalls."

The town of Columbia, Colorado, founded in 1880, grew rapidly as workers in the surrounding mines needed supplies and services. Hoteliers, merchants, liveries, opera houses, blacksmiths, and ranchers kept the miners well-supplied for their work and kept them entertained on their rare days off. As an early mining town, brothels and saloons were also an important part of the economy in Telluride, Colorado. The doors opened and closed so frequently on the small establishments known as "cribs" on Pacific Avenue, that it is still known today as Popcorn Alley.

In 1887 the town was renamed in order to distinguish itself from another mining town— Columbia, California. The name Telluride was chosen as the element tellurium was an indicator of gold and silver lodes—interestingly enough, there is little or no tellurium in the Telluride area. The town was bustling with activity as the basins above, rich in gold, drew more prospectors. In 1889, the San Miguel Valley Bank on Colorado Avenue (Main Street) in Telluride was robbed of approximately $24,000 in mining payroll, and thus began the career of Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy.

In 1890 the budding mining town of Telluride was connected to the outside world when the Rio Grande Southern Railroad arrived, producing a significant boom to the economy. In 1891 the first commercial use of alternating current in the world also significantly boosted productivity and profit. Having denuded the mountains of old growth trees for building materials and fuel, entrepreneur LL Nunn and Westinghouse worked together using Nikola Tesla's discovery of alternating current to run almost 2 ½ miles of power line from a hydroelectric power plant in Ames to the Gold King Mine. Eventually those lines would be brought into town, and Telluride would be the first to be lit with alternating current.

Telluride, Colorado was a thriving and very wealthy town thanks to the rich mines in the area. By the early 1900s, over $250 million in gold had been mined from the surrounding mountains and Telluride's population was close to 5000. Gold being a limited commodity, it was fortuitous that the mines in the area also proved rich in silver, lead copper, and zinc, sustaining the mining industry through wars, the devaluation of silver, and changes in supply and demand.

Today, "white gold", or snow, has replaced yellow gold as the draw to the Telluride valley with the world-class Telluride skiing. By the late 1960s, mining was waning and Telluride's population was declining as well. While efforts to create a ski area in both the 1930s and the early 1960s had failed, Telluride was being seriously considered for a new ski area. West Coast entrepreneur Joe Zoline succeeded in his effort, and the Telluride Ski Area was born in 1972. With the opening of the Revelation Bowl in 2008, the Telluride Ski Area currently boasts 1700 acres of skiable terrain and an average of over 300 inches of snow annually.  

Newcomers arriving in town also began entertaining themselves with summer Telluride festivals, some of which have gained international acclaim. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Blues & Brews Festival, Jazz Festival, Chamber Music Festival and other music festivals share the summer calendar with the world renowned Telluride Film Festival, Heritage Festival, Mushroom Festival, and Tech Festival among many others, and Telluride has become known as Colorado's summer festival capital.

Steeped in mining heritage and rich with mountain views, trails, festivals and snow, Telluride has become a Colorado destination filled with possibilities. Designated a National Historic Landmark district in 1964, Telluride maintains its mining roots, offering much to the Heritage tourist, while offering some of the best skiing, mountain biking, and hiking in the area.