Colorado Porch

Tag

town history

10 Porch Notes tagged “town history,” from counties across Colorado.

History and culture - Summit County

The town of Dillon was moved to make room for its reservoir

The Dillon you see today sits in a new spot because the old town was relocated in the 1960s when Denver Water built Dillon Reservoir over the original site.

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History and culture - Washington County

Akron: a railroad town on the high edge of the plains

Washington County's seat began in 1882 as a Burlington railroad stop and sits near the highest point on Colorado's plains, roughly 4,663 feet above sea level.

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History and culture - Adams County

Bennett's town story crosses the Adams-Arapahoe line

Incorporated in 1929, the plains town of Bennett straddles the line between Adams and Arapahoe counties — one address, two counties.

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History and culture - La Plata County

Animas City came first, then Durango, then they became one

Animas City was an older settlement just north of Durango that lost out when the railroad chose a new townsite in 1880, and the two eventually merged into modern Durango.

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History and culture - Conejos County

Manassa was founded by Latter-day Saint pioneers in the late 1870s

The Conejos County town of Manassa was settled in the late 1870s by Latter-day Saint (Mormon) pioneers, giving it a founding story distinct from the valley's older Hispano communities.

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History and culture - Alamosa County

Why Alamosa sits where it does: the railroad put it there

Alamosa began as a railroad town built by the Denver & Rio Grande along the Rio Grande, which is why it grew into the hub of the San Luis Valley.

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History and culture - Eagle County

Gypsum is one of Eagle County's older incorporated towns

Down the valley near the county's western edge, Gypsum was incorporated in the early 1900s and kept a working, western character distinct from the resort towns upriver.

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History and culture - Eagle County

Avon's name came from 'Avondale,' not an English river

A popular tale says Avon was named for England's Avon River, but the town's own history credits early settler George A. Townsend, who liked the name 'Avondale' — a reminder to check place-name legends against the documented record.

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History and culture - Summit County

Silverthorne grew up with the building of the Dillon Dam

Silverthorne took shape as a town in the era of the Dillon Dam, which housed many dam workers in the early 1960s, and incorporated in 1967 at the first I-70 exit west of the tunnel.

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History and culture - Grand County

Grand Lake is a lakeside town with a surprising yacht club

The town of Grand Lake sits beside a natural mountain lake and is home to a high-altitude yacht club with roots in the early 1900s.

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