Colorado Porch

Tag

westcliffe

6 Porch Notes tagged “westcliffe,” from counties across Colorado.

History and culture - Custer County

The Dark Sky Over Westcliffe: Why People Drive Here to Look Up

Westcliffe and Silver Cliff protected their night sky so well they earned Colorado's first International Dark Sky Community certification, and a free in-town observatory lets you see the result.

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History and culture - Custer County

Beckwith Ranch: the red-roofed Victorian on Highway 69

A white-clapboard Victorian ranch house with bright red roofs sits just northwest of Westcliffe, a National Register landmark that volunteers open for tours each summer.

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History and culture - Custer County

The German colony that came before the mines

Before the silver rush, a colony of German immigrants from Chicago tried to farm the Wet Mountain Valley in 1870, and the congregation they founded lives on at Hope Lutheran Church in Westcliffe.

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History and culture - Custer County

Westcliffe grew up around a railroad depot

The Denver and Rio Grande railroad reached the Wet Mountain Valley in the early 1880s, and the historic depot near downtown, restored by a local effort, is a reminder of why the town sits where it does.

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History and culture - Custer County

The county seat that moved three times

Custer County's seat of government started at Ula, then moved to Rosita, then Silver Cliff, and finally Westcliffe, tracing the rise and fall of each mining town.

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Local rules - Custer County

One school district and a county library serve the valley

Most of Custer County is served by a small school district based in Westcliffe and by the West Custer County Library District, both separate from town and county government.

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