Dolores County, Colorado
Dolores County | |
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UTC−6 (MDT) | |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Website | dolocnty |
Dolores County is a county located in the
History
It is thought[
The county also contains a portion of a site of regional historic interest, the Dominguez-Escalante Trail of 1776. The trail marks a historic 1,800-mile (2,900 km) trip, intended to discover an overland route between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Monterey, California.[4] The Expedition camped on Dove Creek in the western portion of the county. The Old Spanish Trail later passed through the western portion of the county.
Anglo trappers worked the mountains of eastern Dolores County as early as 1832–33, and gold was discovered in the County in 1866. But it was not until the area was taken from the Ute and removed from the Ute Reservation by the
Rico's high point was in 1892, when the mining district population was more than 5,000; three times the current population of the entire county. The 1893 Silver Panic hit the town hard; by 1900 the population was 811. The mountainous area of Dolores County went through a series of booms and busts through the 20th Century. The low point of the community came in 1974 with an estimated population of 45; since then the town has become a bedroom community for Telluride and has limited tourism and subdivisions; the population has rebounded to almost 300. Efforts are underway in the early 21st Century to again begin major mining activities in the region.
Dove Creek was a way station on the Old Spanish Trail from the mid 19th century, for caravans and travelers moving between Santa Fe, Salt Lake City, and northern California and Nevada. The western portion of the county was used, beginning in the 1870s, for cattle ranching, but the lush grass soon suffered from overgrazing and then fire suppression, allowing the massive expansion of sagebrush, pinyon, and juniper. Homesteading in the area became common beginning in 1914, and dryland farming expanded throughout the Great Sage Plain. Today dryland farming of pinto beans and winter wheat is still a mainstay of the county's economy. But the development of irrigation using water from the Dolores Project in the 1980s, with the construction of McPhee Reservoir (immediately upstream in Montezuma County), has changed the history and population of the county.[5]
Dolores County was created by the Colorado legislature on February 19, 1881, from the western portions of
, the first county courthouse was a 23x48 foot two storage log cabin, but was replaced by a stone and brick courthouse completed in 1883. the county seat was moved to Dove Creek in 1946, and the current courthouse built in 1957. (The original county courthouse in Rico is now the town hall and a branch of the public library.)In 2009, Dolores County achieved notoriety as the most economically depressed county in Colorado.
Geography
According to the
Dolores County, like other counties in Colorado along its border with
Only 38% of the county is private land, located mostly in two large areas at the extreme western end of the county (dryland and irrigated cropland and towns along
Adjacent counties
- San Miguel County, Colorado - north
- San Juan County, Colorado - east
- Montezuma County, Colorado - south
- La Plata County, Colorado - southeast
- San Juan County, Utah - west
Major highways
- U.S. Highway 491
- State Highway 141
- State Highway 145
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 1,498 | — | |
1900 | 1,134 | −24.3% | |
1910 | 642 | −43.4% | |
1920 | 1,243 | 93.6% | |
1930 | 1,412 | 13.6% | |
1940 | 1,958 | 38.7% | |
1950 | 1,966 | 0.4% | |
1960 | 2,196 | 11.7% | |
1970 | 1,641 | −25.3% | |
1980 | 1,658 | 1.0% | |
1990 | 1,504 | −9.3% | |
2000 | 1,844 | 22.6% | |
2010 | 2,064 | 11.9% | |
2020 | 2,326 | 12.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2020[2] |
As of the
There were 785 households, out of which 24.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.90% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 27.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 107.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,196, and the median income for a family was $38,000. Males had a median income of $30,972 versus $20,385 for females. The
In the third quarter of 2009, county unemployment was 13.1%, the worst in Colorado, and up from 7.3% in 2008.[13] Average weekly wages were $489. Many residents of the county commute to San Miquel County (Telluride) or Montezuma County (primarily Cortez and rural-area industries and commercial establishments).
Communities
Towns
Unincorporated Communities
Politics
In its early history Dolores County favored the Democratic Party. It was one of the few western or northern counties to be won by
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 1,089 | 75.16% | 341 | 23.53% | 19 | 1.31% |
2016 | 944 | 75.22% | 242 | 19.28% | 69 | 5.50% |
2012 | 859 | 69.00% | 334 | 26.83% | 52 | 4.18% |
2008 | 818 | 67.21% | 369 | 30.32% | 30 | 2.47% |
2004 | 785 | 68.44% | 333 | 29.03% | 29 | 2.53% |
2000 | 741 | 65.34% | 293 | 25.84% | 100 | 8.82% |
1996 | 417 | 51.67% | 276 | 34.20% | 114 | 14.13% |
1992 | 315 | 37.23% | 242 | 28.61% | 289 | 34.16% |
1988 | 488 | 66.67% | 230 | 31.42% | 14 | 1.91% |
1984 | 667 | 78.47% | 173 | 20.35% | 10 | 1.18% |
1980 | 615 | 75.28% | 157 | 19.22% | 45 | 5.51% |
1976 | 343 | 45.61% | 374 | 49.73% | 35 | 4.65% |
1972 | 498 | 71.76% | 166 | 23.92% | 30 | 4.32% |
1968 | 392 | 52.97% | 217 | 29.32% | 131 | 17.70% |
1964 | 322 | 39.36% | 496 | 60.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 476 | 55.22% | 386 | 44.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 544 | 60.38% | 354 | 39.29% | 3 | 0.33% |
1952 | 542 | 62.23% | 323 | 37.08% | 6 | 0.69% |
1948 | 352 | 43.95% | 435 | 54.31% | 14 | 1.75% |
1944 | 429 | 58.85% | 300 | 41.15% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 478 | 54.75% | 379 | 43.41% | 16 | 1.83% |
1936 | 225 | 38.66% | 323 | 55.50% | 34 | 5.84% |
1932 | 183 | 26.48% | 464 | 67.15% | 44 | 6.37% |
1928 | 387 | 55.92% | 278 | 40.17% | 27 | 3.90% |
1924 | 95 | 21.30% | 157 | 35.20% | 194 | 43.50% |
1920 | 197 | 48.28% | 153 | 37.50% | 58 | 14.22% |
1916 | 46 | 14.07% | 251 | 76.76% | 30 | 9.17% |
1912 | 45 | 19.48% | 124 | 53.68% | 62 | 26.84% |
In gubernatorial elections, Dolores County is also Republican-leaning: in 2010 it was along with neighboring Montezuma County one of only two counties to give a plurality to Dan Maes[16] The last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win Dolores County was Bill Ritter in 2006,[17] whilst Roy Romer carried the county twice in 1986 and 1990.
Dolores County is situated in Colorado House of Representatives, House District 58.[18] The Current Representative is Marc Catlin, who has carried the county in all four of his terms.
National protected areas
- Calico National Recreation Trail
- Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (part)
- Lizard Head Wilderness
- Old Spanish National Historic Trail
- San Juan National Forest
Transportation
With the
The only airport is the privately owned Dove Creek Airport east of Dove Creek; a general aviation facility with a 4,000-foot (1,200 m) runway. The nearest commercial service is located at Cortez Municipal Airport to the south, and San Juan (UT) County Airport north of Monticello.
Bicycle routes
- Great Parks Bicycle Route
- Western Express Bicycle Route
Scenic byway
- San Juan Skyway National Scenic Byway
See also
- Bibliography of Colorado
- Geography of Colorado
- History of Colorado
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Dolores County, Colorado
- Index of Colorado-related articles
- List of Colorado-related lists
- Outline of Colorado
References
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Dolores County, Colorado". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Katieri Treimer, Site research report, site no. 916, Southwest Colorado, Earth Metrics Inc. and SRI International for Contel Systems and the U.S. Air Force 1989
- ^ http://www.scan.org/4[permanent dead link] - Dolores County.pdf accessed 12 February 2010
- ^ "Archives -". www.colorado.gov.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) accessed 12 February 2010 - ^ Scammon; America at the Polls, pp. 64, 76
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 2010 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Colorado
- ^ Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 2006 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Colorado
- ^ "Marc Catlin | Colorado General Assembly". leg.colorado.gov. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
External links
- Official website
- Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
- Colorado Historical Society
- Dolores County Ministry of Tourism