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Walsenburg, Colorado La Plaza de los Leones (Plaza of the Leons)
Statutory City
Walsenburg with the Spanish Peaks in the background.
Motto: "A great place to be! Welcome!"
Location of the City of Walsenburg in Huerfano County, Colorado.
WalsenburgLocation of the City of Walsenburg in the United States.
Coordinates: 37°37′36″N 104°46′44″W / 37.62667°N 104.77889°W / 37.62667; -104.77889
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Huerfano County
City	Walsenburg
Incorporated	June 16, 1873
Named for	Fred Walsen
Government
• Type	Statutory City
• Mayor	Gary M. Vezzani
• City administrator	Roger Tinklenberg
• City clerk	Stephanie Barr
Area
• Total	2.99 sq mi (7.74 km)
• Land	2.99 sq mi (7.74 km)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km)
Elevation	6,300 ft (1,900 m)
Population
• Total	3,049
• Density	1,000/sq mi (390/km)
Demonym	Walsenburger
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP code	81089
Area code	719
FIPS code	08-82350
GNIS feature ID	2412176
Website	www.colorado.gov/walsenburg

Walsenburg is the statutory city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 3,049 at the 2020 census, down from 3,068 in 2010.

History

Walsenburg was originally settled under the name of La Plaza de los Leones in 1859. The settlement was named after settler Don Miguel Antonio de Leon, who came along with others from New Mexico. A post office called Walsenburg has been in operation since 1870. The community was named after Fred Walsen, an early settler. Robert Ford, the famous gunman, operated a combination saloon and gambling house in Walsenburg; his home at 320 West 7th Street still stands. The town is also remembered in sports history due to a famous newspaper gaffe ("Will Overhead") after the 1933 Indianapolis 500.

Colorado Coalfield War

Walsenburg played a central role in the 1913-1914 Strike of the United Mine Workers of America against the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron, an event better known as the Colorado Coalfield War. The town was the site of a Colorado and Southern Railway stop and location of several gun-battles before and after the April 20, 1914 Ludlow Massacre that killed over a dozen women and children when Colorado National Guard opened fire on a striker encampment at Ludlow, 22 miles south of Walsenburg. Among the first instances of violence in Walsenburg during the coal strikes is known as the Seventh Street Massacre, which saw three miners die in a shooting perpetrated by newly minted Walsenburg deputies.

The Battle of Walsenburg (April 28–29, 1914) was the penultimate engagement of National Guard and militia against pro-strikers during the 10-Day War stage of the conflict. Several men on both sides, as well as at least one uninvolved civilian, were killed before strikers withdrew.

Walsenburg is mentioned in the Woody Guthrie song "Ludlow Massacre".

1927-1928 Colorado Coal Strike

In 1927 the coal mines in Walsenburg were one of the many shutdown during the statewide strike led by the IWW.

21st century

On June 19, 2013, Boy Scouts at Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch noticed an uncontrolled fire near East Spanish Peak which rapidly grew over the next few days, growing into the East Peak Fire. The entirety of Walsenburg was placed under a pre-evacuation notice. The fire burned 13,572 acres (54.92 km) and was contained on July 9.

Geography and climate

Walsenburg is located in east-central Huerfano County, on the north side of the Cucharas River, at the eastern edge of the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Interstate 25 runs along the eastern edge of the city, with access from Exits 49, 50, and 52. I-25 leads north 48 miles (77 km) to Pueblo and south 36 miles (58 km) to Trinidad. U.S. Route 160 passes through the center of Walsenburg, leading west across North La Veta Pass 72 miles (116 km) to Alamosa and south with I-25 to Trinidad. Colorado State Highway 10 leads northeast from Walsenburg 73 miles (117 km) to La Junta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Walsenburg has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km), all of it land.

The Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center is located 2 miles (3 km) west of Walsenburg on US 160, opposite the entrance to Lathrop State Park. The building houses a state-operated veterans' retirement home and a community hospital that serves the area.

Walsenburg has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with hot, rainy summers with cool nights and cool snowy winters with chilly nights.

Local attractions and recreation

Lathrop State Park, located 2 miles (3 km) west of the Walsenburg city limits, is Colorado's first state park and is over 1,600 acres (6.5 km) in size. Martin Lake and Horseshoe Lake offer fishing stocked by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, water skiing, boating, and jet skiing. Hiking and camping are other activities in the park, and it is the only state park in Colorado with a golf course.

The Spanish Peaks, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Walsenburg are a national landmark and have been named one of "Colorado's Seven Wonders" by The Denver Post. The Highway of Legends, connecting Walsenburg with La Veta, other historic mining towns, and Trinidad, is a National Scenic Byway.

The Walsenburg Golf Course is a 9-hole public golf course open for play year round. The city opened a $2 million water park, "Walsenburg Wild Waters", after efforts by former mayor Maurice Brau and the City Council, on May 27, 2007.

Demographics

Education

John Mall High School is the local high school. It is the only high school in Huerfano District Re-1. In the 2021–2022 school year, there was a total enrollment of 137 students. 56% of the enrollment was male and 44% was female. There was a student-to-teacher ratio of 27:1, which is higher than the Colorado state average of 15:1. 66% of the student body identified as a minority, with most of them being Hispanic. The state average of minority enrollment is 48%. The graduation rate ranges from 70 to 79%, which is lower than the state average of 80%.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Greyhound Lines serves Walsenburg on its route between Denver and Albuquerque. Walsenburg is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on the Trinidad-Pueblo Outrider line.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Walsenburg include:

• Xavier Atencio (1919–2017), animator
• Star Caywood (1915–1968), Colorado state representative
• Robert Ford (1861–1892), murderer, saloon owner
• Debora Greger (born 1949), poet
• Mary Harris "Mother Jones" (1837–1930), labor organizer
• Matthew G. Martínez (1929–2011), U.S. Representative from California
• Frank Olmstead, mayor of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and 18th Auditor of New Mexico
• John R. Petrus (1923–2013), Wisconsin state legislator
• Roy Porter (1923–1998), jazz drummer
• Sam T. Taylor (1903–1977), Colorado state senator
• Albert J. Tomsic (1925–2012), politician, attorney, and judge
• Fred Walsen (1841-1906), city founder and Colorado State Treasurer

See also

• Huerfano County, Colorado

References

1. ^ "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
2. "Colorado Counties". State of Colorado, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
3. "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
4. ^ "Walsenburg municipal code". Municode. 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
5. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
6. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Walsenburg, Colorado
7. United States Census Bureau. "Walsenburg city; Colorado". Retrieved April 23, 2023.
8. "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on November 22, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
9. "Colorado County Seats". State of Colorado, Department of Public Health and Environment. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
10. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
11. ^ "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
12. "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
13. Dawson, John Frank (1954). Place Names in Colorado: Why 700 Communities Were So Named, 150 of Spanish or Indian Origin. Denver, CO: J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 51.
14. "History - Robert Ford and Walsenburg | City of Walsenburg". cityofwalsenburg.colorado.gov. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
15. "Will Overhead, a real no-name, once 'won' Indy 500 race". Wilmington Morning Star. May 23, 1983. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
16. The Talk of Gasoline Alley. May 5, 2003. 1070 WIBC-AM.
17. The Talk of Gasoline Alley. May 12, 2008. WFNI.
18. McGovern, George; Guttridge, Leonard. The Great Coalfield War. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1972. 125-126 p.
19. McGovern & Guttridge, 266.
20. Mintz, S.; McNeill, S. (2018). ""Ludlow Massacre" By Woody Guthrie". Digital History. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
21. McClurg, Donald J. (1963). "The Colorado Coal Strike of 1927 – Tactical Leadership of the IWW". Labor History. 4 (1): 68–92. doi:10.1080/00236566308583916.
22. "East Peak Fire fully contained, but not fully controlled". TheDenverChannel.com. July 9, 2013. Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
23. "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
24. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
25. "Colorado Parks and Wildlife". Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
26. Ree, Dorothy Rose (2006). Walsenburg, crossroads town: a history (1st ed.). Walsenburg, Colorado: Nocturn Independent Publishing. ISBN 9780984657216.
27. ^ "John Mall High School Profile | Walsenburg, Colorado (CO)". www.publicschoolreview.com. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
28. "Greyhound System Timetable".
29. "Bustang Schedule". RideBustang. CDOT.
30. Peri, Don (2011). Working with Disney: Interviews with Animators, Producers, and Artists. Oxford, MS: University of Mississippi Press. pp. 86–98.
31. Mestas, Anthony A. (November 26, 2014). "Man who shot Jesse James well-known in these parts". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
32. "Debora Greger". Academy of American Poets. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
33. "History - Mother Jones and the Wobblies | City of Walsenburg". cityofwalsenburg.colorado.gov. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
34. "Martinez, Matthew Gilbert, (1929-2011)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. U.S. Congress. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
35. Members of the Assembly. Wisconsin Blue Book. 1954. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
36. "Roy Porter". The Last Post. Jazzhouse.org. Retrieved June 17, 2016.

External links

• City of Walsenburg official website
• CDOT map of the City of Walsenburg
• Walsenburg travel guide from Wikivoyage

v t e Municipalities and communities of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States
County seat: Walsenburg
City	Walsenburg
Town	La Veta
CDP	Gardner
Unincorporated communities	Chama Cuchara Farisita Farista Pictou Pryor Red Wing
Ghost towns	Badito Calumet Delcarbon Malachite Tioga
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