Located at an elevation of 8,750 feet in an isolated spot in Southwest Colorado, Telluride is much more than a great place to go skiing. With history as rich as the natural beauty of the area it is no surprise that the Telluride Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also one of Colorado's 20 National Historic Landmarks. Here are a few interesting facts about this magical place:
There are no traffic lights in Telluride and during the '70s and effort undertaken by the locals to to ban cars on the city streets in favor of horse-drawn carts.
During Telluride's reign as a mining boom town, the town boasted more millionares per capita than New York City.
In June 1889, Butch Cassidy, before becoming associated with his gang, "the wild bunch," robbed the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride. This was his first major recorded crime. He exited the bank with $24,580, and later became famous as a bank robber.
Telluride was the first town in the world to have alternating current (AC) power, thanks to the Ames Power Plant located just down the road. Once called the “City of Lights,” Telluride was the first city in the world to have electric streetlights. The Bridal Veil Hydroelectric Power Plant was the second AC generating power plant to be built, after the Ames facility.
The original 2300 volt Westinghouse Electric AC generator used at the Smuggler-Union Hydroelectric Power Plant on Bridal Veil Falls is one of the oldest AC generators still in operation and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
