Custer County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
located in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 4,704.
The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
is
Westcliffe.
History
Custer County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 9, 1877, out of the southern half of
Fremont County. It was named in honor of Lt. Colonel
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.
Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...
, who had died the previous year. Originally set in
Ula, the county seat moved to
Rosita in 1878, and to
Silver Cliff in 1886 before settling in
Westcliffe in 1928.
The county was the site of a
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
rush during the 1870s. Thousands of men poured into the county during this time in the hunt for silver. Some of the notable mines include the Geyser Mine (on the north edge of the town of Silver Cliff), the Bassick Mine (near the ghost town of
Querida) and the Bull Domingo (north of Silver Cliff).
During the late 19th century a railroad line was connected through the Grape Creek Canyon but was permanently closed after a few disastrous floods. The old railhouse has been turned into a historical landmark in the town of Westcliffe.
After the mines were exhausted, the population dropped considerably and was replaced by cattle ranchers. An extensive system of irrigation ditches was built throughout the valley. Ranching in the Wet Mountain Valley continues to this day.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.
The county is very rugged and would be virtually inaccessible without roads. The lowest point of the county is around in elevation, but most of the county is rugged and mountainous. The county seat of
Westcliffe is about and along with nearby town
Silver Cliff lies in the
Wet Mountain Valley which sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west reach heights in excess of with
Crestone Peak
Crestone Peak is the seventh-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent fourteener is the highest summit of the Crestones and the second-highest summit in the Sangre de Cristo Range ...
being the highest at and 7th highest
fourteener in
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
.
A large percentage of the county is National Forest land in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the west side and in the
Wet Mountains on the east. The only lake of size is the
DeWeese Reservoir in the north end of the Wet Mountain Valley.
Adjacent counties
*
Fremont County - north
*
Pueblo County
Pueblo County ( or ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,162. The county seat is Pueblo. The county was named for the historic city of Pueblo which took its name from the Spanish la ...
- east
*
Huerfano County - southeast
*
Saguache County - west
Major Highways
*
State Highway 67
*
State Highway 69
*
State Highway 78
*
State Highway 96
*
State Highway 165
National protected areas
*
San Isabel National Forest
*
Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is a long and narrow wilderness area covering of the Sangre de Cristo Range centered about Saguache and Custer counties, Colorado. Smaller areas are located in Fremont, Alamosa, and Huerfano counties. The wild ...
*
Frontier Pathways National Scenic and Historic Byway
Bicycle trails
*
TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route
*
Western Express Bicycle Route
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 3,503 people, 1,480 households, and 1,077 families living in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 5 people per square mile (2/km
2). There were 2,989 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km
2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.89%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.37%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.11%
Native American, 0.29%
Asian, 0.71% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.63% from two or more races. 2.51% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino of any race.
There were 1,480 households, out of which 25.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were
married couples living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.50% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 35.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 104.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,731, and the median income for a family was $41,198. Males had a median income of $32,460 versus $20,868 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the county was $19,817. About 9.80% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 20.10% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.
Median household income (adjusted for inflation) dropped from $49,184 in 2009 to $32,261 in 2014, which made the county the third worst performing county in this respect in the country.
Government
The county is governed by three
county commissioners who are elected to 4-year terms with a term limit of two. In 2012, the county was represented by:
-District 1: Bill Canda (Republican), serving from 2017 to 2018. 1st term
-District 2: Jay Printz (Republican), serving from 2016 to 2020. 1st term.
-District 3: Tom Flower (Republican), serving from 2017 to 2020. 1st term.
There are several other public offices including Coroner, Sheriff, County Clerk and others.
[Officialwebpage - http://www.custercountygov.com/index.php?pg=commissioners]
Politics
Custer County is overall very conservative and heavily Republican. The most important election is not the
general election, but the
primary election between members of the
Republican Party in August. During the
2004 presidential election, well over 60% of Custer County voters voted for the Republican candidates including
George W. Bush and
Pete Coors
Peter Hanson Coors (born September 20, 1946) is an American businessman and politician. He formerly served as the chairman of the Molson Coors Brewing Company and chairman of MillerCoors.
Coors was the Republican party nominee in the 2004 United S ...
.
Despite the surface appearance of a homogeneous political culture, there is considerable dispute among residents over planning. One segment of residents (which includes ranchers) would like to see the County preserved in its present state as a mountain paradise with its rural ranching culture, with strict limitation on development. Proponents are sometimes seen as "anti-growth" and "anti-property rights." Another segment of the population would like to see less government and less restrictions on growth and development for the growth of business and the economy. Proponents are seen as "
anti-environment" or "anti-agriculture."
Communities
Towns
*
Silver Cliff
*
Westcliffe (County seat)
Unincorporated communities
*
Cold Spring
*
Fairview
*
Greenwood
*
McKenzie Junction
*
San Isabel
*
Tanglewood Acres
*
Wetmore
Ghost towns
*
Colfax
*
Galena
*
Querida
*
Rosita
*
Ula
See also
*
Outline of Colorado
*
Index of Colorado-related articles
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Custer County, Colorado
References
External links
Custer County Government website*
Colorado Historical Society
{{authority control
Colorado counties
1877 establishments in Colorado
Populated places established in 1877