28 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2009
C O L O R A D O
Telluride’s mosT ancienT hisTory
— its geologic formation— keeps it rivet-
ing. Eons before the miners got here, gla-
ciers carved out a drainage passage with
steep walls on three sides: a so-called box
canyon. To the glaciers’ everlasting credit,
they opened the canyon to the west. That
east-westorientation lets localsand tourists
ponder heavenly sunsets long after other
Colorado mountain towns dwell in shad-
ow. You might want to spend the gloam-
ing roaming the old clapboard storefronts,
discovering Telluride’s new sophistication.
What was once a rowdy saloon may now
house aWestern art gallery; a stylish bou-
tiquemay occupywhat used to be a brazen
bordello.
Waterfalls are another benefit of the box
canyon. Because the San Juan Mountains
are Colorado’s steepest range and all that
precipitation (300 inches of snow a year)
has to melt somewhere, Telluride enjoys
several stunning waterfalls. The easiest
to reach are the 60-foot-tall Cornet Falls,
located just a quarter mile up a steep trail
from the top of Aspen Street. IngramFalls
are the most obvious. From town, you can
clearly see thehuge, 125-foot-tallwhite rib-
bon churning. Drive east on Colorado Av-
enue, which everybody calls Main Street,
past the old Pandora Mill, and you’ll see
thedramaticBridalVeilFalls,whichplunge
more than 300 feet, making them the tall-
est free-fallingwaterfalls inColorado.When
sections of thewaterfalls freeze, they stand
as spectacular ice sculptures.
Some say Telluride was named for tel-
lurium, a gold-bearing ore. Others say it
means “to hell you ride,” as a reflection of
the boisterous nature of the town when it
was aminingoutpost in the 1800s.Which-
ever is right, Telluride remainsboth—kind
of golden, kind of boisterous.When sunset
fades, the restaurants and saloons rattle
their vintage tin ceilings. When sunrise fi-
nally peeks over themountains to the east,
you (Telluriders and visitors alike) prepare
to popmoguls and schuss groomers. Usu-
ally, the snow is too deep and the runs are
too long to thinkmuch about local history.
But somewhere in your unconscious being,
you’re grateful theminers picked this place
to start a town.
ing and protecting the irreplaceable. For
large-scale renovations and improvements
in2008, theNewSheridanspent$7million
tomaintain the original integrity, architec-
ture, andambienceof thehotel.Fortunately
formodern visitors, history didn’t keep the
NewSheridan from installing iPoddocking
stations, LCD flat-screen televisions, and
twonew rooftophot tubs.
inDenver. These days, the New Sheridan’s
ChopHouseRestaurant serves some of the
best food inall ofColorado.
In Telluride, you’re always brushing up
against history. In2000, theNewSheridan
Hotelwas accepted as amember of theNa-
tional Trust forHistoricHotels of America,
aprogramof theNationalTrust forHistoric
Preservation, which is taskedwith identify-
RobStoRY
is a contributing editor to
Skiing
and
Powder
maga-
zines and theauthor of
TellurideStorys
. Henailedhisfirst black-
diamond run at age 11.
AW
