The city of
Steamboat Springs is a
Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of
Routt County, Colorado,
United States.
As of the
2010 census, the city population was 12,088. The city is an internationally known winter ski resort destination. The Steamboat Springs tourism industry is highlighted by
Steamboat Ski Resort, which is on
Mount Werner in the
Park Range just east of the town. It also contains the much smaller
Howelsen Ski Area. It is located in the upper valley of the
Yampa River, along
U.S. Highway 40 just west of the
Continental Divide and
Rabbit Ears Pass. The area surrounding Steamboat Springs was originally inhabited by the Yampatikas Utes, who hunted in the valley during
the summer. Trappers began to move through the area during the first decades of the
19th century.
James Harvey Crawford, the founder of Steamboat Springs, first arrived in the spring of 1874. The
Crawford family moved there in 1876, and for the first five years were the sole permanent residents of the town. The native Utes were forcibly removed from the area to a reservation in
Utah by the
U.S. Army starting in 1879.
Milestones in the development of the pioneer town included the first sawmill in 1873, incorporation of the town in
1900, and the arrival of the railroad in
1909. The economy of the region was originally based on ranching and mining, which still have a large presence in the county.
Steamboat is home to natural hot springs that are located throughout the area (see
Geography). Upon first hearing a chugging sound, early trappers believed that a steamboat was coming down the river. When the trappers saw that there was no steamboat, and that the sound was coming from a hot spring, they decided to name the spring Steamboat Springs.
Originally, skiing was the only method of transportation during harsh and snowy
Rocky Mountain winters. In turn, the popularity of skiing as a winter pastime catalyzed development of the town and other communities all over the
Rocky Mountains. In 1913,
Carl Howelsen, a
Norwegian, moved to town and introduced ski jumping. Howelsen built the first jump on
Howelsen Hill, now part of the Howelsen Ski Area. He also founded the annual
Winter Carnival, a celebration still held each winter. The festival includes ski racing and jumping, dog sledding, and chariot events down
Lincoln Avenue, the city's main street.
Light shows on both Mount Werner and Howelsen Hill are highlights. The Steamboat Ski Resort was largely established by two local men,
Jim Temple and
John Fetcher.
Temple led the effort to develop the area. Fetcher, a local rancher, was the main designer and builder. The resort opened on what was then called
Storm Mountain in
1963. In
1974, The
Industrial Company (
TIC) was started in Steamboat Springs and has since grown into one of the largest industrial construction companies in the United States with revenues of approximately $2 billion in
2007.
The company is one of the largest employers in
Routt County and has more than 9,
000 employees worldwide. In
1993, the
City Council of
Steamboat Springs, Colorado conducted a poll of its residents to choose a new name for the bridge that crossed the Yampa River on
Shield Drive. With 7,717 votes, the winning name was "
James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge".
The bridge was officially dedicated in
September 1993, and James Brown appeared at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the event. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26 km2), all of it land except for the Yampa River. The
Yampa Valley and surrounding area contain several geothermal hot springs. The city is named after the Steamboat
Spring, located near the present-day library and the old train depot.
The spring itself was so named because its bubbling sounded like a steamboat to early settlers.
Unfortunately, the construction of the railroad, which passes right next to the Steamboat Spring, silenced the chugging sound in
1908. Locals take pride in the name of their town, as evidenced by the humorously named Steamboat
Yacht Club, a local restaurant formerly located on the Yampa River. Though there are no steamboats in the town, except for an allegorical "steamboat" playground in
West Lincoln Park, the area does offer two hot springs that are open to the public.
- published: 06 Jul 2013
- views: 536