Editing Silverton, Colorado (section)

=== Tourism era ===
The town has a long history of tourism and efforts to market tourism by the Silverton Commercial Club (now the Chamber of Commerce) dates back as early as 1913.<ref name=":1" /> By the 1930s, interest in the “Old West” was already attracting tourists from around the world, for which the newly constructed U.S. Route 550 further enabled access.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weiser-Alexander|first=Kathy|date=2021|title=Silverton, Colorado – High in the San Juans|url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/silverton-colorado/3/|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=Legends of America}}</ref> Tourism continued to increase in the latter part of the 20th century, but Silverton's harsh winters and isolation made it a summer-only attraction.<ref name=":1" /> Following the closure of Sunnyside, Silverton lost much of its tax base as the town's population dwindled to just over 500, a quarter of its peak population one hundred years earlier.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1910 Census Supplement For Colorado (p. 583).|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-co.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2003|title=Colorado: 2000, Population and Housing Unit Counts (Report No. PHC-3-7) (p. 11)|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-3-7.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=US Census Bureau}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

[[File:An Invitation from San Juan County Silverton Colorado.jpg|thumb|left|1911 Brochure inviting tourists to Silverton]]

The town's scenic {{cvt|3|ft}} [[narrow-gauge]] railroad, originally built by the [[Denver and Rio Grande Railroad]] (later renamed the Denver and Rio Grande Western or D&RGW) primarily to haul ore to Durango, became popular as a tourist attraction, and this traffic increased after World War II when the line was featured in several popular [[western film]]s and its staff began actively promoting tourism. As mining and other rail freight declined, the D&RGW petitioned the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] in 1960 to abandon the line, but the petition was denied due to the strong tourist traffic.<ref name=":4"/> In December 1968, the D&RGW discontinued service on its [[Alamosa–Durango line]] west of [[Antonito, Colorado]], and formally abandoned the line in 1969, severing Silverton's only remaining connection to the national rail network.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Weiser-Alexander|first=Kathey|date=2018|title=Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad|url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/durango-silverton-railroad/|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=Legends of America}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.drgw.net/info/SanJuanExtension |title=The San Juan Extension |website=drgw.net |access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref> The Silverton–Durango line now served tourists exclusively, and in 1980, the D&RGW sold it to an independent operator who renamed it the [[Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad]] (D&SNG). Operations continue today, bringing several trainloads of tourists to Silverton daily during operating season, and the D&SNG also operates a museum in the town.<ref name=":4"/>

The town's population, buoyed by strong summer tourism and an emerging winter economy, has since recovered.<ref name="GR2" /> The construction of the expert-level ski area [[Silverton Mountain]] in 2002 marked the beginning of Silverton's year-round tourism. Another ski area, the [[Purgatory Resort]], is marketed as being within the Durango Metropolitan Area but is actually closer to Silverton than it is to Durango. Winter festivals such as [[Skijoring]] have brought crowds that rival those in the summer,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Owen|first=Faith|date=February 2020|title=Silverton skijoring: The most extreme sporting event of the winter.|url=https://www.360durango.com/blog/Durango-Events/Silverton-Skijoring-the-Most-Extreme-Sporting-Event-of-the-Winte.html|access-date=May 18, 2021|website=360Durango.Com}}</ref> and the potential for new winter activities such as the expansion of the town-operated ski hill could permanently improve Silverton's winter tourism. The town has also become well known for its winter backcountry activities such as snowmobiling, ice climbing, and backcountry skiing.

Both the town and the rail line were designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1961. In 1966, the entire town was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. These boundaries were expanded in 1997 with the addition of the Shenandoah-Dives mill and other historical structures.<ref name=":2" /> The town's only grocery store is the Silverton Grocery & Deli, formerly called the Greene Street Grocery.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDCDDx_v3Ok Short 2024 documentary made by [[Rocky Mountain PBS]]</ref>