Editing Montezuma, Colorado

{{short description|Town in Colorado, United States}}
{{distinguish|Montezuma County, Colorado}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|official_name            = Town of Montezuma, Colorado
|other_name               = 
|native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
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|settlement_type          = [[List of cities and towns in Colorado#Statutory town|Statutory Town]]
|motto                    = <!-- images and maps  ----------->
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|image_map                = File:Summit County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Montezuma Highlighted 0851690.svg
|mapsize                  = 250x200px
|map_caption              = Location of Montezuma in Summit County, Colorado.
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|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = {{USA}}
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Colorado|name=State of Colorado}}
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Colorado|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Summit County, Colorado|Summit County]]<ref name=COMun>{{cite web | url = http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html | title = Active Colorado Municipalities | publisher = [[Colorado|State of Colorado]], Department of Local Affairs | accessdate = November 30, 2007 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20091212060308/http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html | archivedate = December 12, 2009 }}</ref>
|subdivision_type3        = 
|subdivision_name3        = 
|subdivision_type4        = 
|subdivision_name4        = <!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = [[Colorado municipalities#Statutory town|Statutory Town]]<ref name=COMun/>
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Lesley Davis (2014){{citation needed|date=November 2023}}
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|leader_title2            = 
|leader_name2             = 
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1865
|established_title2       = [[municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date2        = September 1881<ref>{{cite web |title=Montezuma |url=https://summithistorical.org/landscapes/townsites/montezuma |website=Summit Historical Society |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>
|established_title3       = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3        = <!-- Area    --------------------->
|area_magnitude           = 
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_08.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 1, 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 0.21
|area_land_km2            = 0.21
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.08
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.08
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Montezuma_town,_Colorado?g=160XX00US0851690 |title=Montezuma town; Colorado |author=United States Census Bureau|date= |website= |publisher= |access-date=April 20, 2023 |quote=}}</ref>
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 74
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = auto
<!-- General information  --------------->
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]]
|utc_offset               = -7
|timezone_DST             = [[Mountain Time Zone|MDT]]
|utc_offset_DST           = -6
|coordinates              = {{coord|39|34|53|N|105|52|04|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 10302
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]<ref name=ZIPcode>{{cite web | url = http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp | title = ZIP Code Lookup | format = [[JavaScript]]/[[HTML]] | publisher = [[United States Postal Service]] | accessdate = November 23, 2007 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101104123722/http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp | archivedate = November 4, 2010 }}</ref>
|postal_code              = 80435
|area_code                = [[Area code 970|970]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 08-51690
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS feature ID]]
|blank1_info              = 2413008<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413008}}</ref>
|blank2_name              = [[state highways in Colorado|Highways]]
|blank2_info              = none (connected to [[U.S. Route 6 in Colorado|US 6]] 5 miles away by Montezuma Road)
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.townofmontezuma.com/}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

The '''Town of Montezuma''' is a [[List of cities and towns in Colorado#Statutory town|statutory town]] located in eastern [[Summit County, Colorado|Summit County]], [[Colorado]], United States.  The town population was 74 at [[2020 United States census]].<ref name="Census 2020" /> The town is a former mining camp that sits at an elevation of {{convert|10200|ft|m|-1|sp=us}}, just west of the [[Continental Divide]], nestled among mountains that reach an elevation of 12,000-13,000 feet (3,700-4,000 m) around it. It is situated in the upper valley of the [[Snake River (Colorado)|Snake River]] above the ski resort of [[Keystone, Colorado|Keystone]] in the [[Rocky Mountains]].

==Description==
The town, which is named for [[Montezuma II|Montezuma]], the Emperor of the [[Aztec]]s, consists largely of historical buildings and houses lining unpaved streets at the end of the paved county road that ascends the Snake River from Keystone near the west side of [[Loveland Pass]]. The town sits in a high steep valley surrounded by forested peaks offering good access to higher national forest land destinations. The paved road up from Keystone leads mainly through national forest right up to the entrance of town, which is marked by a sign over the county road.

The town retains many older structures, some of them dating from the late 19th century, such as the picturesque school house dating from the 1880s, now a State of Colorado Historical Site. The town is often included in lists of [[ghost town]]s in the [[Rocky Mountains|Colorado Rockies]], but it nevertheless retains a small population of full-time residents, as well as many absentee homeowners.

From 2004 until 2009, a small low-powered [[Frequency modulation|FM]] station (KMZM 96.5 then 96.7), which was receivable only near and in the town, operated from one of the houses.

Montezuma has some of the most popular backcountry skiing, biking, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and hiking trails in Summit County. Montezuma is listed as one of Colorado's top scenic places in [[John Fielder]]'s Best of Colorado.

==History==
[[Image:MontezumaCOSchoolhouse.JPG|thumb|left|The Montezuma schoolhouse, where the children of Montezuma attended school from the late 1800s through the 1950s.]]
The town was founded in 1865 following the discovery of [[silver]] in the vicinity of nearby [[Argentine Pass]]. It was populated by prospectors coming over the passes from nearby [[Georgetown, Colorado|Georgetown]]. The town was incorporated in 1881. A local newspaper, the Montezuma ''Mill Run'', began publishing in 1882. In its inaugural issue, the ''Mill Run'' described the town as having two hotels, three stores, three saloons, two blacksmiths, one shoemaker, and a number of restaurants and boarding houses.<ref>T. S. Lovering (1935) ''Geology and ore deposits of the Montezuma Quadrangle, Colorado'', US Geological Survey, Professional Paper 178, p.66.</ref>
[[Image:RoadToMontezuma.JPG|thumb|upright|The scenic drive from Keystone to Montezuma.]]

In 1890, at the height of the [[Colorado Silver Boom]], the population reached nearly 10,000. At the time, the town had two stores, a post office, two hotels (the Summit House and the Rocky Mountain House), and a sawmill. It eventually had a [[smelter]], as well, which allowed local separation of the silver and [[lead]] ores, which are typically found together in the region. At the town's peak, the mountainside around the town was location of numerous mines on the Belle and Blance lodes, operated by the Sts. John Mining Company, after which the nearby [[ghost town]] of [[Saints John, Colorado|Saints John]] is named. [[Saints John, Colorado|Saints John]] now consists of three cabins near timberline, at 10,764 feet.[http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=115:3:13354163349438948290::NO::P3_FID:182364]

The town experienced a steep decline after the Silver Bust in 1893. It experienced a slight revival in mining interest in 1940, but has remained fairly quiet since [[World War II]]. The town has experienced five major fires throughout its history, including ones in 1949 and 1958 which destroyed many of the historic structures, including the Summit House, which burned in the fire of Christmas 1958. Other fires in the 1970s and 1980s destroyed additional historic buildings and businesses, leaving the town with little current economic base. Presently, the town is experiencing a high surge of interest as the value of real estate in proximity to ski areas and with access to wilderness increases substantially.

==Geography==
At {{convert|10200|ft|m}} elevation, the town is among the few (perhaps just four) [[United States Cities and Towns above 10,000 feet|incorporated towns or cities in the United States at elevation higher than {{convert|10,000 |ft|m}}]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}}, all of it land.

===Climate===
Montezuma has a [[subarctic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Dfc]]) with short, mild summers and long, cold winters.{{Weather box
|location = Montezuma, Colorado
|width = 75%
|single line = Y
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan record high F =  56
|Feb record high F =  55
|Mar record high F =  65
|Apr record high F =  64
|May record high F =  75
|Jun record high F =  84
|Jul record high F =  85
|Aug record high F =  78
|Sep record high F =  78
|Oct record high F =  76
|Nov record high F =  62
|Dec record high F =  61
|year record high F = 85
|Jan high F = 33
|Feb high F = 34
|Mar high F = 38
|Apr high F = 44
|May high F = 53
|Jun high F = 64
|Jul high F = 70
|Aug high F = 68
|Sep high F = 61
|Oct high F = 51
|Nov high F = 40
|Dec high F = 33
|year high F = 49.1
|Jan low F = 11
|Feb low F = 11
|Mar low F = 15
|Apr low F = 22
|May low F = 31
|Jun low F = 40
|Jul low F = 45
|Aug low F = 43
|Sep low F = 36
|Oct low F = 28
|Nov low F = 18
|Dec low F = 11
|year low F = 25.9
|Jan record low F = -28
|Feb record low F = -28
|Mar record low F = -20
|Apr record low F = -14
|May record low F = 2
|Jun record low F = 9
|Jul record low F = 27
|Aug record low F = 24
|Sep record low F = 9
|Oct record low F = -9
|Nov record low F = -21
|Dec record low F = -23
|year record low F = -28
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain inch = 0.72
|Feb rain inch = 0.93
|Mar rain inch = 1.93
|Apr rain inch = 2.55
|May rain inch = 1.98
|Jun rain inch = 1.93
|Jul rain inch = 2.70
|Aug rain inch = 3.01
|Sep rain inch = 1.64
|Oct rain inch = 1.36
|Nov rain inch = 1.38
|Dec rain inch = 1.01
|source 1 = weather.com<ref name= weather.com>{{Cite web |url= https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/8d6c0936600a3556f509f0f351877e6ef46a181a965f2586a0bccdfcf68be2eb|title= weather.com|publisher= |accessdate=September 17, 2020 }}</ref>
|date=September 2020
}}

==Demographics==
[[Image:MountMontezuma.JPG|thumb|View of one of the mountains that encircle the town.]]
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1900= 40
|1910= 134
|1920= 69
|1930= 38
|1940= 59
|1950= 48
|1960= 17
|1990= 60
|2000= 42
|2010= 65
|2020= 74
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 42 people, 20 households, and 6 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|548.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 35 housing units at an average density of {{convert|457.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial make up of the city was 100% [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|White]]. 2.4% of the population were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race.

There were 20 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, and 70.0% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.0% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 50.0% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64. The median age was 36 years.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $36,250 versus $16,250 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $31,924.
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{portal|Colorado}}
*[[List of ghost towns in Colorado]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*''[[Jeep Trails to Colorado Ghost Towns]]'', Robert L. Brown

==External links==
{{sister project links|Colorado|auto=yes}}
*{{Official website|https://www.townofmontezuma.com/}}
*[http://www.dot.state.co.us/App_DTD_DataAccess/Downloads/CityMaps/Montezuma.pdf CDOT map of the Town of Montezuma]
{{Summit County, Colorado|status=open}}
{{Colorado|collapse_state=collapsed}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1865 establishments in Colorado Territory]]
[[Category:Geography of Summit County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Ghost towns in Colorado]]
[[Category:History of Colorado]]
[[Category:Pre-statehood history of Colorado]]
[[Category:Towns in Colorado]]
[[Category:Towns in Summit County, Colorado]]