Editing Silver Cliff, Colorado

{{short description|Town in Custer County, Colorado, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
 | name                     = Silver Cliff, Colorado
 | other_name               = 
 | native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
 | nickname                 = 
 | settlement_type          = [[Town]]
 | motto                    = 
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
 | image_skyline            = Original Silver Cliff Firehouse & Town Hall.JPG
 | imagesize                = 250px
 | image_caption            = The original Silver Cliff firehouse & town hall, now a museum, on Main Street, September 2018
 | image_flag               = Flag of Silver Cliff, Colorado.png
 | image_blank_emblem       = Logo of Silver Cliff, Colorado.png
 | blank_emblem_type        = Logo
 | flag_size                = 
 | image_map                = File:Custer County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Silver Cliff Highlighted 0870250.svg
 | mapsize                  = 250px
 | map_caption              = Location of Silver Cliff in Custer County, Colorado
 | image_dot_map            = 
 | dot_mapsize              = 
 | dot_map_caption          = 
 | dot_x                    = 
 | dot_y                    = 
 | pushpin_map              = <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
 | pushpin_label_position   = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
 | pushpin_map_caption      = 
 | pushpin_mapsize          = 
<!-- Location ------------------>
 | subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
 | subdivision_name         = {{USA}}
 | subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
 | subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Colorado}}
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Colorado|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 | access-date = September 1, 2007 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091212060308/http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html | archive-date = December 12, 2009 }}</ref>
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Custer County, Colorado|Custer County]]
 | subdivision_type3        = 
 | subdivision_name3        = 
 | subdivision_type4        = 
 | subdivision_name4        = 
<!-- Politics ----------------->
 | government_footnotes     = 
 | government_type          = [[Colorado municipalities#Statutory town|Statutory Town]]<ref name=COMun/>
 | leader_title             = 
 | leader_name              = 
 | leader_title1            = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
 | leader_name1             = 
 | established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
 | established_date         = 
 | established_title2       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
 | established_date2        = February 10, 1879<ref name=MuniIncCO>{{cite web | url = http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html | title = Colorado Municipal Incorporations | publisher = [[Colorado|State of Colorado]], Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives | date = December 1, 2004 | access-date = September 2, 2007}}</ref>
 | established_title3       = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
 | established_date3        = 
<!-- Area    --------------------->
 | 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|access-date=July 1, 2020}}</ref>
 | area_total_km2           = 40.04
 | area_land_km2            = 40.03
 | area_water_km2           = 0.00
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 15.46
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 15.46
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
 | population_footnotes     = 
 | population_note          = 
 | population_total         = 609
 | population_density_km2   = 16.66
 | population_density_sq_mi = 43.15
<!-- General information  --------------->
 | timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
 | utc_offset               = -7
 | timezone_DST             = [[Mountain Time Zone|MDT]]
 | utc_offset_DST           = -6
 | coordinates              = {{coord|38|07|45|N|105|24|35|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
 | elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
 | elevation_ft             = 8262
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
 | postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
 | postal_code              = 81252
 | area_code                = [[Area code 719|719]]
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 | blank_info               = 08-70250
 | blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 | blank1_info              = 2413286<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413286}}</ref>
 | website                  = {{URL|silvercliffco.com}}
 | footnotes                = 
}}

The '''Town of Silver Cliff''' is the [[Colorado municipalities#Statutory town|Statutory Town]] that is the [[List of municipalities in Colorado|most populous municipality]] in [[Custer County, Colorado|Custer County]], [[Colorado]], United States. The population was 609 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0870250| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212181938/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0870250| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Silver Cliff town, Colorado| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=June 24, 2014}}</ref> up from 587 in 2010.

==History==
[[File:Market. Cor. Main & Mill Sts., (...) Silver Cliff, Colo, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg|left|thumb|Corner of Main & Mill streets, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views 1870?-1900?]]
Silver Cliff was formed in the late 1870s to house the miners of its namesake, the Silver Cliff mine, and other silver mines in the neighborhood, such as the Bull-Domingo. The town, incorporated in 1879, had 5,040 residents by the 1880 census, making it the third most populous town in Colorado, after [[Denver]] and [[Leadville, Colorado|Leadville]].

Silver Cliff was the county seat from 1886 (when the town won the seat from [[Rosita, Colorado|Rosita]]) to 1928 (when the seat moved to nearby [[Westcliffe, Colorado|Westcliffe]]).

The Silver Cliff mine, also known as the Geyser mine, is on the hill immediately north of the town. Although a large operation that employed many residents of Silver Cliff, the mine was the unfortunate object of eastern stock manipulators. Shares in the Silver Cliff mine were promoted in 1879 by [[James R. Keene]], a famous New York stock operator. The company went [[bankrupt]] within a few years, and was sold to the Julianna Mining Company, which was run by an even more unscrupulous stock promoter, Dr. Richard C. Flower of [[Boston]]. The Julianna company went bankrupt in 1888. The shareholders rescued the company and renamed it the Geyser Mining Company. Although Flower withdrew from the management, the Geyser Mining Company continued to be run by some of Flower's cronies, so it should not be a surprise that the mine never made a profit. At one time the Geyser mine was the deepest mine in Colorado.<ref>Dan Plazak (2006) ''A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top'', {{ISBN|978-0-87480-840-7}}</ref>

==Geography==
Silver Cliff is located near the geographic center of Custer County. The town of [[Westcliffe, Colorado|Westcliffe]] is immediately adjacent to its west. The town is {{convert|54|mi}} west of [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]], via [[Colorado State Highway 96]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Silver Cliff has a total area of {{convert|40.1|km2|order=flip}}, all of it land.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

==Dark skies==
Silver Cliff and neighboring [[Westcliffe, Colorado]] are recognized as IDA International Dark Sky Communities by The [[International Dark-Sky Association]]. Gentle persuasion has resulted in residents and business in the towns and surrounding ranch land reducing the amount of [[light pollution]].<ref name="NYT81216">{{cite news|author1=Jack Healy|title=Colorado Towns Work to Preserve a Diminishing Resource: Darkness|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/13/us/colorado-dark-sky-project-stars-perseid.html|access-date=August 13, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=August 12, 2016}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| align = left
| 1880 = 5040
| 1890 = 546
| 1900 = 576
| 1910 = 250
| 1920 = 241
| 1930 = 201
| 1940 = 309
| 1950 = 217
| 1960 = 153
| 1970 = 126
| 1980 = 280
| 1990 = 322
| 2000 = 512
| 2010 = 587
| 2020 = 609
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/ |access-date=January 31, 2023 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 512 people, 217 households, and 141 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|32.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 284 housing units at an average density of {{convert|18.2|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the town was 95.51% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.20% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 2.73% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.59% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.98% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.95% of the population.

There were 217 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% 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 2.94.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
[[Image:Cemetery-SilverCliffCO.jpg|thumb|right|Silver Cliff Cemetery, August 2010]]

The median income for a household in the town was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $26,389 versus $17,109 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $13,899. About 16.7% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Silver Cliff Cemetery==

Just outside the town of Silver Cliff is [[Silver Cliff Cemetery]], established in the early 1880s. It has been known for the mysterious lights that float around the cemetery at night.<ref>{{cite news| title=Rocky Mountain Memories, Oct 05, 1986| url=http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15330coll27/id/458980/rec/112| newspaper=The Rocky Mountain News| access-date=June 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| journal=National Geographic| date=August 1969| volume=136| issue=2|title=Colorado The Rockies' Pot of Gold}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Silver Cliff Cemetery| url=https://www.silvercliffco.com/copy-of-silver-cliff-museum| access-date=February 17, 2023}}</ref>{{clear left}}

==See also==
{{stack|{{portal||Colorado}}}}
[[File:Silver Cliff Town Hall.JPG|thumb|Silver Cliff Town Hall]]
* [[List of municipalities in Colorado]]

==References==
{{reflist|22em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Silver Cliff, Colorado}}
* {{official website|http://silvercliffco.com/}}
* [http://silvercliffco.com/silvercliffcemetery.htm Silver Cliff Cemetery]
* [http://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/staticdata/Downloads/CityMaps/SILVER%20CLIFF.pdf CDOT map of the Town of Silver Cliff]

{{Custer County, Colorado}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Custer County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Towns in Colorado]]