Dolores, town in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States
Dolores is a small town in Montezuma County in southwestern Colorado, located near the Dolores River and surrounded by red rock formations and green hills. The downtown area features simple historic buildings including shops, a cafe, and a park where an old train car sits as a reminder of the railroad era.
The area was home to ancestral Puebloans until around 1300, then Ute tribes arrived. European explorers came in 1859, cattlemen settled in 1876, and the 1891 railroad construction led to the founding of Dolores town, named after the nearby river.
The town's name comes from the Dolores River, which Spanish priests named in 1776 as the 'River of Our Lady of Sorrows.' Today residents and visitors still depend on the river for recreation and fishing, showing how this waterway remains central to how people spend their time here.
The town sits high in the mountains with fresh, cool air and is near lakes and trails that are easy to access. Visitors should check ahead for seasonal activities, as conditions and options change throughout the year, particularly for water and mountain sports.
During the 1930s economic crisis, oddly-shaped hybrid trains called the Galloping Goose were built to keep the railroad running, waddling down the tracks like their namesake. One of these unusual vehicles is still displayed in Dolores today, a reminder of creative problem-solving during hard times.
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