Walsenburg
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City of Walsenburg, Colorado La Plaza de los Leones (Plaza of the Leons) La Plaza de Los Leones |
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| City | |
Walsenburg and the Spanish Peaks.
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| Motto: "A great place to be! Welcome!" | |
 Location of Walsenburg in Huerfano County, Colorado. |
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| Coordinates: 37°37′36″N 104°47′2″W / 37.62667°N 104.78389°WCoordinates: 37°37′36″N 104°47′2″W / 37.62667°N 104.78389°W | |
| Country |
 United States
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| State |
 State of Colorado
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| County | Huerfano County - seat |
| Incorporated | June 16, 1873 |
| Named for | Fred Walsen |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory City |
| • Mayor | James P. Eccher |
| • City Administrator | Dave Johnston |
| • City Council | Rick Jennings Nick Vigil Craig Lessar James Baca Clint Bohler Cathy Pineda Silvana Lind Charles Montoya |
| • City Clerk | Wanda Britt |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.99 sq mi (7.74 km2) |
| • Land | 2.99 sq mi (7.74 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,171 ft (1,881 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,068 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 2,966 |
| • Density | 991.97/sq mi (383.03/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 81089 |
| Area code(s) | 719 Exchange: 738 |
| FIPS code | 08-82350 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204806 |
| Website | www |
Walsenburg is a statutory city that is the county seat and the most populous city of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 3,068 at the 2010 census, down from 4,182 in 2000.
Robert Ford, the assassin of outlaw Jesse James, operated a combination saloon and gambling house in Walsenburg; his home at 320 West 7th Street still stands.
A post office called Walsenburg has been in operation since 1870. The community was named after Fred Walsen, an early settler.
Walsenburg is mentioned in the famous Woody Guthrie song, "Ludlow Massacre". The song recounts an attack by the Colorado National Guard and armed Colorado Fuel & Iron Company camp guards on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow, Colorado, on April 20, 1914. Some two dozen people, including women and children, were killed. The town is also remembered in sports history due to a famous newspaper gaffe ("Will Overhead") after the 1933 Indianapolis 500.
Walsenburg is located in east-central Huerfano County, on the north side of the Cucharas River at the eastern edge of the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Interstate 25 runs along the eastern edge of the city, with access from Exits 49, 50, and 52. I-25 leads north 48 miles (77 km) to Pueblo and south 36 miles (58 km) to Trinidad. U.S. Route 160 passes through the center of Walsenburg, leading west across North La Veta Pass 72 miles (116 km) to Alamosa and south with I-25 to Trinidad. Colorado State Highway 10 leads northeast from Walsenburg 73 miles (117 km) to La Junta.
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