Walsenburg, Colorado
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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 | |
The Huerfano County Courthouse is located in Walsenburg.
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| Motto: "A great place to be! Welcome!" | |
 Location in Huerfano County and the State of 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 | 2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2) |
| • Land | 2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,171 ft (1,881 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 4,182 |
| • Density | 1,795.2/sq mi (693.1/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 | City of Walsenburg |
The City of 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.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Walsenburg has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2), all of it land.
The Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center is located two miles (3 km) west of Walsenburg on US 160, opposite the entrance to Lathrop State Park. Inside the building, there are a state-operated veterans retirement home and a community hospital that serves the area.
Lathrop State Park, located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the city limits of Walsenburg, is the State of Colorado's first State Park and is over 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) in size. Two lakes, Martin Lake and Horseshoe Lake offer fishing, stocked by the State of Colorado (Division of Wildlife of the Department of Natural Resources), water skiing, boating, jet skiing, hiking, camping and is the only State Park in Colorado with a golf course.
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