Chaffee County, Colorado

 

Founding: 1879
Parent county: Lake

Namesake: Jerome Chaffee, Colorado senator
Seat: Granite (1879–1880); Buena Vista (1880–1928); Salida (1928–)

Land area: 1,013 square miles

Population (2020): 19,476

Population (historic): 6,512 (1880); 7,085 (1900); 8,126 (1930)

Periods of population growth: pre-1880; 1890–1910; 1950–1980; 1990s; 2010s

Subdivisions: One city; two towns; four CDPs

National Register listings: 48

Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 1,710 (15.7%)
Pre-1940 housing survival rate: 60.5%

Farm housing in disrepair (1950): 14.3%

Nonfarm housing in disrepair (1950): 7.3%

Average farmhouse value (1930): $1,671
Average outbuilding value (1930): $1,194
Average farmhouse size (1940): 3.8 rooms
Number of farms (1920): 326
Average farm size (1920): 79.5 acres

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Buena Vista (ex-seat)

Namesake: The Spanish term buena vista ("good view")

Founding: 1879 (platting); 1879 (post office); 1879 (incorporation)

Population (2020): 2,855

Population (historic): 2,141 (1880); 1,006 (1900); 751 (1930)

Periods of population growth: pre-1880; 1950s; 1990–2010
Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 289 (19.1%)

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Salida

Namesake: The Spanish word salida ("departure" or "exit")

Founding: 1880 (platting); 1881 (post office); 1891 (incorporation)

Population (2020): 5,666

Population (historic): 2,586 (1890); 4,425 (1910); 5,065 (1930)

Periods of population growth: pre-1890–1910; 1970s; 1990s; 2010s
Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 1,095 (35.9%)
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Outstanding Buildings

1. *Gas Creek School (1909). County Road 280 and US Highway 285. Italianate.
2. House (c. 1900). 327 US Highway 50. Queen Anne.
3. *Joseph Hutchinson Ranch (1874). 8913 US Highway 50. Gothic Revival.