Duane Vandenbusche Livres

Located 8,671 feet in the clouds, Lake City sits on the edge of the beautiful San Juan Mountains on Colorado's Western Slope. Between Lake City and Silverton, 28 miles away, are towering 14,000-foot mountains with three nearly 13,000-foot-high passes and scenery that takes one's breath away. Lake City began as a booming gold and silver camp, complete with a narrow-gauge railroad, 4,000 residents, a smelter, and rich investors looking for their "El Dorado." Today, the beautiful little town, tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, is a haven for the many tourists who come to hike, ski, fish, climb, and relax in the quaint "Shangri-La of Colorado."

The Gunnison country, 4,000 square miles of high valleys, heavy snows, deep canyons, and 14,000-foot-high mountains, is one of Colorado's most beautiful regions. Located on the Western Slope of Colorado, the Gunnison country has a long history involving Native Americans, mining, narrow-gauge railroads, ranching, Western State Colorado University, and recreation. The region has also been influenced by nearby Lake City in the San Juan Mountains, Aspen in the Elk Mountains, and towns on the east side of the famed and historic Alpine Railroad Tunnel. Today, the Gunnison country still is beautiful and tranquil, hosting nearly 2,000,000 visitors yearly while remaining much the same as it was over 125 years ago.

Western State College is located on Colorado's Western Slope, deep in the Rocky Mountains. It began as Colorado State Normal School, which was a two-year institution in 1911. Twelve years later, Colorado Normal became a four-year school--Western State College. Sitting at an altitude of 7,723 feet, it is the highest college or university in the nation. The elevation, the Rocky Mountains, two nearby ski areas, world-class mountain bike trails, stunning scenery, and the nearby Blue Mesa Reservoir (which is Colorado's second-largest tourist attraction) all combine to make Western State College an outdoor mecca, attracting students from all over the nation.