Walsenburg is one of 12 statutory cities and is the county seat and the most populous city in Huerfano County, Colorado, United States.The city population was 3,068 at the 2010 census, down from 4,182 in 2000. With an increase in interest in development and the ma*****na growing and research industry, the population has been increasing in the past few years. Robert Ford, the assassin of outlaw Jes
se James, operated a combination saloon and gambling house in Walsenburg; his home at 320 West 7th Street still stands. The City of Walsenburg traces its history back about 150 years. It was first established as La Plaza de los Leones and named after the Leon family who lived on the north side of the Cuchara River by Don Miguel Antonio Leon and a family named Atencio. In 1870, Fred Walsen settled nearby and opened up his large mercantile, making the town an attractive location for German settlers. After Fred assisted in the incorporation of the town's 320-acre (1.3 km2) site on June 16, 1873, it was formally named "Walsenburg". In 1876, Walsen opened the area's first coal mine. The development of the town was influenced for a century by coal mining in the region. An estimated 500 million tons of coal was mined until a combination of factors led to the closure of virtually all mining in the area in the early 1950's. 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 in 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. 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. Local attractions include Lathrop State Park, located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the city limits of Walsenburg, which is the State of Colorado's first State Park and offers over 1,600 acres, two lakes - Martin Lake and Horseshoe Lake - with fishing, (stocked by the State of Colorado Division of Wildlife of the Department of Natural Resources), water skiing, boating, jet skiing, hiking, camping. It is the only State Park in Colorado with a golf course.[
The nearby Spanish Peaks are a national landmark and named one of Colorado's Seven Wonders by the Denver Post. The Highway of Legends, connecting Walsenburg with La Veta, Trinidad and other historic mining towns, is a National Scenic and Historic Byway,
The Walsenburg Golf Course is a 9 hole public golf course open for play year round. The City operates a water park, "Walsenburg Wild Waters" in the summer. The Huerfano River Wind Farm, Colorado's largest producer of distributed generation (DG) power, is located ten miles north of Walsenburg, just off of Interstate 25. The farm uses Sany-made turbines and feeds into the San Isabel Electric Association grid. It is owned by Tamra-Tacoma Capital Partners, a New York-based investment firm. On July 20, 2007 the City of Walsenburg proclaimed Don Ho Day and welcomed Hawaiians as the guests of local citizen/developer Richard McEntee. The Don Ho Day proclamation was personally delivered to Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in the Mayor's office in Honolulu, by Richard McEntee on July 11, 2007. A concert was performed at the new water park Walsenburg Wild Waters raising over $20,000.00 for the youth of Walsenburg. The State Flags of Colorado and Hawaii were exchanged and flown over the state capitols in Honolulu and Denver. Sponsored by Colorado Senator Kenneth Kester and Hawaii Rep. Barbara Murumoto issued "Spirit of Aloha" proclamations to The City of Walsenburg, Colo. Kester and Richard McEntee that were signed by Hawaii Rep. Barbara Murumoto and Hawaii Speaker of the House Calvin Lay. Linda Lingle also signed a proclamation validating the Hawaii State flag. It was a great cultural exchange between Walsenburg and Hawaii that will be treasured for many years to come. Plans call for another Hawaiian Don Ho Day in 2009. The area's first new subdivision in 25 years, Black Diamond Park, is attracting investors and future residents with its features which include an impressive gated entrance. Black Diamond Park is a master planned gated community that borders the Walsenburg Golf Course and Lathrop State Park. The subdivision features all-underground utilities and ready-to-build "estate home sites" with spectacular views of the Spanish Peaks, the Sangre De Cristo Mountains, Mt. Mestas, Greenhorn Mountain, and the Walsen Ridge. Over 3.6 million cars a year pass through this "Gateway to the Southwest" and travel and tourism are important to the local community.
