La Plata County, Colorado
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 15 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1966; 1 is also National Historic Landmark. Most listings are in or near Durango, Bayfield.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Colorado is not yet loaded on this site. Browse La Plata titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP6 of 15 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
15 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Animas Canon Toll Road | Durango | 2017 |
| Animas City School | Durango | 2019 |
| Colorado Ute Power Plant | Durango | 1983 |
| Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Locomotive No. 315 | Durango | 2008 |
| Durango High School | Durango | 2001 |
| Durango Rock Shelters Archeology Site | Durango | 1985 |
| Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad NHL | Durango | 1966 |
| East Third Avenue Historic Residential District | Durango | 1984 |
| Main Avenue Historic District | Durango | 1980 |
| Newman Block | Durango | 1979 |
| Ochsner Hospital | Durango | 1995 |
| Rochester Hotel | Durango | 1996 |
| Smiley Junior High School | Durango | 2002 |
| Spring Creek Archeological District | Bayfield | 1983 |
| Ute Mountain Ute Mancos Canyon Historic District | Durango | 1972 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBLa Plata was formed in 1874 (1874-02-10) from Conejos, Lake.
LA PLATA created from CONEJOS and LAKE.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusLa Plata County population from 1880 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,110 | 7,016 | 11,218 | 15,494 | 14,880 | 19,225 | 27,424 | 43,941 | 55,638 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
National Park Service sites nearby
NPSPark units within about 40 km of the county centroid (from NPS Public POIs; no API key).
| Site | Type | Dist. |
|---|---|---|
| Aztec Ruins National Monument | Park unit | 52.3 km |
| Mesa Verde National Park | Park unit | 56.8 km |
Source: NPS National Datasets / Public POIs. The NPS Developer API requires a free key and was not used.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS19 cemeteries and 3 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 19 of 19 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Allison Tiffany Cemetery |
| Animas City Cemetery |
| Bayfield Cemetery |
| Crestview Memorial Garden |
| Elco Cemetery |
| Florida Cemetery |
| Green Mountain Cemetery |
| Greenmount Cemetery |
| Hay Gulch Cemetery |
| Hermosa Cemetery |
| Hesperus Cemetery |
| Kline Cemetery |
| La Boca Cemetery |
| La Posta Cemetery |
| Marvel Cemetery |
| Ouray Memorial Cemetery |
| Shreck Cemetery |
| Thompson Park Cemetery |
| Tiffany Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 3 of 3
| Name |
|---|
| Griffth |
| Logtown |
| Tuckerville |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for La Plata County, Colorado
Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.