Glenwood Springs

A window shopper pauses while walking along Grand Avenue in downtown Glenwood Springs Tuesday morning. Post Independent/Kelley Cox Click to Enlarge

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Glenwood Springs, now in the forefront of the new West, was one of the last outposts to sprout up on the Western frontier.

According to the Frontier Historical Society, Ute Reservation lands in western Colorado were opened to entry and settlement in 1881. That same year, Defiance was set up in what is now Glenwood Springs.

The city was incorporated in 1885. Its name was changed to Glenwood Springs in honor of Mrs. Isaac Cooper’s hometown of Glenwood, Iowa.

The city’s world-famous attraction, the Hot Springs Pool, was built in 1888. The regal Hotel Colorado was completed in 1893.

Some famous figures have been attracted to Glenwood Springs. Gunslinger John “Doc” Holliday died in town in 1887. President Theodore Roosevelt arrived in 1905 to hunt bear, and silent film actor Tom Mix came in 1926 to film “The Great K & A Train Robbery.”

The Red Mountain Ski area rode the wave of Colorado’s early skiing boom in the mid-20th century. While it didn’t survive, Sunlight Mountain Resort now offers a local skiing and snowboarding option just southwest of town.

Bisected today by Interstate 70, Glenwood Springs is a modern and accessible city whose charm lies partly in its colorful past.

Orange, yellow and green surrounds the Roaring Fork River this time of the year. Post Independent/Kara K. Pearson Click to Enlarge

Glenwood Springs Info
City manager
Jeff Hecksel
384-6408
jahecksel@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

City attorney
Jan Shute
jhshute@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us
384-6408

City clerk
Robin Unsworth
384-6400
robinu@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

Chief of police
Terry Wilson
384-6500
terryw@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

Finance director
Mike Harman
384-6400
finance@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

Community development director
Andrew McGregor
andrewm@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us
384-6429


Fire chief
Michael E. Piper
384-6430
mikep@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

Parks and Recreation director
Tom Barnes
(970) 384-6300
tjbarnes@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

Information systems director
Bruce Munroe
384-6400
bmunroe@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

Broadband
Paul Braunschweig
paulb@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us
384-6400

Public works director
Robin Millyard
384-6400
robinm@ci.glenwood-springs.co.us

City engineer
Mike McDill
384-6435

Electric Department superintendent
Doug Hazzard
384-6350

Fleet Maintenance superintendent
Bob Bush
384-6350

South Canyon Landfill superintendent
Doug Oliver
945-5375

Streets superintendent
Rick Turner
384-6350

Special Work Activities Team superintendent
Bob Hood
384-6350

Water and Wastewater Department superintendent
Buddy Burns
384-6344

Glenwood Springs City Council

Bruce Christensen, mayor
945-6710 (home)
945-2306 (work)
bruce@mtnvalley.org

Dave Sturges
945-1520 (home)
945-1520 (work)
sturge@rof.net

Kristen Chadwick
945-8600 (home)
379-4019 (cell)
kristenchadwick@hotmail.com

Dave Johnson
945-4939 (home)
dbjohns@rof.net

Russ Arensman
947-1943 (home)
384-0945 (work)
arensman@rof.net

David H. Merritt
945-9754 (home)
945-8522 (work)
379-7064 (cell)
davidhmerritt@aol.com

Shelley Kaup
945-6136 (home)
948-9018 (work)
shelleykaup@rof.net