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20-504: Custer County is the name of six counties in the United States: Custer County, Colorado Custer County, Idaho Custer County, Montana Custer County, Nebraska Custer County, Oklahoma Custer County, South Dakota [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with

40-546: A base camp at South Colony Lakes, east of the peak, accessed from the Wet Mountain Valley on the northeast side of the range. This route involves nearly 6,000 ft (1,800 m) of elevation gain, and ascends to a large relatively flat area called "The Pool Table" (a few large rocks lie on the tundra, as if billiard balls) or the "Bears' Playground." Then it ascends a long gully on the northwest side of Crestone Peak, which involves some rockfall danger (hence

60-818: A climbing helmet is suggested). Crestone Peak is one of the more dangerous fourteener climbs in Colorado; accidents occur often in the Crestones, some caused by falls or lightning (a daily summer occurrence in the Sangre de Cristos). Alternatively, the Cottonwood Creek route begins in the San Luis Valley and approaches the Crestones from the west. The route follows Cottonwood Creek to Cottonwood Lake. The trail starts out well defined, but after passing

80-473: A household in the county was $ 34,731, and the median income for a family was $ 41,198. Males had a median income of $ 32,460 versus $ 20,868 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 19,817. About 9.80% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line , including 20.10% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over. Median household income (adjusted for inflation) dropped from $ 49,184 in 2009 to $ 32,261 in 2014, which made

100-461: A south eastern tributary at approximately 11,1000ft it becomes faint, poorly maintained, and hard to follow for much of the upper route prior to rejoining the standard route from South Colony Lakes. From there, the South Face route of Crestone Peak is accessible. From Crestone Peak, it is a mildly technical (Class 5—rope recommended) ridge scramble to the summit of Crestone Needle, similarly in

120-618: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado . As of the 2020 census , the population was 4,704. The county seat is Westcliffe . Custer County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 9, 1877, out of the southern half of Fremont County . It was named in honor of Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer , who had died the previous year. Originally set in Ula , the county seat moved to Rosita in 1878, and to Silver Cliff in 1886 before settling in Westcliffe in 1928. The county

140-470: Is about 7,800 feet (2,400 m) and along with nearby town Silver Cliff lies in the Wet Mountain Valley which sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west reach heights in excess of 14,000 feet (4,300 m) with Crestone Peak being the highest at 14,294 feet (4,357 m) and 7th highest fourteener in Colorado . A large percentage of

160-496: The San Luis Valley . It shares its name with the nearby Crestone Needle , another fourteener of the Crestones. The Crestones are a cluster of high summits in the Sangre de Cristo Range, comprising Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle, Kit Carson Peak , Challenger Point , Humboldt Peak , and Columbia Point . They are usually accessed from common trailheads. Generally climbs of Crestone Peak or Crestone Needle start from

180-642: The IT department of Custer County Custer County is overall very conservative and heavily Republican. The most important election is not the general election , but the primary election between members of the Republican Party in August. During the 2004 presidential election , well over 60% of Custer County voters voted for the Republican candidates including George W. Bush and Pete Coors . Despite

200-411: The county has a total area of 740 square miles (1,900 km ), of which 739 square miles (1,910 km ) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km ) (0.2%) is water. The county is very rugged and would be virtually inaccessible without roads. The lowest point of the county is around 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in elevation, but most of the county is rugged and mountainous. The county seat of Westcliffe

220-734: The county is National Forest land in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the west side and in the Wet Mountains on the east. The only lake of size is the DeWeese Reservoir in the north end of the Wet Mountain Valley. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,503 people, 1,480 households, and 1,077 families living in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (1.9 people/km ). There were 2,989 housing units at an average density of 4 units per square mile (1.5 units/km ). The racial makeup of

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240-614: The county the third worst performing county in this respect in the country. The county is governed by three county commissioners who are elected to 4-year terms with a term limit of two. In 2023, the county was represented by: -District 1: Bill Canda (Republican), serving from 2022 to 2026. 2nd term -District 2: Kevin Day (Republican), serving from 2020 to 2024. 1st term. -District 3: Lucas Epp (Republican), serving from 2020 to 2024. 1st term. There are several other public offices including Coroner, Sheriff, County Clerk and others. Updated by

260-560: The county was 95.89% White , 0.37% Black or African American , 1.11% Native American , 0.29% Asian , 0.71% from other races , and 1.63% from two or more races. 2.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,480 households, out of which 25.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who

280-409: The other direction. However, Crestone Peak and Crestone Needle are more commonly climbed separately. Crestone Peak has an Alpine climate ( ET ), as no month in that area has an average temperature greater than 10 °C (50 °F). The SNOTEL weather station, South Colony, lies in the eastern valley below Crestone Peak and Humboldt Peak (Colorado) . Due to its lower elevation, South Colony has

300-402: The population would like to see less government and less restrictions on growth and development for the growth of business and the economy. Proponents are seen as " anti-environment " or "anti-agriculture." 38°05′N 105°22′W  /  38.09°N 105.36°W  / 38.09; -105.36 Crestone Peak Crestone Peak rises 7,000 feet (2,100 m) above the east side of

320-496: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Custer_County&oldid=540289107 " Category : United States county name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Custer County, Colorado Custer County

340-473: The surface appearance of a homogeneous political culture, there is considerable dispute among residents over planning. One segment of residents (which includes ranchers) would like to see the County preserved in its present state as a mountain paradise with its rural ranching culture, with strict limitation on development. Proponents are sometimes seen as "anti-growth" and "anti-property rights." Another segment of

360-459: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.77. In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.50% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 35.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 104.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males. The median income for

380-424: Was permanently closed after a few disastrous floods. The old rail house has been turned into a historical landmark in the town of Westcliffe. After the mines were exhausted, the population dropped considerably and was replaced by cattle ranchers. An extensive system of irrigation ditches was built throughout the valley. Ranching in the Wet Mountain Valley continues to this day. According to the U.S. Census Bureau ,

400-674: Was the site of a silver rush during the 1870s. Thousands of men poured into the county during this time in the hunt for silver. Some of the notable mines include the Geyser Mine (on the north edge of the town of Silver Cliff), the Bassick Mine (near the ghost town of Querida ) and the Bull Domingo (north of Silver Cliff). During the late 19th century a railroad line was connected through the Grape Creek Canyon but

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