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History · Walden

Walden’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Walden. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1889established
0old images & papers
13recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Walden is the statutory town that is the county seat of, the most populous community in, and the only incorporated municipality in Jackson County, Colorado, United States. The town is situated in the center of a large open valley called North Park. People from Walden and the surrounding area refer to themselves as "North Parkers". The town population was 606 at the 2020 census. The town sits at an elevation of 8,098 feet (2,468 meters). It was established in 1889 and was incorporated December 2, 1890. Mark A. Walden, an early postmaster, gave the community his name.

Walden was established in 1889. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 608 people in 2010, 606 in 2020. Half of its homes were built before 1973.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Walden yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Walden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Walden’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from WaldenWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Walden.Meet them →
By decade

Walden, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today13 photos
Union Pacific 25408 Caboose inCommonsUnion Pacific 25408 Caboose in2026Main Street in Walden, Colorado1CommonsMain Street in Walden, Colorado12026CenturyLink Communciations Tower, 555 McKinleyCommonsCenturyLink Communciations Tower, 555 McKinley2026Walden, Colorado Town HallCommonsWalden, Colorado Town Hall2022Main Street inCommonsMain Street in2022The old Park movie theaterLOCThe old Park movie theater2016Approaching Walden, Colorado, via a Jackson County, Colorado, dirt road. Walden is the only the town in that northern-C…LOCApproaching Walden, Colorado, via a Jackson County, Colorad…2016High-plains scene approaching Walden in Jackson County, ColoradoLOCHigh-plains scene approaching Walden in Jackson County, Col…2016Walden Colorado Main StreetCommonsWalden Colorado Main Street2010USGS North Park Basin geologic mapMapUSGS North Park Basin geologic map2010Walden, ColoradoCommonsWalden, Colorado2008Walden, ColoradoCommonsWalden, Colorado2008COMap-doton-WaldenCommonsCOMap-doton-Walden2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Walden is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Walden has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Colorado State Forest Building Complex in Grand Lake, 22.9 miles away.

Walden and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Walden. Tap a dot.
Colorado State Forest Building ComplexN. K. Boswell Ranch

Closest to Walden

Colorado State Forest Building ComplexGrand Lake · District22.9miN. K. Boswell RanchWoods Landing-Jelm · Building23.6mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Colorado State Forest Building Complex’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Walden?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Walden’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Steamboat Springs📜 Grand Lake📜 Riverside📜 Encampment

From Wikimedia Commons (10) and the Library of Congress (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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