Rico, CO

Rico is a Dolores County town in the Dolores River valley, settled in 1879 after silver was discovered in the Pioneer Mining District. The name comes from Spanish for "rich," a pretty direct nod to the mineral hopes that built the camp. Mining later shifted toward base metals as well as silver, while the town's main street and old buildings keep the boom-era outline visible. Colorado Highway 145 follows the river between Cortez and Telluride. Rico is southwest Colorado in a narrow valley where a silver camp became a small historic town.