- For other similar names see also Canyon City
Canyon City may refer to:*Cañon City, Colorado*Canyon City, Chilkoot trail*Canyon City, Oregon*Canyon City, Yukon*the settlement formerly named Canyon City, British Columbia is now Gitwinksihlkw, British Columbia...
.
The
City of Cañon City (icon) is a Home Rule Municipality that is the
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and the most populous city of Fremont County, State of Colorado. The
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
estimated that the city population was 16,000 in 2005. Cañon City is noted for being the location of nine state and four Federal
prisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s and
penitentiariesPenitentiary may refer to:* Prison or penitentiary, a correctional facility* Apostolic Penitentiary, a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Roman Catholic Church* Penitentiary...
. Cañon City straddles the
Arkansas RiverThe Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
, and is a popular tourist destination for sightseeing,
whitewater raftingRafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
, and rock climbing.
In 1994, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved adding the
tildeThe tilde is a grapheme with several uses. The name of the character comes from Portuguese and Spanish, from the Latin titulus meaning "title" or "superscription", though the term "tilde" has evolved and now has a different meaning in linguistics....
to the official name of Cañon City, a change from
Canon City as the official name in its decisions of 1906 and 1975. It is one of the few U.S. cities to have an eñe in its name.
History
Cañon City was laid out on 17 January 1858 during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, but then the land was left idle. A new company "jumped the claim" to the town's site in late 1859, and it put up the first building in February 1860. This town was originally intended as a commercial center for
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in South Park and the upper Arkansas River.
In 1861, this town raised two companies of volunteers to serve with the Second Colorado Infantry during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. This regiment fought in skirmishes in nearby
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and as far east as the Indian Territory (
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
) and
MissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
before ending its organization in 1865.
In 1862, A. M. Cassaday drilled for
petroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
six miles north of Cañon City, close to a known oil seep. Cassaday struck oil at the depth of 50 feet, and he completed the first commercial oil well west of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. He drilled five or six more wells nearby, and he refined kerosene and fuel oil from the petroleum. Cassaday sold the products in Denver.
A number of metal ore smelters were built in Cañon City following the discovery of gold at Cripple Creek in 1891.
Geography and climate
Cañon City is located at 38°26′48"N 105°13′42"W (38.446800, -105.228305) at an altitude of 5,332 ft (1,625 m).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 12 square miles (31.1 km²), of which, 12 square miles (31.1 km²) of it is land and 0.08% is water. Cañon City sits in the "high desert" land of southern Colorado, the same desert lands of
PuebloPueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
and
FlorenceThe City of Florence is a Statutory City located in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,653 at the 2000 census.ADX Florence, the only federal Supermax prison in the United States, is located south of Florence in an unincorporated area in Fremont County...
.
The city's nickname, "the Climate Capital of Colorado", derives from the combination of unique geography and 5,300 ft elevation protecting the city from harsh weather conditions. The average daily high temperature in January is 14 degrees warmer in Cañon City than in Grand Junction even though the elevation of Cañon City is higher.
Overnight low temperatures are also considerably warmer in Cañon City than in Denver. The average minimum temperature in January is 20 degrees. During July, overnight lows are 59 degrees on average.
Cañon City has a semi-arid climate (
Köppen climate classificationThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk).
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 15,431 people, 6,164 households, and 3,803 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,284.1 people per square mile (495.7/km²). There were 6,617 housing units at an average density of 550.6 per square mile (212.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.15%
WhiteWhite Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 1.59%
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 1.04%
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 0.54%
AsianAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.06%
Pacific IslanderPacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
, 1.61% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races.
Hispanics or LatinosHispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
of any race were 8.33% of the population.
There were 6,164 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.90.
The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,736, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $31,258 versus $21,849 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,970. About 7.1% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Cañon City is governed via the mayor-council system. The city council consists of seven members who are elected from districts. The
MayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is elected by the entire city.
Colorado Department of Corrections operates the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City. In addition it several correctional facilities near Cañon City in
unincorporated areaIn law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
s in
Fremont CountyFremont County is the thirteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county is named for explorer and presidential candidate John C. Frémont. The county population was 46,824 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Cañon City. The Cañon City...
.
Colorado State PenitentiaryColorado State Penitentiary also known as "CSP" is a maximum security prison and is one of 25 prisons in the Colorado Department of Corrections system. CSP is located in Cañon City, Colorado. CSP houses Colorado's most dangerous, most violent and the most disruptive prisoners...
, the location of the state death row and execution chamber, is in Fremont County. Other state prisons in Fremont County include Arrowhead Correctional Center, Centennial Correctional Facility, Fremont Correctional Facility, Four Mile Correctional Center, and Skyline Correctional Center.
The Colorado Women's Correctional Facility, near Cañon City in unincorporated Fremont County, was decommissioned on June 4, 2009.
Places of interest
- Cañon City Chamber of Commerce
- Colorado State Penitentiary
Colorado State Penitentiary also known as "CSP" is a maximum security prison and is one of 25 prisons in the Colorado Department of Corrections system. CSP is located in Cañon City, Colorado. CSP houses Colorado's most dangerous, most violent and the most disruptive prisoners...
- Dinosaur Depot Museum
- Royal Gorge Bridge
The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado, within a theme park. The bridge deck hangs above the Arkansas River, and held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2003, when it was surpassed by the Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge in China. It is a...
and Park
- Royal Gorge Route Railroad
The Royal Gorge Route Railroad is a heritage railroad located in Cañon City, Colorado. The railroad transits the Royal Gorge on a 2-hour scenic and historic train ride along what is considered to be the most famous portion of the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad...
Notable residents
- The writer Don Bendell
Don Bendell, , is an American author of 26 books, including his brand new hardcover non-fiction book TRACKS OF HOPE . . .a Memoir and the popular new historical western novel STRONGHEART Don Bendell, (born January 8, 1947), is an American author of 26 books, including his brand new hardcover...
- Emory S. Land
Vice Admiral Emory Scott Land was an officer in the United States Navy, noted for his contributions to naval architecture, particularly in submarine design. Notable assignments included serving as Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair during the 1930s, and as Chairman of the U.S...
, U.S. Navy Vice AdmiralVice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
, was born in Cañon City.
- The artist Dave Merrick
David Louis Merrick is an internationally published artist specializing in oil-on-canvas and oil and acrylic on artboard, portraiture of both people and wildlife...
- Colorado political leader Dan Slater
Dan Slater was the first vice chair of the Colorado Democratic Party. An attorney in Cañon City, Colorado, Slater ran unsuccessfully for the Colorado State Senate in 2002 before joining the top leadership of the Colorado Democratic Party in 2003...
- The musician Skip Konte
Frank "Skip" Konte is an American keyboardist. He joined The Blues Image in 1967, and stayed with them until they split in 1971. He then joined Three Dog Night as second keyboardist in 1973, and left in 1976. He has since become a record producer. He is currently working on a Sci-Fi movie titled...
, "Wizard of all Northern Realms"
- Jack Christiansen
-External links:*Pro Football Hall of Fame: *...
NFL hall of famer (Detroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
)
External links
Area Attractions