Walsenburg Power Plant
Walsenburg Camp (separate from Walsenburg) was formed as a coal mining company town by the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co in the 1870s. At its peak in the 1920s, Walsenburg Camp had a population of 1200. By the 1930s, the Walsen mine began to flood with water beyond what was feasible to pump and the mines closed. The town was razed in 1965.
However, the power plant, which had been built in 1898 to supply the mines and town, continued to function, providing power to Walsenburg. CF&I had sold the plant to the city of Walsenburg in 1955 but by 1972, deferred maintenance (isn’t that always the case with governments?) and needed repairs led to the end of life for the plant
The remnants of this power plant is the last structure remaining of the Walsenburg Camp settlement. It is now on the Endangered Colorado preservation list but its location makes it susceptible to vandals and scavengers. This photo was taken in 2006; at the time, some of the machinery was still in place. I find something fascinating about that 1890s/1910s industrial equipment …
To my knowledge, the structure may no longer exist.
Where is this Walsenburg Camp located?
Went looking but couldn’t find it.
I did find this though:
(haven’t been on this site in decades)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/09/ice-detention-money-goldrush-concentration-camp-godsend-walsenburg-colorado-corecivic/
It looks like the power plant still stands though in bad condition.
West of Walsenburg on US160
Hard to see on GiggleView through trees
37.617273163731376, -104.79965323843689
Prisons are an “industry” in many small towns out this way. Aside from all the other issues, the contracts with the states guarantees a certain number of prisoners every so often. So if we suddenly had a “crime-free” society, the state would have to make up crimes just to fulfill the contracts.
Oh, wait. Don’t they already do that?
Used to travel US160 every year or so in the early 90’s and always wondered why the building was there.
Back then microbreweries seemed to be popping up in every town and I thought that would’ve made an awesome (although expensive) one.