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History · Red Cliff

Red Cliff dates to 1879, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Red Cliff Bridge. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1890.

1879founded
1on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Red Cliff’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Red Cliff began

When was Red Cliff founded?

1879

Red Cliff dates its founding to 1879 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 383 in 18902020 census: 257147 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓

What stands out about Red Cliff’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 715 in 1940; 257 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Red Cliff’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewColorado 1997 06: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Red Cliff, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 715

Peaked at 715 in 1940; 257 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Red Cliff’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Red Cliff came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Red Cliff.

Read it all →

It was founded in 1879 during the Colorado Silver Boom by miners from Leadville who came over Tennessee Pass scouting for better prospects. The name derives from the red quartzite cliffs surrounding the town. As the first community in the Eagle Valley, it served temporarily as the first county seat of Eagle County (formed out of Summit County in 1883) until the relocation of the county seat to Eagle in 1921.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Red Cliff, 1879 to 1997

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingRed Cliff is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 715
  6. 1941BuiltRed Cliff Bridge is built
  7. 1997In the archiveColorado 1997 06
By decade

Red Cliff, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Colorado 1997 061997Colorado 1997 06
Today1 recent
Tennessee Pass Road2013Tennessee Pass Road
On the map

Red Cliff on the map, 1934 to 1987

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Red Cliff. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Red Cliff on the 1934 USGS mapRed Cliff on the 1950 USGS mapRed Cliff on the 1970 USGS mapRed Cliff on the 1987 USGS map1934Minturn sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Red Cliff.

Every building

Red Cliff, building by building, 1886–1890

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Red Cliff fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Red Cliff

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Red Cliff Bridge
Red Cliff Bridge, built 1941
Structures

Architectural styles listings

Steel deck arch1
Red Cliff BridgeSteel deck arch · Built 1941

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

MinturnIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Red Cliff’s history

What year was Red Cliff founded?

In 1879, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1890 counted 383 people here.

What is on the National Register in Red Cliff?

One place: the Red Cliff Bridge (listed 1985).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.