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History · Walden

Walden’s post office opened in 1881, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1890.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: MyName (Wusel007) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Walden began

When was Walden founded?

1881

The Walden post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1889.

First census: 64 in 18902020 census: 606145 years
Founding year: the first Walden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1889.

What stands out about Walden’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Walden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 947 in 1980; 606 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walden’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Walden, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 947

Peaked at 947 in 1980; 606 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story so far

Walden, in brief

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

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.

Its first post office opened in 1881. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 608 in 2010, 606 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Walden, 1881 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Walden post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 947
By decade

Walden, decade by decade

Today13 recent
Union Pacific 25408 Caboose in2026Union Pacific 25408 Caboose inMain Street in Walden, Colorado12026Main Street in Walden, Colorado1CenturyLink Communciations Tower, 555 McKinley2026CenturyLink Communciations Tower, 555 McKinleyWalden, Colorado Town Hall2022Walden, Colorado Town HallMain Street in2022Main Street inThe old Park movie theater2016The old Park movie theaterApproaching Walden, Colorado, via a Jackson County, Colorado, dirt road. Walden is the only the town in that northern-C…2016Approaching Walden, Colorado, via a Jackson County, C…High-plains scene approaching Walden in Jackson County, Colorado2016High-plains scene approaching Walden in Jackson Count…Walden Colorado Main Street2010Walden Colorado Main StreetUSGS North Park Basin geologic map2010USGS North Park Basin geologic mapMapWalden, Colorado2008Walden, ColoradoWalden, Colorado2008Walden, ColoradoCOMap-doton-Walden2005COMap-doton-Walden
On the map

Walden on the map in 1955

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Walden.

Walden on the 1955 USGS map1955Walden sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Walden

Nobody well known was born in Walden itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Todd LodwickAmerican Nordic combined skier · b. 1976
Johnny SpillaneAmerican Nordic combined skier · b. 1980
A
Arielle GoldAmerican snowboarder · b. 1996
Bryan FletcherNordic combined skier · b. 1986
T
Taylor FletcherSki jumper and Nordic combined skier · b. 1990
T
Taylor GoldAmerican snowboarder · b. 1993

Questions about Walden’s history

What year was Walden founded?

The Walden post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1889.

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 (10), the Library of Congress (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.