Formed January 31, 1876 (26th county)
San Juan County (703), Silverton (623)
A stone and tan brick Classical Revival structure was built in 1908. It is located on Green Street between 15th and 16th streets. United States Highway 550 is 10 blocks south of this site. James Murdock is the building architect. The courthouse features a tower with working clock. The county was established on January 31, 1876 from Lake County as the 26th county. Silverton has been the only county seat. The county name is Spanish for “Saint John” which is the name settlers gave to the river and surrounding mountains. Silverton is named for local mineral deposits.
San Juan County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Four District Court Judges serve San Juan, Archuleta, and La Plata counties and a Trial Court Judge, clerk, and county attorney serve San Juan County (judicial.) This small county consists of mountains and valleys. The center of the county is 1.2 miles Southwest of Silverton. The county is surrounded clockwise by Ouray, Hinsdale, La Plata, Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel counties.
The area of the county is 389.0 square miles. The county is 60 out of 64 in the state. It ranks 64 out of 64 in population in the state. It has a density of 1.8 persons per square mile making it 58 out of 64 in the state. San Juan County has 88.6% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 550 crosses north to south through the county, Ouray County to La Plata County. The county is located in the southwest part of Colorado just north of Durango, Colorado. The shape of the county is a triangle pointing southeast. Silverton is in the northern half of the county. Silverton is the county seat and the largest city and only incorporated city. It is 88.6% of the county population. The county is pronounced SAN HWAN.
Silverton
