Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Pagosa Springs
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quizzes
Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.
Guess the City by Its River Quiz
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Pagosa Springs

Colorado, United States
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

News •

Satellite pics show flood devastation in Colorado, New Mexico • Nov. 5, 2026, 10:53 AM ET (The Weather Channel)
Evacuations, road closures continue as flooding peaks in southwest Colorado • Nov. 2, 2026, 10:02 AM ET (The Denver Post)
Just one week after catastrophic flooding, Pagosa Springs faces an even bigger threat • Nov. 1, 2026, 6:27 PM ET (CBS)
Pagosa Springs experiencing once-a-century flooding • Oct. 24, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (The Colorado Springs Gazette)
Major flooding prompts evacuations in Archuleta County along 4 rivers • Oct. 22, 2026, 8:16 PM ET (The Colorado Springs Gazette)

Pagosa Springs, city, seat (1891) of Archuleta county, south-central Colorado, U.S. Located near large mineral springs, the town site was established in 1874 after control of the area was wrested from the Ute people (in whose language pagosa means “healing water”). Pagosa Springs originally served as a supply centre and railhead for mining camps in the nearby San Juan Mountains. Connected by highways to northern New Mexico and Colorado communities on both sides of the Continental Divide, which passes nearby, the city grew as a retirement community and vacation spot in the 1970s. The Wolf Creek Ski Area is nearby, as are sections of the San Juan and Rio Grande national forests. Inc. 1891. Pop. (2000) 1,591; (2010) 1,727.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.