A Brief History of Dolores
Dolores preserves a tangible connection to southwestern Colorado’s railroad era. The Southern Hotel, also known as the Rio Grande Southern Hotel, opened in 1893 and took its name from the railroad. An addition followed in 1902; History Colorado identifies it as the town’s first hotel and oldest building. The surrounding countryside also records an agricultural past: George and Elizabeth Osterfeld homesteaded the nearby Simmons Ranch in 1887. Together, the hotel and historic ranches show how travelers, rail commerce and farming shaped the community’s early development.