The Meander

Eons ago, the San Miguel River carved the Telluride valley. At the beginning of the 20th century, this town’s mining community, frustrated by the river’s vagaries, straightened its natural path. In the fall of 2016, the river was returned to its original course, an effort that required imagination, foresight and a lot of heavy machinery. The Meander tells the story of the San Miguel and the herculean effort made to restore the river’s original flow, which, in turn, has generated environmental benefits for the Valley Floor's ecosystem and also created a carbon sink at the town’s doorstep.