History and culture - Mountains
The county seat that moved three times
Custer County's seat of government started at Ula, then moved to Rosita, then Silver Cliff, and finally Westcliffe, tracing the rise and fall of each mining town.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 12, 2026
Most Colorado counties pick a county seat and keep it. Custer County moved its seat of government three times in its first half-century, and the path follows the fortunes of each town.
When the county formed in 1877, the seat sat at Ula, an early valley settlement that is a ghost town today. In 1878 the seat moved to Rosita, the busy silver camp of the moment. As newer strikes pulled people toward Silver Cliff, that town won the seat in 1886 after a hard-fought contest. Then, as mining faded and the railroad town of Westcliffe grew steadier, the seat moved a final time to Westcliffe, where it remains.
Why this matters today: the records, deeds, and court files for an old property may have been kept in different towns depending on the year. It also explains why a small county has several former “capitals,” some of them now quiet sites or ghost towns. The current county offices and the official record are in Westcliffe.
For the documented dates of each move and where older records now live, start with History Colorado and the Custer County offices.