Bayfield is a charming, friendly, small town just 18 miles east of Durango. The town was named for William A. Bay, who laid out the town in 1898 and established it in 1906. Bayfield has continued to serve as a supply town and social center for the surrounding farmers and ranchers. Bayfield has grown rapidly in the past 30 years from 320 residents in 1970 to around 1,800 now.
This pretty town is a mix of the old and the new of a small ranching town in the beautiful Pine River Valley. It sits downstream from Vallecito Lake on the banks of the Pine River. The earliest residents of the Pine River Valley were the Ute Indians, and it wasn't until the late 1800s that the valley was settled by non-Indians. The first cattle were brought to the valley in 1875 and the valley opened up as ranchers discovered the fertile land.
Bayfield at a glance:
- Elevation: 6,900 ft
- Established in 1906
- Named after William A. and Laura E. Bay who donated 80 acres of land for the town in 1898.
- Original settlement in Pine River was named Los Pinos.
First settler was John Taylor sometime between 1871-1873.
- Population: 1,800 roughly`
Bayfield Chamber of Commerce: (970) 884-7372
