Visitors to the Upper Arkansas Valley often find themselves equally enchanted by the region's stunning scenery and puzzled by the pronunciation of its town names. Yet, these names—and the stories behind them—are part of the area’s distinctive charm.
Salida owes its name to the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, which founded the town and sought a soft, Spanish-sounding name to attract settlers, as it did with other company towns like Durango and Alamosa. In 1880, A.C. Hunt, former territorial governor of Colorado and a railroad employee, asked his wife to name the new settlement. She chose "Salida" (pronounced Sa-LEE-da), the Spanish word for “gateway” or “exit.”
From the beginning, however, locals—miners, ranchers, and railroad workers—rejected the intended pronunciation, feeling that Sa-LEE-da sounded too “dude-ish,” a term used to describe city slickers. They insisted on pronouncing it Sa-LIE-da instead. Despite years of pushback from newspapers and officials, the local pronunciation prevailed, confounding visitors and Spanish-speakers ever since while adding a touch of rebellious charm to the town’s identity.
About 30 miles away, the community of Mahonville, named after settlers James and Martha Mahon, was rebranded in 1879 to attract the railroad. Residents opted for the name Buena Vista, Spanish for “beautiful view,” based on a suggestion by local resident Alsina “Sadie” Dearheimer.
However, Sadie insisted on pronouncing it “Byoo-na Vista.” Her choice was deliberate: borrowing the first syllable from the English word “beautiful” gave the name a distinctive flair. Her husband, a language and music teacher, likely approved of her creative approach.
As Shakespeare wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But in the Upper Arkansas Valley, locals know that how you pronounce their town’s name is just as important as its meaning—and they’ll be sure to let you know.
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