Powderhorn, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Powderhorn, Colorado
Unincorporated community
View of Powderhorn, with State Highway 149 on the left, October 2018
Powderhorn, Colorado Location in Colorado Show map of Colorado Powderhorn, Colorado Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Gunnison
Elevation	8,098 ft (2,468 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	81243
Area code(s)	970
GNIS feature ID	204752

Powderhorn is a small, quiet community located in Gunnison County, Colorado, in the United States. It's called an "unincorporated community" because it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, it's managed by the county. Powderhorn also has its own Post Office with the ZIP Code 81243.

A Look Back: History of Powderhorn

The Powderhorn Post Office first opened its doors in 1880. That's a long time ago! People have a couple of ideas about how Powderhorn got its name. One story says it was named after a nearby mountain or hill that looked like a "powderhorn." A powderhorn was a container used long ago to carry gunpowder.

Another idea is that an old powderhorn was found near where the town was built. This interesting find might have given the community its unique name.

Weather in Powderhorn

Powderhorn experiences a "Subarctic climate." This means it has very cold, long winters. During winter, the days are short and clear. There isn't much rain, but there is usually a lot of snow. The air is also very dry.

The summers in Powderhorn are generally short and cool. This type of climate is common in places far from the equator or at high elevations.