08/13/2026
Western is part of Gunnison’s story because Gunnison helped make it happen.
At the turn of the 20th century, several Western Slope towns were competing for a college. Gunnison residents helped bring it here donating 41 acres for the campus and later raising $10,000 themselves when state funding lagged.
According to Western Colorado University, that $10,000 would be nearly $400,000 today. The school opened in 1911 as the Colorado State Normal School and, more than a century later, continues as Western Colorado University.
Source: Western Colorado University