Tabernash, Colorado

Census Designated Place in Colorado, United States

39°58′44″N 105°50′39″W / 39.97889°N 105.84417°W / 39.97889; -105.84417 (Tabernash CDP, Colorado)^[1]Country

United StatesState

ColoradoCountyGrand CountyGovernment

^[1]

• Typeunincorporated townArea

^[2]

• Total4.747 sq mi (12.295 km²) • Land4.747 sq mi (12.295 km²) • Water0.000 sq mi (0.000 km²)Elevation

^[1]

8,403 ft (2,561 m)Population

(2020)^[3]

• Total401 • Density84/sq mi (33/km²)Time zoneUTC-7 (MST) • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)ZIP Code^[4]

80478

Area code970GNIS feature ID2410044^[1]

Tabernash is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Grand County, Colorado, United States. The Tabernash post office has the ZIP Code 80478.^[4] At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Tabernash CDP was 401.^[3]

History

The Tabernash Post Office has been in operation since 1905.^[5] The community has the name of a Ute Indian.^[6]

1984 airplane crash

On August 10, 1984, a Cessna L-19 Bird Dog (registration N4584A)^[7], piloted by James Jeb Caddell, 36, crashed in a forest near Tabernash. The aircraft was en route from Granby to Jeffco Airport, Colorado. The wreckage was found by backpackers three years later on August 23, 1987. A 6½ minute video shot from a VHS camcorder mounted on the instrument panel was found at the site. The heavily damaged tape, some of it hanging from tree branches, was recovered and repaired by Colorado deputy sheriff Dale Wood. Subsequent analysis of the footage revealed that the pilot had not taken into account the density altitude conditions that existed on the day of the flight. The aircraft was unable to climb away from steadily rising terrain. In an attempt to return to the departure airfield, the pneumatic stall warning of the airplane sounded three times during a turn to the right. The pilot could be heard yelling, "Damn, hang on Ronnie!" to his one backseat passenger, Ronald Hugh Wilmond, 36, three seconds before impacting the terrain and trees.^[8]

The Caddells had put a 20-year moratorium (via the FAA) on the release of the film to the general public with the only stipulation that it (at the FAA's request to the Caddells) be shown only to flight instructors at conventions and workshops. The moratorium eventually expired and was not renewed, and thus the footage became part of the public domain. The video is now viewable on YouTube.^[9]

Geography

Tabernash is located in the valley of the Fraser River. U.S. Route 40 passes through the community, leading northwest 11 miles (18 km) to Granby and southeast 9 miles (14 km) to Winter Park.

The Tabernash CDP has an area of 3,038 acres (12.295 km²), all land.^[2]

Climate

This climate type is dominated by the winter season, a long, bitterly cold period with short, clear days, relatively little precipitation mostly in the form of snow, and low humidity. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Tabernash has a subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dfc" on climate maps.^[10]

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Tabernash CDP for the United States Census 2000.

Tabernash CDP, Colorado
Year	Pop.	±%
2000	165	—
2010	417	+152.7%
2020	401	−3.8%
Source: United States Census Bureau

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tabernash, Colorado
^ ^a ^b "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
^ ^a ^b United States Census Bureau. "Tabernash CDP, Colorado". Retrieved April 15, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Look Up a ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: Why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 48.
^ "FAA Registry (N4584A)". Federal Aviation Administration.
^ "The wreckage of a small plane that crashed three..." United Press International. August 27, 1987. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
^ Cessna L-19E Bird Dog Crash 1984 (Tabernash, Colorado). Retrieved July 7, 2023.
^ Climate summary for Tabernash, Colorado