The legend of the Silverthorne exit sign: How a possible mistake led to a historic name change

Silverthorn was originally spelled without the 'e' at the end. The Colorado Department of Transportation officially says a spelling error on the temporary sign led to the change, but what really happened is anyone's guess.

Silverthorne town manager Ryan Hyland is taking the mistake and running with it, saying it is clearly in honor of the town's founder, Judge Marshal Silverthorn. 

This photo was dredged from a trip to the local library from CBS4 Mountain Newsroom Reporter Spencer Wilson after online searches proved semi-fruitless for photos of the Colorado legend.

"It works!" Hyland said. 

"It might not also have fit on the sign, but there is maybe a logical reason why it might not be there," he said with a smile. 

The Silverthorne historical society said while the facts are still shrouded in rumor and conjecture, the town was named after Judge Silverthorn in the late 1800s. Their research, which they called shaky at best, points to an added 'e' at the end of the name to give it a fancier vibe. 

Without the historic context so graciously added by the town, the sign simply looks like a mistake, but Hyland said it's far from a big deal, especially because CDOT said the sign will come down in the fall when the construction season ends. 

"It doesn't bother me, but I have had a number of people comment that we are missing the 'e', and you know it's missing," Hyland said. 

"The 'e' is better than missing the 's', I guess," he added.