Crowley County - Crowley, CO - Colorado Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

I found this marker extra fun because it contains a history of the entire area from Pueblo to La Junta. The area was dependent on two rail lines. The Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe which ran mostly along Route 50, and the Missouri Pacific (later the Union Pacific) which runs along Route 96. Along these roads there is a town about every 8 to 10 miles with many of them having an old train depot in them. (Look at my entries in the train stations/depot category here:

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I think I've visited all the depots along the line. The histories of the depots along 96 contained hints at beet farming, and this historical marker ties it all together.

Aside from the marker, I found an interesting addition to the history here:

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This is a partial copying.

The town that is now known as Crowley was originally called Bradbury in 1880. A few years later the Colorado Farm and Livestock Company applied to have the name changed to Dayton, but they were turned down because there was already a town of that name in Colorado. The Missouri Pacific Railroad, whose siding in the community was the major part of the town, tried to name it Shiloh. However, in 1913, after the formation of the county, the name Crowley was officially adopted and a real town was developed. The first building, a blacksmith shop, was built in 1914, and a school later that year. The first residence in town was built in 1915. By 1919 Crowley was a thriving community.

The panels on the marker are long and worth reading. Especially pay attention to the roads in the area. The roads parallel the trains in the area with each town being a stop. Most of these towns died out when the railroad stopped service. Many of these towns haven't changed much over the last 50 years or so. (Click on the photos to enlarge and read)

Group or Groups Responsible for Placement: Colorado Historical Society Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration County or City: Crowley Date Dedicated: 2002 Check here for Web link(s) for additional information: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new or if you were able to take any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark. If possible, please post a photo of you at the marker OR your GPS at the marker location OR some other creative way to prove you visited. If you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Colorado history, go ahead and include that in your log!

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/13/2016 LT_Dream visited it