Aroya Lighthouse - Kit Carson, Colorado
Posted by: Big B Bob
N 38° 45.871 W 102° 47.580
13S E 691750 N 4292958
A lighthouse made of welded together farm implement parts stands ready to lead you to a small landlocked Colorado town.
Waymark Code: WM6NPD
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 06/27/2009
Views: 10
From a Denver Post article (01/17/1970)
WILD HORSE, Colo. -- Aroya, once a thriving town eight miles west of here, is falling behind in the world population explosion. And it's population might drop by 50 per cent in the near future.
Marvin Sargent, 78 and Owen T. Moreland, 56, are the only residents of Aroya. A few days ago, Moreland sold many of his possessions, including a parcel of land, and would have sold his home had someone offered a satisfactory price. If he sells his home, he'll probably leave, Moreland said.
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Moreland, a native of Aroya, has sculpted hundreds of objects from scrap iron with a welding outfit. Most of these were sold at the recent auction at his home. A 35-foot tower, built in the shape of a lighthouse, failed to fetch a satisfactory price and he refused to sell it. It's still for sale, he said.
From "Our Journey": (
visit link)
The 35-foot tall “lighthouse without a light,” was created of scrap metal by the late Owen “Red” Moreland.
A renowned welder who got his start welding submarines for the U. S. Navy during World War II, Moreland was the last of the long-time residents of Aroya, a railroad ghost town that sits between Wild Horse and the Lincoln County line. Moreland had plenty of old tools and car parts, so he used his skills and these parts to create his “lighthouse” and the gate in front of his home. Red’s lighthouse became Aroya’s landmark, and clearly marked the town’s location for the last half-century. Red Moreland passed away recently (December 20, 2004), and his “Aroya lighthouse” now graces the grounds of the Kit Carson Museum.