Elizabeth is a Statutory Town that is the most populous municipality in Elbert County, Colorado, United States.[1] The town population was 1,675 at the 2020 United States Census, a +23.34% increase since the 2010 United States Census.[4] Elizabeth is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.
Elizabeth, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Old Town Elizabeth, Colorado | |
 Location of the Town of Elizabeth in Elbert County, Colorado. | |
  Elizabeth Location of the Town of Elizabeth in the United States. | |
| Coordinates: 39°21′40″N 104°36′22″W / 39.361015°N 104.606172°W[2] | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Elbert County[1] |
| Incorporated | October 9, 1890[3] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory Town[1] |
| • Mayor | Nick Snively |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Linda Secrist |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.999 sq mi (5.178 km2) |
| • Land | 1.999 sq mi (5.178 km2) |
| • Water | 0.000 sq mi (0.000 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,476 ft (1,974 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,675 |
| • Density | 838/sq mi (324/km2) |
| • Metro | 2,963,821 (19th) |
| • CSA | 3,623,560 (17th) |
| • Front Range | 5,055,344 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP code[6] | 80107 |
| Area code | 303 |
| INCITS place code | 0823740 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0185149 |
| FIPS code | 08-23740 |
| Primary Major Routes |  |
| Website | www |
History
editElizabeth was originally a saw mill camp.[7] The town was later named after a family member of John Evans, a territorial governor.[8]
The town has had a post office since 1882[9] and was incorporated in October 1890.[1]
Early Years/Settler Stories: Around 1860, the Webber brothers from Michigan came to the Black Forest in Elizabeth, Colorado to make their way in the lumber industry, thus establishing a sawmill along Running Creek. The mill was built on or near the spot later occupied by the Arlington Hotel. Living in humble shacks around the camp, the men of the mill ate buffalo and deer and lived the hardships of early prairie life. As lumbering drew people to the area, others came to homestead the land surrounding the town. From 1870 to 1880, the farming town was quiescent, until two consequential men named Charles Garland and Tom Phillips, (the town's first postmaster), gave land to be used to form the Town of Elizabeth. Even on contemporary town maps, the plot north of Highway 86 is called the Garland Addition and the plot south of Highway 86 is known as the Phillips Addition.
Indian Wars: The Indian Wars in Elbert County were a heated matter between 1864 and 1868. Arapaho, Sioux, Cheyenne, Utes, and a smaller number of Comanches comprised the native population at the time. In 1859 the first permanent white settlers came to Elbert County. There were many Native Americans around the area in those days who traveled the trail that today is known as Highway 86, so the groups often interfaced. Relations between the natives and whites were sometimes friendly, sometimes indifferent, and other times turbulent. As tensions grew and violent incidents occurred between the native population and the new settlers, the territorial and federal governments tried to place Native Americans on reservations. In 1867 the Cheyenne and Arapaho were moved to reservations under the Medicine Lodge Treaty, an act which angered natives because buffalo hunting grounds were no longer accessible to them. Explosive conflicts arose, and the Indian Wars intensified.
Railroad: According to Ethel Corbett's book Western Pioneer Days, in 1881 the railroad came through Elizabeth. The Denver and New Orleans Railroad was completed from Denver, through Elizabeth, and on to Pueblo in 1882. The railroad provided much needed work for the farmers of the area since crop and grazing conditions were bad at the time. It was said that there was even a theatrical troupe on the train that stopped at Elizabeth Depot to perform, adding to the new spectacle. With the railroad's arrival, Elizabeth began to boom. Before the advent of the automobile, people were pleased to take the train to Denver rather than take the day-long wagon ride to their destination. However, the railway was discontinued through Elizabeth in 1935 when a flood washed it away, and since the popularity of the automobile was changing how people traveled, it was not rebuilt.
Schools: Back in the late 1880s, there were 9 country schools in the Elizabeth area. School children of the day sometimes attended classes for only one season per year. All the country schools shared the same characteristics: they were small one-room buildings, and one teacher taught all grades, first through eighth. There was a cloak room, a coal room, a potbellied stove, a blackboard, a raised stage to accommodate the teacher's desk, and slates for young scholars to work out problems. Some schools had barns because so many of the children rode horses to school, and there were separate outhouses for the boys and girls. One would have seen children carrying lunch buckets, along with pails of water for the schools that had no wells. In the 1930s, a teacher's salary was a mere $75 per month, and it was customary for teachers to board with a family close to the school. One teacher at Rock Butte School said of her students, though they were not wealthy or exceptional, they "grew into good, honest, upright citizens." Where Frontier High School stands today, a two-story schoolhouse was built after 1885. It was an attractive building, made of rough-hewn stone; it showcased the bell tower that was characteristic of the school architecture of the day. Unfortunately, the fine building was razed and replaced in 1920 by the Beaux-Arts, three-story, red brick building that we know today as Frontier High School (formerly Elizabeth Middle School). The current building is now over a hundred years old.
Business Community: At the turn of the century, Elizabeth's business community was beginning to come to life. When flipping through the Elbert County Banner, one was likely to see advertisements for Garland and Brown Livery, General Blacksmiths, and the Farmer's State Bank. The City Drug Store boasted that it sold "notions, wallpaper, schoolbooks, and supplies of all kinds." The Russell Gates Mercantile Company sold ranch supplies, John Deere farming implements (road wagons, buggies, and spring work), McCormick and Deering harvesting machinery wagons, household dry goods, blacksmith supplies, and seed. When telephone service came through Elizabeth in 1901, it was Russell Gates who built a private line to link his stores in Elizabeth, Elbert, and Eastonville. The A.B. Rinner Sample and Billiard Room [sic] offered wines, liquors, cigars, "fine old Kentucky whiskies and Schlitz beer on tap" to the hard-working people of this plain’s community. When travelers were ready to button up for the night, the Elizabeth Hotel offered accommodations at rates of $1.00 and $1.25 per day, promising "everything neat and clean. "
Town of Elizabeth: The story behind the town's name is possibly apocryphal, but the story is that Elizabeth was named by Governor Evans, who called it Elizabeth after his sister-in- law, Elizabeth Hubbard. Elizabeth has come a long way since 1884 when the population was only 32! Elizabeth was becoming known as the "Queen City of the Plains.”
Today, walking down Main Street offers a peek into Elizabeth's past. As part of the newly designated historical district, one can enjoy historical buildings and join the annual historical walks led by knowledgeable long-time residents. The town's pleasant and convenient walkability encourages families, friends, and neighbors to walk the new trail system connecting Running Creek elementary school, the shops and brewery on Main Street, the farmers’ market, and the park where you might even catch some of the lauded Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo.
Sources:
We owe the contributors to Elizabeth, Colorado: A Glimpse Back in Time a debt of gratitude for interviewing primary sources, researching, and documenting Elizabeth's history. These stories are treasures for future generations and are an enduring legacy. They helped make history literally come to life.
Elizabeth, Colorado: Enduring Heritage of a Small Town on the Divide 1881-1965 is the result of the Town of Elizabeth contracting with Square Moon Consultants to create a Historical Context, Architectural Style Guide, and Educational Video to assist in preserving Elizabeth's history; it was funded through a Certified Local Government grant from History Colorado. We thank the Town of Elizabeth for recognizing the need for historical preservation and to Square Moon for their detailed report. .
coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/elbert-county
Special thanks to the Historic Advisory Board for the creation of this pamphlet. For more information or to join the Historic Advisory Board, please contact the Community Development Department at 303-646-4166.
Geography
editElizabeth is located in western Elbert County at 39°21′36″N 104°36′0″W / 39.36000°N 104.60000°W (39.359954, -104.600063).[10]
At the 2020 United States Census, the town had a total area of 1,280 acres (5.178 km2), all of it land.[4]
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 215 | — | |
| 1910 | 194 | −9.8% | |
| 1920 | 230 | 18.6% | |
| 1930 | 266 | 15.7% | |
| 1940 | 275 | 3.4% | |
| 1950 | 263 | −4.4% | |
| 1960 | 326 | 24.0% | |
| 1970 | 493 | 51.2% | |
| 1980 | 789 | 60.0% | |
| 1990 | 818 | 3.7% | |
| 2000 | 1,434 | 75.3% | |
| 2010 | 1,358 | −5.3% | |
| 2020 | 1,675 | 23.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 1,434 people, 496 households, and 380 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,670.6 inhabitants per square mile (645.0/km2). There were 513 housing units at an average density of 597.6 per square mile (230.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.00% White, 0.07% African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 3.49% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.00% of the population.
There were 496 households, out of which 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.27.
The population breakdown was 33.3% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 36.5% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,596, and the median income for a family was $51,902. Males had a median income of $38,875 versus $25,066 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,902. About 7.8% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Media
editElizabeth is home to the weekly newspaper the Meadowlark Herald,[12] which is also the only newspaper wholly owned and published in Elbert County. The Elbert County News, The Ranchland News, The West Elbert County Sun, and The Prairie Times also publish Elbert County news and distribute widely in the county.
Elizabeth is also the hometown of author and stand-up comedian Sam Tallent [13]
Infrastructure and transport
editColorado State Highway 86 bisects the town, leading east 7 miles (11 km) to Kiowa and west 15 miles (24 km) to Castle Rock. Denver is 40 miles (64 km) to the northwest via Franktown and Parker. The town lays in between the Gold Creek and Box Elder Creek (locally known as the Running Creek). No public transport exists in Elizabeth.[14]
A group of three separate unmarked turf airstrips exist to Elizabeth's southeast, though has no commercial service. Elizabeth is located equidistantly to Denver and Colorado Springs, with both cities' primary airports, Denver International Airport and Colorado Springs Airport, serving as the closest major air gateways to Elizabeth.[14] [15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- ^ "2014 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Places". United States Census Bureau. July 1, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. September 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on January 1, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
- ^ "History". Town of Elizabeth. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Dawson, John Frank (1954). Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 20.
- ^ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ http://www.meadowlarkherald.blogspot.com [user-generated source]
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20231122195754/https://boulderweekly.com/entertainment/comedy/chubby-behemoth/
- ^ a b "Dropped Pin". maps.apple.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "Airports Near Me - Elizabeth, Colorado | Travelmath". www.travelmath.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.