Call NumberCPHOTO141-2024-1687CreatorJessen, KennethDateApril 25, 2004SummaryView of an abandoned barn-like structure.Physical Description1 digital file : colorBorn-Digital or AnalogBorn-digitalSubjectAbandoned buildings--Colorado--Wild HorseGeographic AreaWild Horse (Colo.)Cheyenne County (Colo.)Finding Aidhttps://archives.denverlibrary.org/repositories/3/resources/2088Type of MaterialDigital photographsOriginal Material Found in CollectionC PHOTO 141. Kenneth Jessen photo collectionNotesPhotographer's note: "One summer morning, the soldiers rounded a bend in the Big Sandy Creek and saw a herd of several hundred horses gathered around a watering hole. The railroad decided that since there was surface water at this site, it would be an ideal place for a section house and water tank. The place was named Wild Horse Station, and the military constructed temporary barracks and built corrals. During 1870, the Kansas Pacific reached Denver completing the first transcontinental railroad across the United States. (At the time, the Union Pacific had yet to construct a bridge over the Missouri River, and trains were carried across on ferryboats.) Wild Horse Station remained a whistle stop for many years. A small post office was opened for a few months in 1877, but closed when mail was delivered from a passing train. Fred Goodier purchased land around the Wild Horse Station in 1905, and a new post office was opened in the middle room of his ranch house. Before long, Goodier built a small one-room building to house the post office. The following year, the town of Wild Horse was platted. Goodier added a grocery Biggest Little Town in the West. By 1906, the population included three families. The Commercial Hotel was constructed followed by the Albany Hotel, built of cement blocks. In 1907, Frank Spender opened a law office, and later he went on to become a judge. By 1909, there were a couple of restaurants, a drug store, two livery barns and three saloons. The Wild Horse Times started publication, and the Alfalfa Bank opened its doors. The town peaked in 1910-1911 and then started a steady decline. The bank moved to Kit Carson, but the real blow to Wild Horse was the big fire of 1917 that destroyed all but a couple of businesses along the town's main street. The structures that burned in the fire were never rebuilt. Wild Horse today has a few residents, and its old school is well maintained. There is also a small church. What commercial buildings remain are abandoned. The town is located along U.S. 40/287 a dozen miles west of Kit Carson."DonorGift; Kenneth Jessen; 2020.
Rights
Rights Statementhttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/CopyrightDPL holds copyrightCreditDenver Public Library Special Collections, [call number]Digital Reproduction Available for PurchaseYes
