Hidden Outside Denver Lies An Abandoned Ghost Town That Was A Once-Thriving, Historic Community

Hidden about 70 miles from Denver, in an area slightly northeast called Weld County, sits the haunting remains of an incredibly historic town. A few weather-beaten structures remain from what was once a thriving community: an old diner, a rusty, barely-there gas station, and pieces of what was once the town's founder's home. Sitting in the dust as ancient relics of a past seldom told. Dearfield, Colorado, might no longer be the bustling destination that it once was, but it's layered with generations of stories. 

Founded in 1910 by Oliver Toussaint Jackson, a visionary African American man who invested his own money to fund his dream of freedom and self-sufficiency with a black colony built for homesteading. While the first homesteaders lived in tents and dugouts, in the 1920s, Dearfield was home to hundreds, with its residents harvesting wheat and corn and operating small businesses.

For many, this was a dream they could hardly have even imagined. In 1918 alone, Dearfield farmers earned more than $50,000, which was a small fortune back in those days. Families thrived, businesses were built, and hope and optimism hung in the air. But the land, unfortunately, had other plans. By the 1930s, the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression forced many Dearfield farmers out into the city to look for work, leaving behind a city of hope and dreams that never really recovered.

Today, only a few remnants remain of what once was, a small scattering of structures slowly collapsing under the hot Colorado sun — but the historic significance has left a lasting impression. What was once a thriving town now sits on a plot about one square mile long. In 1995, the town officially made it to the National Register of Historic Places, and preservation work soon went underway to protect what remained. The "largest black homesteading settlement in Colorado" (according to the National Parks Service) is now managed by the Black American West Museum, which helps educate people on the role of the African-Americans who helped build and evolve the Western United States.

To explore Dearfield, you're going to want to fly into Denver International Airport and rent a car. From there, it's about an hour drive along Interstate 76 East. But literally, there are loads to do in this Rocky Mountain city! Take a stroll down one of the 13 best parks in Colorado nearby, take a drive to view some pretty incredible foliage on a hike, hit up Elitch Gardens (America's only downtown theme and water park), or embark on a brewery tour. If you want to try something really kitchy, stay at one of "America's Top Art Hotels," the Curtis. With a historic afternoon soaking up new learnings about Black history in Dearfield, and an evening spent exploring the downtown Denver area, you'll have a pretty eclectic and interesting trip that you won't soon forget.