MapO.T. Jackson: Founder of DearfieldTimelineAuthor/Historian John W. Ravage has a different take on why Dearfield failed (Click below to listen)
More on John W. Ravage From 1920-1930 more than 700 families lived in Dearfield, Colorado, according to the U.S. Census. Congressional Resolution commemorating Dearfield KUNC-FM Profile of Dearfield "Dearfield Gets A Second Chance at Life" Rocky Mountain News Architectural Preservation Institute at Colorado State University More Info* Artist Vincent Lewis: The Dearfield Collection* The Black American West Museum * More stories about Dearfield |
Dearfield, Colorado
Saving a Black Ghost Town
photo by Paul Sorenson
Dearfield, Colorado is now a ghost town. But in the early part of the 1900's it was a thriving community of black pioneers. It was founded by Denver entrepreneur O.T. Jackson in 1910.
Seven families moved into Dearfield that first year. Jackson sought more residents through newspaper ads and flyers.
By 1921, the town had over 700 residents. There was a diner, a grocery store, a school, a boarding house and two churches.
The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Dust Bowl caused the slow death of the community. The last resident, Jenny Jackson, died in 1973.
Today, the Black American West Museum is working with Weld County and historians to preserve the three remaining structures at the site.
The Black American West Museum, in Denver, Colorado, was founded by Paul W. Stewart. He was a barber who collected black western memorabilia for a personal hobby. He traveled through the west interviewing families, collecting photos, newspapers, personal artifacts and oral histories. In 1971 his collection formed the nucleus of the Museum.