# Dearfield, Colorado > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dearfield,_Colorado > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dearfield,_Colorado.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearfield%2C_Colorado > Source revision: 1350494727 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Dearfield** is an [extinct town](/source/Ghost_town) and a historically black majority settlement in [Weld County, Colorado](/source/Weld_County,_Colorado), United States. It is 30 miles (48 km) east of [Greeley](/source/Greeley,_Colorado). The town was formed by [Oliver Toussaint Jackson](/source/Oliver_Toussaint_Jackson), who desired to create a colony for [African American homesteaders](/source/Black_homesteaders).[2] In 1910, Jackson, a successful businessman from Boulder, filed on the homestead that later became the town and began to advertise for "colonists." The name *Dearfield* was suggested by one of the town's citizens, Dr. J.H.P. Westbrook, who was from [Denver](/source/Denver). The word *dear* was chosen as the foundation for the town's name due to the precious value of the land and community to the town's settlers.[3] The first settlers of Dearfield had great difficulty farming the surrounding pasture and endured several harsh seasons. By 1920, the town had 200 to 300 residents, two churches, a school and restaurant.[4] In 1921, the town's net worth was appraised at $1,075,000. After the prosperous years of the 1920s, the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression) arrived and the town's agricultural success significantly declined. Settlers began to leave Dearfield in order to find better opportunities. By 1940, the town population had decreased to 12. Jackson desperately attempted to spur interest in the town, even offering it for sale. There was little interest in Dearfield. Jackson died on February 18, 1948. A few buildings remain in Dearfield: a gas station, a diner, and the founder's home.[5] In 1995, the town was listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places).[6] In 1998, the [Black American West Museum](/source/Black_American_West_Museum) in Denver began to make attempts to preserve the town's site.[7] It is a Colorado Registered Historic Landmark. A 2010 monument next to one of the remaining buildings contains information about the history of the site. A 2001 state historical marker [8] at [U.S. Route 85](/source/U.S._Route_85) mile marker 264 near [Evans, Colorado](/source/Evans,_Colorado), includes a panel with the history of Dearfield. ## See also - [Bibliography of Colorado](/source/Bibliography_of_Colorado) - [Geography of Colorado](/source/Geography_of_Colorado) - [History of Colorado](/source/History_of_Colorado) - [Index of Colorado-related articles](/source/Index_of_Colorado-related_articles) - [List of Colorado-related lists](/source/List_of_Colorado-related_lists) - [List of county seats in Colorado](/source/List_of_county_seats_in_Colorado) - [List of ghost towns in Colorado](/source/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Colorado) - [List of post offices in Colorado](/source/List_of_post_offices_in_Colorado) - [List of protected areas of Colorado](/source/List_of_protected_areas_of_Colorado) - [Outline of Colorado](/source/Outline_of_Colorado) - [National Register of Historic Places listings in Weld County, Colorado](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Weld_County,_Colorado) - [Allensworth, California](/source/Allensworth,_California) - [Boley, Oklahoma](/source/Boley,_Oklahoma) - [Nicodemus, Kansas](/source/Nicodemus,_Kansas) - [Black homesteaders](/source/Black_homesteaders) ## References 1. ["A Forgotten Piece Of African-American History On The Great Plains"](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/04/12/521800847/a-forgotten-piece-of-african-american-history-on-the-great-plains). *NPR News*. Retrieved 2019-07-06. 1. Dawson, John Frank. [*Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin*](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015051116740;view=1up;seq=23). Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 17. 1. George H. Jr., Junne. ["Dearfield, Colorado"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180709153702/https://history.weldgov.com/county_150/weld_county_towns/dearfield/). *history.weldgov.com*. Archived from [the original](https://history.weldgov.com/county_150/weld_county_towns/dearfield/) on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018. 1. Wu, Kevin (2024-02-16). ["A century-old African American settlement in Colorado could become part of the National Park Service"](https://www.9news.com/article/news/community/race-and-culture/dearfield-african-american-settlement-public-comment/73-93eda32f-1171-4831-8669-07f36b485e81). *KUSA 9News*. Retrieved 2024-02-17. 1. Edwards, Richard (July 5, 2018). ["The disappearing story of the black homesteaders who pioneered the West"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-disappearing-story-of-the-black-homesteaders-who-pioneered-the-west/2018/07/05/ca0b51b6-7f09-11e8-b0ef-fffcabeff946_story.html). *Washington Post*. Retrieved July 8, 2018. 1. Williams, Brooke (2024-02-09). ["Colorado historic Black settlement could become part of National Park System"](https://kdvr.com/news/local/colorado-historic-black-settlement-could-become-part-of-national-park-system/). *FOX31 Denver*. Retrieved 2024-02-10. 1. CHS ID 263 - [http://www.coloradohistory.org/RIPsigns/show_markertext.asp?id=864](http://www.coloradohistory.org/RIPsigns/show_markertext.asp?id=864) ## External links - [State of Colorado](https://www.colorado.gov/) - [History Colorado](https://www.historycolorado.org/) - [University of Northern Colorado Libraries: Dearfield](https://web.archive.org/web/20050220102154/http://www.unco.edu/library/ARCHIVES/dearfield/index.htm) - [Dearfield Colony](https://web.archive.org/web/20070928074306/http://coloradopreservation.org/epp/sites/epp_99_01.html) listing in Colorado Preservation's Endangered Places Program - [Dearfield African-American Farming Colony](https://web.archive.org/web/20070629191552/http://api.colostate.edu/projects/dearfield.htm) page at Colorado State University's Architectural Preservation Institute - Edwards, Richard (5 July 2018). ["The disappearing story of the black homesteaders who pioneered the West"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-disappearing-story-of-the-black-homesteaders-who-pioneered-the-west/2018/07/05/ca0b51b6-7f09-11e8-b0ef-fffcabeff946_story.html?wpisrc=nl_ideas&wpmm=1). *Washington Post*. Retrieved 8 July 2018. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dearfield, Colorado](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearfield%2C_Colorado) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearfield%2C_Colorado?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.