Elizabeth, Colorado

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Coordinates: 39°21′36″N 104°36′0″W / 39.36, -104.6
Town of Elizabeth, Colorado
Location in Elbert County and the State of Colorado
Country	United States
State	State of Colorado
County	Elbert County^[1]
Incorporated	October 9, 1890^[2]
Government
- Type	Statutory Town^[1]
Area
- Total	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²)
- Land	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation ^[3]	6,476 ft (1,974 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,434
- Density	1,593.3/sq mi (651.8/km²)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code^[4]	80107
Area code(s)	303
FIPS code	08-23740
GNIS feature ID	0185149
Website: Town of Elizabeth

The Town of Elizabeth is a Statutory Town that is the most populous town in Elbert County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,434 at the U.S. Census 2000.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

According to records of the area the first settler was a man named Peter I. Van Wormer in 1859 on Running Creek, which today runs through Elizabeth. Others followed establishing small ranches in the area that was then forested with ponderosa pines in an open glade like growth habit suitable for both ranching and timber operations. The Elbert County History (ISBN 0-88107-128-5 edited by Margee Gabehart) is not clear on when exactly the mill that eventually caused the formation of the town of Elizabeth was set up. It was apparently on the far north end of the land belonging to Thomas Phillips (who settled in the area in 1865) and to the east of the creek to provide water to the steam engine. This first mill was wiped out in a flood and thereafter was reestablished by Alden Bassatt on the west side of the creek near what is today Main Street in Elizabeth. Thereafter it was sold to the Weber brothers of Kansas and became known as the Weber Mill. P.P. Gomer set up another mill operation in 1860 or 1861 to the north of the Weber operation on Leroy Evans' Ranch.

The workers settled near the Weber Mill and a community started to grow with the first three blocks being given by Charles Garland and Thomas Phillips in 1880. The Denver and New Orleans Railroad, which was started by Governor Evans among others, in 1881, arrived in the nascent town by May of 1881. With trains eventually going through six times daily the town grew much faster than the other nearby settlements and Thomas Phillips applied for a town plot on June 19th of 1882. According to "Wallace History a Story of Grass, Grits & Chips," the Town of Elizabeth was named after Elizabeth Agnes (Fitzgerald) Barry. [Her Mother, Mary Fitzgerald, Her Father, James Barry] Quote, "Elizabeth Barry was married to William J. Dunning in Denver, Colorado on January 24, 1876. William was an engineer on the Union Pacific Railroad between Wallace and Denver. In 1886, he was involved in the construction of a short-lived branch line in eastern Colorado. Family tradition says the small town of Elizabeth, Colorado, was named for Elizabeth, (Barry) Dunning because she was the only woman in the construction camp there. They later ran a store in Kansas City and St. George, Kansas. They never had any children. The town of Elizabeth was actually incorporated in 1884. Jan Fitzgerald, Elizabeth's cousin, moved from near Kansas City from a farming community called Ottawa,Kansas to Elizabeth, Colorado and is presently residing here with her family. (Page 95, written by a member of Elizabeth's family, Ramona Robidoux Bowman, year of 1886).

The D&NO went through many changes, becoming the Denver, Texas, and Fort Worth and being purchased by the Colorado and Southern. The Memorial Day flood of 1935 speeded up a process of service being discontinued and track pulled out that started in 1913 along some parts of the line. Service to Elizabeth continued until 1936 when the Castlewood Canyon Dam broke destroying the track northwest of Parker, Colorado. The remaining track between Parker and Elizabeth was removed by 1937.

The town revived due to the usual Colorado pattern of artists and freethinkers moving to small towns in the late 1960s through the 1970s. By the 1980s many new residents were arriving as the town became a bedroom community for the Denver metro area with the area around Elizabeth becoming the most populous part of the county. Though few live in the town itself more than half of county residents use an Elizabeth address.

Most notably, Elizabeth is the home town of famed E-commerce pioneer, Gilbert A. Chavez. Gilbert A. Chavez is the son of former Elizabeth School Board President and philanthropist, Sam J. Chavez. The Chavez ranch, El Rancho Grande, was a fixture in the Elbert County and Elizabeth community for several years.

[edit] Geography

Elizabeth is located at 39°21′36″N, 104°36′0″W (39.359954, -104.600063)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), all of it land. According to the local "History of Wallace County A Story of Grass, Grits, & Chips" the Town of Elizabeth was named after Elizabeth Agnes(Fitzgerald)Barry,[her Mother, Mary Fitzgerald, her Father, James Barry]. Elizabeth was married to William J. Dunning in Denver, Colorado on January 24, 1876. William was an engineer on the Union Pacific Railroad between Wallace and Denver. In 1886, he was involved in the construction of a short-lived branch line in eastern Colorado. Family tradition says small town of Elizabeth, Colorado was named for Elizabeth (Barry) Dunning because she wa the only woman in the construction camp there. They later ran a store in Kansas City and St. George, Kansas. They never had children."

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 1,434 people, 496 households, and 380 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,670.6 people per square mile (643.8/km²). There were 513 housing units at an average density of 597.6/sq mi (230.3/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.

In the town the population was spread out with 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.