A look at Cheyenne County’s history leads from railroads to early telephone technology and distinctive buildings. The topics range from supplying water to steam locomotives to the question of how long a school shaped daily life in a town. These varied traces of the area’s technological and local history offer different ways to get to know the region.
Railroad History: Vehicles, Buildings, and Supply
Union Pacific Railroad Caboose No. 25400 is one of only three surviving vehicles of its type in Colorado. The Kit Carson Union Pacific Railroad Depot was built in 1904; the Union Pacific Railroad Signal Maintainer’s House dates to around 1930. The house’s approximate date should be distinguished from the depot’s precisely stated year of construction.
The Union Pacific Railroad Pumphouse in Kit Carson shows another side of rail transport: it supplied steam locomotives with water. Together, these historic sites span a surviving railcar, a depot and signal maintenance, and the supply of locomotives. Kit Carson was, for a time, the western terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad and developed into a trading center because of its location. Railroad history can thus be viewed not only as a history of travel, but also as a history of infrastructure and trade.
Architecture and Local History
The Cheyenne County Courthouse is a red-brick building in the Georgian Revival style, located at the center of the courthouse square. Its materials, style, and setting give the building a distinct architectural character. The Wild Horse School offers another perspective on the town’s history: from 1912 to 1964, it was the only school in Wild Horse. The Wild Horse Mercantile was the longest continuously operating business in town. The school and store illustrate two different aspects of local life: a central educational institution and a long history of commerce.
Telephone Technology and Historic Exhibits
The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Museum recalls the era of the country’s first radio telephone system. Its exhibits include an original telephone booth and a switchboard from the 1920s. There is also a twelve-foot telephone pole and a telephone from before the introduction of the rotary dial telephone. The different objects make technological development tangible at several scales: from an individual telephone to the switchboard and the pole. The Kit Carson Museum is located in the depot building at 202 W Hwy 40/287, Kit Carson, Colorado 80825. Check the address locally once more before your trip.
Events and Prairie
Annual events in Cheyenne Wells include rodeos, fairs, and a Christmas parade of lights. If you would like to plan your visit around one of these events, check the dates in advance. Kit Carson offers a connection to the landscape, set in the wide-open prairie of eastern Colorado. The prairies in this region are among the last remaining shortgrass prairies in the United States. Along with historic buildings and technology, the open landscape and recurring events offer different themes to consider when planning your trip.
More Destinations
Explore more destinations: Hugo, Kit Carson, Costilla County, Custer, Lincoln County, Chaffee, Grand, Sedgwick County.
For the higher-level travel overview: Colorado.
