Boggsville, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Boggsville, Colorado
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Extinct town
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  State of Colorado |
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| County | Bent County | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 3,914 ft (1,193 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ZIP Code |
Las Animas CO 81054
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Boggsville is a ghost town in Bent County, Colorado, USA. It's found near the Purgatoire River, close to where it meets the Arkansas River. The town was started in 1866. Its remaining buildings show early Territorial architecture in Colorado. Famous frontiersman Kit Carson lived here before he passed away in 1868 at Fort Lyon. Today, the post office in Las Animas (ZIP Code 81054) handles mail for Boggsville. You can find Boggsville along Colorado State Highway 101, about 2 miles south of Las Animas.
Contents
The Story of Boggsville
Boggsville was once a busy stop for stagecoaches on the Santa Fe Trail. When Bent County was formed in 1870, Boggsville became its main town, or county seat.
Who Founded Boggsville?
The town was named after Thomas O. Boggs, who traded with Native American tribes and sold cattle. In 1846, Boggs married Rumalda Luna Bent, who was the stepdaughter of Charles Bent. Charles Bent was the first American governor of New Mexico. Rumalda had inherited land in Colorado. In 1866, Boggs built an adobe house on this land.
The next year, John Wesley Prowers built a large, two-story house in Boggsville. This house was very important. It served as a home, a school, and a stagecoach station. After 1870, it also became the place where Bent County's government met.
First Irrigation Project
In 1867, the people of Boggsville worked together to dig the Tarbox Ditch. This ditch brought water from the Purgatoire River about 7 miles away. It helped water about 1,000 acres of farmland. This was the first irrigation project of its kind in southeastern Colorado. It helped farmers grow crops in the dry land.
Why Boggsville Became a Ghost Town
In 1873, the county seat was moved from Boggsville to Las Animas City. At that time, Boggsville had 97 citizens who could vote. Also in 1873, new railroads, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the Kansas Pacific Railroad, bypassed Boggsville. This meant the town was no longer a major stop for travel and trade.
After this, many important people left Boggsville. Prowers moved to West Las Animas to become a cattle rancher and politician. Boggs, who had been the first sheriff of Bent County, moved to Springer, New Mexico in 1877. This happened after there were legal challenges to his wife's land grants. After Prowers and Boggs left, the land was sold. It became a large ranch called San Patricio Ranch.
What Remains of Boggsville?
The Boggsville site is now part of a large farm. About 39 acres of this land were given to the Pioneer Historical Society of Bent County. This area includes the Boggs and Prowers houses, which are the only old buildings left. There used to be thirteen permanent buildings in the village. One of these was the home of Kit Carson from December 1867 until he died in May 1868. Sadly, the Carson House was destroyed in a flood in 1921.
The Boggs House
The Boggs House has been empty since 1975. It is shaped like a "U" now, but it was originally "L"-shaped. This one-story building is made of adobe. It shows a mix of Territorial architecture and Greek Revival styles.
The Prowers House
The Prowers House was last lived in during the 1950s. By the 1980s, parts of this rectangular adobe house had fallen down. Some sections were even removed as early as the 1920s. The wood inside the Prowers House was brought all the way from St. Louis. There are also five other small buildings near the Boggs House.
Visiting Boggsville Today
The Boggs and Prowers houses have been carefully restored by the Pioneer Historical Society of Bent County. The site is now open for people to visit and learn about its history. Boggsville was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 24, 1986.
Famous People from Boggsville
- Kit Carson: A famous frontiersman, fur trapper, guide, and U.S. Army officer.
- Amache Prowers: A Native American activist, cattle rancher, and store owner.
