Virginia Dale, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Virginia Dale, Colorado
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Shuttered cafe and post office in Virginia Dale
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 Virginia Dale, Colorado
Location in Colorado
Virginia Dale, Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Larimer County |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Founded by | Jack Slade |
| Elevation | 7,034 ft (2,144 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
80536 (Livermore)
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| Area code(s) | 970 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0170131 |
Virginia Dale is a small, unincorporated community in northwestern Larimer County, Colorado, United States. It sits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on U.S. Highway 287. Virginia Dale is about 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Fort Collins. It is also about 4 miles (6 km) south of the Wyoming border. In the late 1800s, Virginia Dale was a famous stop on the Overland Trail. The old stage station and its nearby home are still standing. The Virginia Dale Community Club now owns and takes care of these historic buildings.
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The Overland Trail Stage Station
The Virginia Dale stage station was built in 1862. It was started by Jack Slade. He was once a station manager in Julesburg, Colorado. Slade met the famous writer Samuel Clemens, also known as "Mark Twain", in Julesburg. Twain wrote about his meeting with Slade in his 1872 book, "Roughing It".
When Ben Holladay took over the Overland Stage in 1862, he changed the route. The new path went south from Julesburg along the South Platte River to Greeley. Then it went up the old Cherokee Trail through Latham, LaPorte, and Virginia Dale, Colorado. From there, it continued into Wyoming.
A Home Away From Home for Travelers
Virginia Dale was a "home station" on the Overland Trail. This meant that passengers could get off the stagecoach here. They could eat a meal and even stay overnight in a hotel. This was helpful if the stagecoach was delayed by bad weather or nightfall.
The station kept 30 to 50 horses ready for the stagecoaches. It was in a beautiful, grassy glade, or "dale." A clear stream, later called Dale Creek, ran through it. Slade likely named the post after his wife, Virginia.
Jack Slade's Role at the Station
Jack Slade was a very good stage manager when he was focused. However, he was known for some wild actions. For example, he once caused trouble in a saloon in LaPorte. He was upset that they served whiskey to his stage drivers. Slade was removed from his job as stage manager in November 1862. He then moved with his wife to Virginia City, Montana.
Famous Visitors to Virginia Dale
The Virginia Dale stage station welcomed many well-known travelers. Author Albert D. Richardson, who wrote "Beyond the Mississippi," visited. An Illinois governor, likely Richard Yates, also stopped there.
Samuel Bowles, an editor from Massachusetts, wrote about Virginia Dale in 1865. He said:
"Virginia Dale deserves its pretty name. A pearly, lively-looking stream runs through a beautiful basin of perhaps one hundred acres, among the mountains... it is difficult to imagine a loveable spot in Nature's kingdom."
The station building itself was made from timber. This timber was cut by Hiram 'Hi" Kelly. He was one of the first successful cattle ranchers in the Laramie area. In 1865, Vice President Schuyler Colfax was held up at the station. This happened because of attacks by Native American groups. It is also possible that Virginia Dale was briefly used as a telegraph station.
The Virginia Dale Community
After the Union Pacific Railroad was built in 1867, the stage stop was no longer needed. People started moving into the area to settle in 1872. They built the first school in 1874. The first church was built in 1880.
Virginia Dale used to have a post office and a cafe along Highway 287. These closed down in the 1990s. Today, the area is still known for cattle ranching. The original school from 1874 is still standing along U.S. Highway 287. The original stage station is also still there, a short distance east of the highway. The U.S. Post Office in Livermore (with ZIP Code 80536) now handles mail for Virginia Dale.
Geography
Virginia Dale is located at 40°57′17″N 105°20′57″W / 40.95472°N 105.34917°W.
Historical Marker
A bronze plaque marks the settlement's history. It is just off U.S. 287 on the east side. This is about a mile north of the old school. The plaque says:
- THIS MEMORIAL IS THE PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF COLORADO.
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- THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILE NORTHWEST FROM THIS POINT IS THE ORIGINAL VIRGINIA DALE. FAMOUS STAGE STATION ON THE OVERLAND ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA, 1862-1867. ESTABLISHED BY JOSEPH A. (JACK) SLADE AND NAMED FOR HIS WIFE, VIRGINIA. LOCATED ON THE CHEROKEE TRAIL OF 1849. FAVORITE CAMP GROUND FOR EMIGRANTS. VICE PRESIDENT COLFAX AND PARTY WERE DETAINED HERE BY INDIAN RAIDS IN 1865. ROBERT J. SPOTSWOOD REPLACED SLADE.
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- ERECTED BY THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF COLORADO FROM THE MRS. J. N. HALL FOUNDATION AND BY THE FORT COLLINS PIONEER SOCIETY, 1935.
