Near Craig in Moffat County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Elkhead Creek
Moffat County
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Elkhead Creek drains an area to the north and east. It is 37 miles long and empties into the Yampa River a short distance to the south of this point. Elkhead Reservoir is a 25,500 acre-feet body of water, four miles north of this point. It opened in 1975, underwent an expansion and reopened in 2007.
This highway, U.S. 40, ran from the East coast to the West coast and was completed in the early 1920s. It was named the "Victory Highway" as an honor to all the men and women that served their country during World War I.
Craig, the county seat for Moffat County, located six miles to the west, changed the name of its main street to Victory Way in 1922 in recognition of this "great ocean to ocean thoroughfare."
In 1871, the original government road traveling south from Wyoming, crossed the Yampa River just south of this site. In 1913, the railroad arrived in Craig. David Moffat hoped to build a rail line from Denver to Salt Lake City. After years of financial struggle, the railroad made it to Craig two years after Moffat's death.
Moffat's private 1906 Pullman railcar, "Marcia", is located in Craig and remains a tribute to his ambition and determination. This county was named in his honor when it separated from Routt County in 1911.
visit the Museum of Northwest Colorado in downtown Craig.
970-824-6360 • www.museumnwco.org
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Moffat County encompasses over three million acres; two-thirds of that is public land open to all types of recreational activities including hunting, fishing, wildlife-viewing of elk, deer, antelope, wild horses. Multi-use trails travel through vast sagebrush basins, into mountain forests, and to the bottom of Dinosaur National Monument.
The Yampa and Green Rivers converge at Echo Park, and outlaws once met in the Brown's Park area.
Please respect private property. Maps are available at the Bureau of Land Management offices, 455 Emerson Street, Craig, Colorado; Visitor Information Center/Chamber of Commerce; and local Craig businesses.
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Tourist Info
Museum of Northwest Colorado
590 Yampa Avenue, Downtown Craig
970-824-6360
Open: Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 10-4
Admission-donation
Visitor Information Center and Craig Chamber of Commerce
360 Victory Way, Craig
970-824-5689
Open daily: Mon-Fri 9-5
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 40° 31.643′ N, 107° 25.765′ W. Marker is near Craig, Colorado, in Moffat County. Marker is on U.S. 40 at milepost 97.5,, 0.9 miles east of County Road 29, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located in a pull-out on the north side of the highway, just west of the Moffat County/Routt County line. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Craig CO 81625, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Hayden Surveys (approx. 3 miles away); Range Lands (approx. 3 miles away).
Also see . . . Museum of Northwest Colorado. From dinosaurs, to Native Americans, to early explorers, The Museum of Northwest Colorado tells the story of one of the richest histories in the American West. (Submitted on February 10, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 19, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 224 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on February 10, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.