Akron in Washington County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Akron
Photographed By James Hulse, June 10, 2022
1. Akron Marker
Inscription.
Akron. .
Akron. Here - seemingly far from everywhere - the Lincoln Land Company, a division of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, thought this place a likely site for a new town. It was, after all, the highest point between Chicago and Denver, and "Akron" - the Greek word for summit - seemed an appropriate name to a railroad division station. So it was done. Platted in 1882 and incorporated in 1887, Akron developed as a railroad, farming, and ranching hub. Through dry and rainy cycles, and a few tornados, too, the town thrived, growing beyond its railroad origins. In 1907, the US Department of Agriculture created an experimental station a few miles east of town; and, since 1952, a range cattle station examines grassland conservation. In the 1990s, Akron's great airport - including a 7,000-foot long, 100-root wide runway, 24 hour weather station, and signal beacon used by pilots to chart cross-country courses - makes Akron a crossroads of the nation's interstate air carriers. , The Iron Horse It must have been a sight, that first steam locomotive, chugging, clanking, smoking, screeching its way across the wide-open high plains country. Every once in a while, this terrifying or wondrous machine - it depended on who or what you were - had to stop to take on water; hence the origin of Akron, a way stop along the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. By 1887, railroad officials made it a major division station, complete with roundhouse, tool sheds, depot, and crew headquarters. The railroad eased the moving of cattle and crops to market, but the romance of freight trains paled before the excitement of the great passenger liners that stopped here. Beginning with the 1890 Denver Special, a succession of "fast trains" whisked passengers through Akron on the Denver and Chicago route, including the world-renowned Zephyr, which could reach speeds of 112.5 m.p.h. Today, the Akron depot, located a block southeast of here, stand quiet, but freight trains still rumble along these tracks - a reminder of days gone by., Captions 1st Upper Right: Akron, 1888 Colorado Historical Society 2nd Upper Right: Yeamans Hardware Store, 1912. Akram's oldest business, Yeamans is still serving customers from its original location on Highway 34 and Main Street. Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection 3rd Upper Right: Established in 1907 and located just east of Akron on Highway 34, the Colorado Experimental Farm researches agricultural problems related to farming the high plains. Courtesy Washington County Museum Lower Left: A 4-4-0 American steam locomotive stops in Akron, c. 1885. Courtesy Fort Morgon Museum
Akron
Here - seemingly far from everywhere - the Lincoln Land Company, a division of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, thought this place a likely site for a new town. It was, after all, the highest point between Chicago and Denver, and "Akron" - the Greek word for summit - seemed an appropriate name to a railroad division station. So it was done. Platted in 1882 and incorporated in 1887, Akron developed as a railroad, farming, and ranching hub. Through dry and rainy cycles, and a few tornados, too, the town thrived, growing beyond its railroad origins. In 1907, the US Department of Agriculture created an experimental station a few miles east of town; and, since 1952, a range cattle station examines grassland conservation. In the 1990s, Akron's great airport - including a 7,000-foot long, 100-root wide runway, 24 hour weather station, and signal beacon used by pilots to chart cross-country courses - makes Akron a crossroads of the nation's interstate air carriers.
The Iron Horse
It must have been a sight, that first steam locomotive, chugging, clanking, smoking, screeching its way across the wide-open high plains country. Every once in a while, this terrifying or wondrous machine - it depended on who or what you were - had to stop to take on water; hence the origin of Akron,
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a way stop along the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. By 1887, railroad officials made it a major division station, complete with roundhouse, tool sheds, depot, and crew headquarters. The railroad eased the moving of cattle and crops to market, but the romance of freight trains paled before the excitement of the great passenger liners that stopped here. Beginning with the 1890 Denver Special, a succession of "fast trains" whisked passengers through Akron on the Denver and Chicago route, including the world-renowned Zephyr, which could reach speeds of 112.5 m.p.h. Today, the Akron depot, located a block southeast of here, stand quiet, but freight trains still rumble along these tracks - a reminder of days gone by.
Captions 1st Upper Right: Akron, 1888
Colorado Historical Society 2nd Upper Right: Yeamans Hardware Store, 1912. Akram's oldest business, Yeamans is still serving customers from its original location on Highway 34 and Main Street. Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection 3rd Upper Right: Established in 1907 and located just east of Akron on Highway 34, the Colorado Experimental Farm researches agricultural problems related to farming the high plains. Courtesy Washington County Museum Lower Left: A 4-4-0 American steam locomotive stops in Akron, c. 1885.
Photographed By James Hulse, June 10, 2022
2. The Akron Marker is the marker on the left of the two markers
Courtesy Fort Morgon Museum
Erected 1998 by Colorado Historical Society and Colorado Department of Transportation.
Location. 40° 9.538′ N, 103° 13.035′ W. Marker is in Akron, Colorado, in Washington County. Marker is at the intersection of West 1st Street and Custer Avenue, on the left when traveling west on West 1st Street. Located at a small city park along the highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 425 W 1st St, Akron CO 80720, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Akron is the Statutory Town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Washington County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,757 at the 2020 United States Census. Source: Wikipedia
(Submitted on June 14, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed By James Hulse, June 10, 2022
3. The view of the Akron Marker from the park
Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 134 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 15, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
