Virginia Dale in Larimer County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Virginia Dale

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, October 25, 2025

1. Virginia Dale Marker

Inscription. Established in 1862 by Overland Stage Agent Joseph A. (Jack) Slade. The stage station may have been named after Slade's wife, Virginia. The bullet-riddled station served as a refuge from Indian attacks for travelers and local residents. Slade himself gained notoriety for the killing of Jules Beni, one-time Overland Stage agent at Julesburg. It is said that Slade cut off Jules' ears after the killing, nailed one to a post in the corral, and carried the other on his watch chain. Slade was widely suspected of being in league with stage robbers during his tenure at Virginia Dale, and the mountain to the northeast became known as Robbers' Roost, because of the thieves who hid there. Spade later led an outlaw gang in Virginia City, where his career came to a sudden and violent end in 1864, when he was hanged by the local vigilante committee.

Erected by the State Highway Department, by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks, and by the State Historical Society of Colorado from the Mrs. J.N. Hall Endowment.
Built BY C.S.P. 8 65

Erected 1965 by State Highway Department.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical date for this entry is March 10, 1864.

Location. 40° 58.391′

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N, 105° 21.989′ W. Marker is in Virginia Dale, Colorado, in Larimer County. It is on County Road 43F, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 844 County Road 43F, Livermore CO 80536, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Front Range.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Virginia Dale, Colorado Overland Trail Stage Station (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Virginia Dale (approx. 1.3 miles away); a different marker also named Virginia Dale (approx. 1½ miles away); Virginia Dale Community Church (approx. 2.6 miles away); The Overland Stage Line (approx. 2.9 miles away in Wyoming); Geology, more than rocks (approx. 10½ miles away); Pyramid on the Plains (approx. 11 miles away in Wyoming); The Ames Monument (approx. 11 miles away in Wyoming).

Also see . . . Joseph Alfred Slade (Wikipedia). Overview:

Joseph Alfred "Jack" Slade, (January 22, 1831 – March 10, 1864), was a stagecoach and Pony Express superintendent, instrumental in the opening of the American West and the archetype of the Western gunslinger.

(Submitted on October 26, 2025.)

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, October 25, 2025

2. Virginia Dale Marker

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, October 25, 2025

3. Virginia Dale Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2025, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 65 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 26, 2025, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.