Sterling in Logan County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021
1. Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot Marker
This property has been placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States Department of the Interior
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 40° 37.403′ N, 103° 12.379′ W. Marker is in Sterling, Colorado, in Logan County. It is on North Front Street just north of Main Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is mounted on the east/front entrance of the railroad depot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 109 North Front Street, Sterling CO 80751, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Eastern Plains. It is also in the American Mountain West, on the Great Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, 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 walking distance of this marker: William Shaw Hadfield (within shouting distance of this marker); I & M Building (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (approx. 0.2 miles away); Logan County Courthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); The South Platte River Valley (approx. 0.2 miles away); Orville S. Johnson (1911-1987) and H. Catherine Johnson (1914-2003) (approx.
this page online
Regarding Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot. National Register of Historic Places № 86000210. Also Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Site № 5LO.188.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Lydia Vandemoer and Langdon Morris, 4/1980:
The Sterling Depot is significant architecturally for its successful combination of styles into a pleasing and unified whole. It is a delightful example of railroad station architecture of the period. Historically, the structure stands as a monument to the time when the railroads lived in successful symbiosis with the towns they served. The towns grew up around the railroads, and the railroads, making considerable profits from the relationship, erected these small gems of architecture to shelter their customers.
Work began on the depot on August 28, 1902, and was completed in January of 1903. The estimated cost was between $15,000 and $20,000. Trains began stopping at the new Sterling depot on Friday, January 23, 1903. The event was heralded in The Logan County Advocate:The assertion has been made that there is not another town within a radius of 100 miles which can claim as good a passenger depot as Sterling now possesses. The article went on to say that the building of pressed brick and Ft. Collins stone consisted of ten rooms, the larger ones being two waiting rooms, one for male and one for female patrons, the ladies waiting room being equipped with four cozy rocking chairs and two writing or reading tables. The station also had a spacious ticket office vestibule, ticket lobby and baggage rooms.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 20212. Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot MarkerThe marker is mounted at waist-level on the right side of the east/front tower entrance.
The Sterling Depot is an excellent example of late Victorian eclectic architecture used for a small railroad station. Elements of Jacobethan, Italian Villa and Romanesque revival are mixed successfully in this delightful structure. The structure is one story with multiple hipped roof elements. Brick with stone and wood trim are the materials. The entrance facade has a projecting three-story square tower with a doorway. The tower exhibits a considerable amount of decorative work; a compound arch with keystone above the doorway, on the tower faces small, corbelled brick arches, windows with diamond-paned upper sashes and brick segmental arched openings with keystones, and brick corbels at the roof eaves. Each side of the tower has a round decorative element which was undoubtedly intended to contain a clock face. The tower is flanked at each sideby two-story gable ends with a round arched window in each and triple, diamond paned window above. Both the tower and gable ends are supported by splayed and battered stone buttresses.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 20213. Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot Tower
Also see . . .
1. Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot (History Colorado).
Excerpt: The 1902 building exhibits the Romanesque Revival style resulting in an impressive depot in keeping with the importance of Sterling on the Union Pacific system. With the decline in passenger service, the railroad closed the depot in 1983. The city relocated the building to its present site in 1984.(Submitted on November 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Union Pacific Railroad Depot Virtual Tour.
Presented by Colorado State University Interior Architecture and Design Program(Submitted on November 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021
4. Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot Baggage Room
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021
5. Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Today it houses the Logan County Chamber of Commerce.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
