Cheyenne County
Towns in County:
Arapahoe, Aroya, Cheyenne Wells, First View, Kit Carson,
Wild Horse
In 1871 thousands of buffalo lived in the wind swept
prairies of Cheyenne County Colorado. The buffalo are gone
now, but the prairie breeze still whispers the names of
those rugged people who made history in the wind, wild,
west.
Kit Carson operated a trading post on the banks of Wild
Horse Creek in 1838. The town that grew on that site is
named for him, and was the location of early day stage companies
and commercial trading outfits. The railroad changed everything
as the track was laid westward. The Kit Carson Railroad
Depot now serves as a museum paying tribute to the rich
history of Cheyenne County.
Nearby Cheyenne Wells is a quite town with a history
of its own. This tight-knit community is what small town
America is all about. The restored historic Plains Hotel
offers a wonderful rest place to the road weary traveler.
It is also a romantic getaway and the chapel, located next
door, is the smallest in Colorado. The jailhouse, built
in 1894, is a known museum listed on the national register
of historic places.
Below the surface of historic Cheyenne County lies a
large oil and gas reserve, which explains the more than
416 active wells that dot the landscape. Another important
resource for this area is rare helium. A 100 million dollar
helium plant is located nearby. Dry land farming produces
wheat, grain and hay. You’ll see miles and miles of rich
farmland, working ranches, windmills, and remnants of early
settlements for the 1860’s.
Just North of Cheyenne Wells is the location of the Smokey
Hill Trail, the Texas Montana Cattle Trail, and various
battlefields. Companies of the US 10th Calvary were stationed
here to protect the state line. Buffalo Bill once spent
the night here in a cave. Cattle now populate the quite
and peaceful prairie, which once was dangerous and wild.
If you listen closely, when the breeze comes in from the
west, you might just hear the echoes of history in Cheyenne
County, Colorado.
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