Logan County

Towns in County:
Atwood, Cook, Dailey, Fleming, Iliff, Merino, Padroni, Peetz, Proctor, Sterling, Willard

Welcome to Logan County, Colorado. This land of prairie breezes is an artist’s dream, platted in 1887. As you travel through this county, you’ll see native grasslands, majestic bluffs and rolling hills – all a part of the historic Lower South Platte River Valley. You’ll delight in the wonders of small-town living with eight communities of fewer than 500 people to choose from – including boyhood homes of John Wesley Iliff and Ralph Edwards.

Sterling, Colorado is a small, dignified presence on the prairie – deemed both the Mecca and the Crossroads of the Plains. A drive through this town of just over 13,000 people is an exploration of early western American architecture. Many of the historic building here are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Logan county Courthouse was built in 1910. The old Library, now a bed & breakfast, was built with the aid of a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation in 1918. The retired Union Pacific Depot, built in 1902, was moved to its present site in 1984. These are just a few of the wonderfully preserved buildings in Historic Downtown Sterling.

Sterling is also known for its collection of Living Trees. All around town are cottonwoods that have been carved into fanciful creature and heavenly angels. The artist, Bradford Rhea, lives and sculpts in nearby Merino. In addition to trees, he also carves his inspirations into huge blocks of marble and transforms bronze into works of art. One of his early carvings, called Metamorphosis, greets visitors to the Visitor & Information Center just East of Sterling.

The Overland Trail Museum takes you back in time with the history of America’s migration to the west. This replica of an old fort houses artifacts, memorabilia and collections of early life on the prairie. Historic buildings and old farm machinery can be closely inspected throughout the year. Spend a week, each summer, reliving the Prairie School experience – a one-room schoolhouse just as it was taught back in Stoney Buttes, from the 1880’s through early 1900’s.

There are two beautiful 18-hole, as well as two nine-hole courses on which to spend the afternoon. Nearby North Sterling Reservoir State Park is a boater’s paradise with 3,000 acres of pristine waters. Clean, modern facilities offer camping (141 sites), picnicking, swimming, hiking and great fishing. Experience the outdoors!

With all the historic and modern wonders here in this corner of Colorado you might think that you must be dreaming of the “Perfect Life”. But you’re not dreaming! This is “Home”! This is Logan County, Colorado.