History Colorado

Check out the goods Clyde Stanley sold at the general store. Do you see any items or brands we still see on shelves today?

Keota's General Store

Windmill in Watkins, Colorado. Between 1937-2000, DeHarport photographed the southwestern United States, specifically focusing on Colorado and the Four Corners region. Much of his work focused on abandoned agricultural and mining towns in Colorado, as well as landscapes of the state's eastern plains.

Eastern Plains of Colorado, Late 1800s

A black and white photograph of the Keota baseball team and their rival baseball team. The rival team is standing in dark uniforms. Keota team sitting on the ground in white with "Keota" on the uniform front. 

People of Keota

What national and global events shaped Keota’s history?

Timeline of Events (1910s-1930s)

Why was the town of Keota settled by homesteaders?

Technology Developments

Engagement #2: Cause & Effect

What do you think is the most important factor that led to the settlement of the town of Keota? Complete the sentence below by choosing one of the 5 options, then explain why. Use the text tool to complete this activity.

Engagement #1: Complete the Sentence

Take a stroll through the town of Keota and see what everyone is doing. Any guesses about what the people of Keota used for toilet paper? Click through to find out!

Consider these questions as you explore the town; How was life in Keota different from life today? How is it similar?


A Day in the Life

Why was the town of Keota settled by homesteaders? Which of the events on the timeline seem like they may have been the most influential in the settlement of a new town?

Timeline of Events (1860s-1910s)

Anything you might have needed--and many things you probably didn't--could be ordered from one of Chicago's huge mail-order companies. Both Montgomery Ward (1872) and Sears (1888) catered especially to rural families. When Rural Free Delivery began in 1896, people living in towns like Keota had access to everything in the catalogs. The average family in Keota made three catalog orders a year, spending about $5 an order. Look through a selection of items from the Montgomery Ward catalog. How would you categorize the items available for purchase?

Montgomery Ward Catalog

How was life in Keota different from life today? How is it similar? Telegraphs were used to send messages in the past, use the telegraph to write your own message to a friend or family member. Explain some of the differences and similarities of life in Keota compared to life today that you've learned about. Make sure to write about at least 1 similarity and 1 difference.

Engagement #3: Telegraph about Life in Keota

It’s flat, windy, and dry--the middle of nowhere. The Eastern Colorado prairies look pretty bleak to most people. But to new homesteaders, they look like heaven. A family can prosper here and build for the future. There’s plenty of land (it’s free--just stake a claim), a railroad, a good school, and a strong community. Folks can support themselves, build some savings, and maybe leave something behind for the next generation. Keota doesn’t have everything, but it has all the things that matter. Freedom. Independence. Opportunity. Community. Those are the blessings that fill these empty prairies.


Why was the town of Keota settled by homesteaders?
What national and global events shaped Keota’s history? 
How does life today compare to living in Keota in the 1900s?

Little Town on the Plains: Keota, Colorado

Geography

Social Studies

U.S. History

The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad started in 1849 and by 1900 had lines in eleven states. The Burlington -- as the company was also known -- began building a railroad from Nebraska to Denver in 1881. 

The first train arrived in Denver on this line in spring 1882. In 1887 CB&Q added the “Prairie Dog Special,” which ran from Holdrege, Nebraska to Cheyenne, Wyoming, right through Keota. In small towns across the plains, homesteaders depended on the railroad for travel and for shipping farm goods to market.

Detail of map showing the stops on the Burlington Railroad line in Colorado.

The telegraph expanded across the United States alongside railroads -- telegraph lines were strung right next to the tracks. This system made it possible to coordinate train schedules and communicate across long distances using Morse Code. 

In 1910, The Burlington was the first railroad company to use the printing telegraph, which allowed operators to type messages that would be directly printed onto paper. Printing telegraphs were slower to send messages than a Morse Code system, but the messages did not have to be converted from dots and dashes in order to be read.

Left side displays the "International Code" A-Z, 1-0. Right side is a place for battery, a light bulb, next is the contact point used for night signalling on ships, then a buzzer as used in wireless. Parts are held together with small tabs at different parts of machine.

2006.3.19.E.jpg

Western Union Standard Radio Telegraph Signal Set

Anything you might have needed--and many things you probably didn't--could be ordered from one of Chicago's huge mail-order companies. Both Montgomery Ward (1872) and Sears (1888) catered especially to rural families. When Rural Free Delivery began in 1896, people living in towns like Keota had access to everything in the catalogs. The average family in Keota made three catalog orders a year, spending about $5 an order.

In the 1920s, you could have purchased a house through the catalog for $1198.00!

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Little Town on the Plains: Keota, Colorado

Technology Developments

THE CB&Q RAILROAD