Leader, Colorado

Leader, Colorado
Hamlet
The community hall in Leader.
Coordinates: 39°53′58″N 104°03′23″W
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Adams[1]
Elevation [1]	4,864 ft (1,483 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
GNIS feature ID	184655

Leader is a populated place in Adams County, Colorado, in the United States.[1] Leader was once the site of a post office, school, and the Leader Community Hall.

Geography

Leader is located at 39°53′58″N 104°03′23″W (39.8994277,-104.056341667),[1] 12 miles northeast of Byers.[2]

History

Adams County, Colorado, in 1925 showing the location of Leader in central Adams County

The Leader post office began operations in 1910 and ceased operating in 1940.[3]

A chapter of the Colorado Grange was organized in Leader in 1916, founded by area resident J. F. Girardot. The grange in Leader was known as United Farmers #288.[4] In the early years, Leader was noted for its prairie dogs and ground squirrels; the latter were said to be highly destructive to corn, peanut, and bean crops in Leader.[5]

Leader Community Hall was built in the 1940s, and served as a gathering spot for community events,[6] and as a polling site for that part of Adams County.[7][8][9][10] Leader Hall was still being used in the 1970s, with the women forming the Leader Community Hall Ladies auxiliary.[11]

Leader's population was 19 in 1940.[12]

Oil drilling near Leader occurred in the 1950s, with the discovery of what the Brush, Colorado News-Tribune called "major" new oil reserves in the Leader area. Drilling commenced at the 2,000 acres (810 ha) Burkhart Ranch in 1954.[13]

The Leader School, a one-room schoolhouse, operated until 1956, when Adams County's schools were consolidated; students were afterwards bused to Byers, 12 miles to the south in Arapahoe County.[6]

References

1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2022-10-20. Archived from the original on 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
2. Elliott, Donald R. (1999). "Place Names of Colorado: A Genealogical & Historical Guide to Colorado Sites" (PDF). Denver Library. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
3. "Post Offices". www.postalhistory.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
4. Grange, Colorado State (1916). Journal of Proceedings of the ... Annual Session of the Colorado State Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry. Vol. 38–43. The Grange. p. 24. Archived from the original on 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
5. Entomologist, Colorado Office of State (1910). Circular. pp. 5, 17. Archived from the original on 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
6. Cartwright, Nyla Gair (2018). From the Black Isle to the Bijou. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-387-82370-3. Archived from the original on 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
7. "Polling and Registration Places and Registration Committees". Westminster Journal. Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. October 1, 1954. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
8. "Legal Notices". Westminster Journal. Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. September 21, 1961. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
9. "Arapahoe and Adams Polling places listed". The Aurora Advocate. Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. November 2, 1966. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
10. "Here's where you vote Tuesday". Journal-Sentinel. Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. November 2, 1972. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
11. "Dairy & Equipment Sale". Greeley Daily Tribune. p. 55. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
12. The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 154. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
13. "Oil Drilling Lively With Dozen New Locations in Morgan County". The Brush News-Tribune. Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. August 26, 1954. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2022-10-23.

See also

Derby, Colorado