SPOTLIGHT ON KIOWA
Elevation: 6,384 feet (higher in elevation than Denver because it is located on the high plains)
County: Elbert County seat
Population: 581
Incorporated: 1912
Percentage of veterans, those 18 and over who have served in the military: 18.6
Percentage of high school graduates: 79.5 (national rate: 24.4)
Percentage with bachelor’s degree: 7.6 (national rate: 24.4)
Median household income in 1999 dollars: $40,809 (national median: $41,994)
Median single-family home: $144,800 (national median: $119,600)
Brief history: The town was first called Wendling for one of the early settlers, Henry Wendling, who also ran the stage station. The name was later changed for the Kiowa Indians who had inhabited the area.
Kiowa is at the intersection of the Butterfield Trail, a Pony Express route, and the Smokey Hill Trail, a stagecoach run. Early on, the town was a ranching, farming and sawmill center, but when railroads built a route through Elizabeth that bypassed Kiowa, the area’s commercial center became Elizabeth. Kiowa businesses then had to take cattle and other goods to Elizabeth to have them transported. Supplies were carted back by wagon.
Kiowa was named the seat of Elbert County in 1874 after some controversy. Residents of the towns of Elizabeth, Kiowa and Elbert were vying to have their town named the county seat, but Kiowa residents quickly built a courthouse and began holding court before a decision was made.
In 1912, Adolph Coors purchased property and built a saloon, which closed in 1919 during Prohibition.
Kiowa now is considered a bedroom community to Denver, Limon and Colorado Springs, with ranching a big part of the economy in the surrounding area.
Many fairs and events are held throughout the year at the Elbert County Fairgrounds. The annual county fair at the end of July features a variety of arts and crafts and rodeo events, and the Celtic Festival is held there every year in June. Kiowa also hosts many dog shows and has two large auctions visited by people from other states.
A group of residents is now trying to have Colorado 86, which runs through the town, designated as a scenic byway.
Source: Town of Kiowa; Kiowa Town Hall (www.law-enforcement.org/kiowapd/); Elbert County (www.elbertco.com/Elbertco/History.htm); “Colorado Place Names” by William Bright; USGS
REGIONAL NOTES
AURORA
Rock out at concert exhibit
The Aurora History Museum is ready to rock out with an exhibit that will relive the concerts of rock music’s most famous bands and how they affected Colorado.
The exhibit, “Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Day They Came to Town,” will look at the music phenomenon that began in the 1950s and raced through American culture. Admission is free. The exhibit continues through May 28.
For more information, call 303-739-6666 or visit www.auroramuseum.org.
DENVER POST STAFF REPORTS
