Atchee, Colorado Explained

Atchee
Settlement Type:Ghost town
Pushpin Map:Colorado
Coordinates:39.5631°N -108.9128°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Colorado
Subdivision Type2:Country
Subdivision Name2:Garfield County

Atchee is a ghost town in Garfield County, Colorado. It was originally a railroad village/company town owned by the Gilsonite Company that served as a shopping town on the narrow-gauge Uintah Railway. The railroad served mines in nearby Utah.[1] At a point in time, the railroad was dismantled which led to a sharp population decline. By 1938, there were only 27 voters in the town and by 1940 only two voters remained.[2]

Town life

The town was a company town and thus almost everyone in the town worked for the Gilsonite Company. The houses all had running water and steam heat as well as being served by electricity. Atchee was never an incorporated town.

Rail line

The rail line was the lifeblood of the town, with the town's population sharply declining and eventually falling into ghost town status after the demolition of the rail line. The line itself ran from Mack, Colorado, to Watson, Utah, with a spur to the Rainbow Mine in Utah from Watson. During the summer, there were special trains run for students of the Colorado School of Mines.

Notes and References

  1. Luton . Ruby . Kyle . Evelyn . Nelson . Justina . Oral history with 83 year old female, Colorado (Transcript) . 26 April 1978 . Center for Applied Linguistics Collection . 11 December 2021.
  2. News: Only 2 Voters Stay in Once Thriving Town . 11 December 2021 . Warsaw Union . United Press . Reub. Williams & Sons . 4 December 1940.