Sargents, Colorado Explained

Official Name:Sargents, Colorado
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:Colorado#USA
Pushpin Label Position:none
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Saguache County and the state of Colorado
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Saguache County
Unit Pref:Imperial
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:-7
Timezone Dst:MDT
Utc Offset Dst:-6
Coordinates:38.4042°N -106.415°W
Elevation Ft:8478
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:81248
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:0204762

Sargents is an unincorporated community and a U.S. Post Office in Saguache County, Colorado, United States. The Sargents Post Office has the ZIP code 81248.[1]

History

The community was established in 1880 and was originally called Marshalltown, named after nearby Marshall Pass. In 1882 the community was renamed Sargents after Joseph Sargent, a local cattleman and the settlement's first postmaster.[2]

The town owed its existence to the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad which reached Marshalltown in 1881. The railroad line crossed the Continental Divide over Marshall Pass and descended 17miles to Marshalltown before following Tomichi Creek west to Gunnison. This line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad ultimately connected Denver, Colorado with Salt Lake City, Utah and points farther west. The station in Sargents was home to helper engines that were used to assist heavily laden trains over the pass. The Sargents station had a roundhouse, a turntable, and a water tank. It was an important depot for the export of mine ore and lumber produced in the area, and it was also used by passengers traveling to and from the mining camps and towns in the upper Tomichi Creek valley.[3]

The population of Sargents greatly diminished when the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad discontinued passenger service in 1940 and completely abandoned the line in 1955. Partially offsetting the loss of the railroad was the construction of the transcontinental U.S. Highway 50. In 1939 the new highway was routed over the Continental Divide at nearby Monarch Pass and southwestward down Agate and Tomichi Creeks and through Sargents. The community still maintains some roadside services for highway travelers.[3]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sargents has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Sargents was 94F on June 16, 2021, while the coldest temperature recorded was -35F on February 3, 2016.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: January 3, 2007 . ZIP Code Lookup. . United States Postal Service . January 3, 2007.
  2. Book: Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co.. Denver, CO. 45.
  3. Book: Vandenbusche, Duane . The Gunnison Country . Gunnison, Colorado . B&B Printers . 1980 . 80-070455.