By Tamera Twitty | Out There Colorado
The historic ghost town of Dearfield, located roughly 24 miles east of Greeley and 70 miles northeast from Denver, could become Colorado’s next national park if the U.S. Department of the Interior can prove its national significance.
Founded in 1910, the homestead was once the largest black homesteading settlement in Colorado, attracting African-Americans from across Jim Crow-era America. Its estimated that at its peak, the town was home to around 700 people from 35 states.
The community was devastated by the Dust Bowl, which was ultimately the catalyst to its current ghost town status.
Late last year, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper introduced the Dearfield Study Act. The act calls for the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study, in order to determine if it is eligible to become a national park.