Colorado Reader April 2019: Where does our water come from? | Page 6

“Google It” South Platte Basin Challenge
Here are some towns in the
South Platte River Basin and
the way they were named. See if
you can match the name of the
town with the history behind its
name. It is fair to “Google It!”
Name of South Platte Basin town:
K
_________Johnstown
_________Dearfield
_________Fort Lupton
History behind the name of the town:
A This town was first called
Orr, but was confused with Orr,
California and Carr, Colorado.
This town got its name from the
founder’s mother’s maiden name.
B
In about 1892, a railroad built
a side station at this location
north of Greeley. It was named
after the English word for alfalfa.
C
_________Platteville In 1859, Horace Greeley
took a tour of the West and
was impressed with the
agricultural possibilities of the
area. He told Nathan Meeker to
start a Union Colony. Meeker
named it after Horace.
_________Mead D
_________Eaton
_________Galeton
_________Windsor
_________LaSalle This town was named after
a doctor who homesteaded the
area in 1886. His son named the
town after his dad 21 years later.
_________Kersey E
_________Lucerne
_________Nunn
_________Keenesburg
_________Hereford
_________Greeley
This town borders the South
Platte River and was founded
in 1871. French explorers who
discovered the Platte river
described it as “a mile wide and
an inch deep.” This town is named
after this river.
6 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom
F
Oliver T. Jackson started this
town in 1910 as the only black
colony in the state of Colorado.
The name came from the
founders who wanted people
to know that as farmers their
fields were “dear to them.”
G
This town was first called
Zita. The Union Pacific Railroad
renamed it “Gale” after a
railroad official. The name was
later changed to its current
form so that it would not
be confused with “Gill.”
H
This town lies just two
miles south of the state line
in northern Weld County and
is named for a cattle breed.
I
In 1862, Benjamin Eaton built
a farm on this present location. It
was originally called New Liberty,
but the name was later changed to
the name of a former Fort Collins
circuit-riding Methodist minister.
J
Incorporated in 1892, the town
was founded by a prominent
builder of irrigation projects in
the area. He was later elected
governor of Colorado.