Strasburg, Colorado

Strasburg is a small Colorado community located along the historic Union Pacific Railroad corridor in Arapahoe County, situated east of Denver along the Colfax Avenue corridor. Founded in the post-Civil War era of westward expansion, Strasburg owes its existence to the transcontinental railroad and retains a strong identity rooted in that heritage. The town remains a rural community with deep agricultural roots, a modest but stable residential population, and a preserved railroad history that draws visitors to its local museum. Its setting along the eastern Colorado Front Range foothills and plains makes it part of a broader tapestry of small railroad towns that helped connect the American continent in the nineteenth century.

History

Founding and Early Settlement

Strasburg was first settled in 1875, following the completion of a major railroad line linking the eastern and western coasts of the United States. The arrival of the transcontinental rail corridor through this section of eastern Colorado opened up the high plains to permanent settlement, commerce, and agricultural development. Like many towns that sprang up during this era, Strasburg grew around the practical needs of railroad workers, ranchers, and farmers who required a local center for trade and services.

The railroad was not merely the cause of the town's founding but remained central to its identity for decades. Communities along the rail lines of eastern Colorado depended on the railroad both economically and socially, with the depot serving as a primary hub for mail, goods, and travelers. Strasburg was no exception, and its early history reflects the patterns common to dozens of similar settlements that emerged along the Great Plains rail corridors during the latter half of the nineteenth century.

The Railroad Depot and Union Pacific

among the most significant physical landmarks in Strasburg's history is its railroad depot. The depot building was constructed by Union Pacific in 1917 and served the community for many years as the primary point of connection between the local population and the broader national rail network. The structure represents an important piece of early twentieth-century railroad architecture in Colorado and stands as a tangible reminder of the era when rail travel and freight dominated American commerce and communication.

The depot building has since been preserved and incorporated into the Comanche Crossing Museum, which serves as the town's primary heritage institution. The museum and the depot together represent Strasburg's most prominent cultural and historical attraction, making the railroad the town's central claim to historical fame. The preservation of the depot reflects a broader community commitment to acknowledging the role that the Union Pacific line played in establishing and sustaining Strasburg through its formative years.

Twentieth Century Development

Through the twentieth century, Strasburg evolved from a purely railroad-dependent settlement into a more diversified rural community. Agriculture, particularly ranching and dryland farming suited to the semi-arid eastern Colorado plains, became important economic activities for residents. The town's position along what became U.S. Route 40 and later the broader corridor of East Colfax Avenue gave it continued relevance as a waypoint for travelers and commerce moving between Denver and the eastern plains.

The town remained small throughout the twentieth century, maintaining the character of a close-knit rural community rather than developing into a significant urban center. Infrastructure such as local water services, schools, and small businesses established the foundations of civic life that continue to define Strasburg today.

Geography and Setting

Strasburg is situated on the high plains east of Denver in Arapahoe County. The surrounding landscape is characteristic of eastern Colorado: open rangeland, wide skies, and gently rolling terrain shaped by centuries of wind and sparse precipitation. The climate is semi-arid, with cold winters and warm summers, conditions that historically supported ranching and dryland agriculture more readily than intensive crop farming.

The town lies along the Colfax Avenue corridor, which serves as one of the primary east-west routes connecting Denver to the eastern plains and ultimately to the Kansas state line. This geographic positioning along a major transportation route has defined Strasburg's character since the arrival of the railroad in the nineteenth century, and the corridor continues to shape the flow of people and commerce through the community.

Love Funeral Homes and Monuments, a local funeral home serving the Strasburg community, is located at 56131 E. Colfax Ave., reflecting the town's orientation along this historic east-west corridor.

The Comanche Crossing Museum

The Comanche Crossing Museum is the primary cultural institution in Strasburg and the central repository of the town's historical heritage. The museum takes its name from Comanche Crossing, the historic site where, in 1870, the Kansas Pacific Railroad completed its line to Denver, marking the first direct rail connection between Denver and the eastern United States. This event was of enormous significance for Colorado's development and for the communities that grew along the rail corridor.

The 1917 Union Pacific depot building, which now forms part of the museum complex, provides visitors with a physical connection to the era of active railroad operations in Strasburg. The museum collects and presents artifacts, photographs, and documents related to the town's railroad history, agricultural heritage, and community life. It serves both local residents and visitors with an interest in Colorado's transportation and settlement history.

Community and Demographics

Strasburg is a small community with the characteristics typical of rural eastern Colorado towns. It has a residential population composed largely of families with roots in agriculture, ranching, and trades, alongside newer residents who commute to the Denver metropolitan area. The town functions with a modest local economy that includes small businesses, agricultural operations, and service providers oriented toward the daily needs of the surrounding population.

The community has experienced the changes common to many small Colorado towns in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, including demographic shifts as the Denver metro area has expanded eastward. Some residents who have moved to Strasburg in recent decades have come from other parts of the country, as reflected in the obituary record of John James Thomas, 63, of Strasburg, Colorado, formerly of Chicago, who passed away on September 10, 2018, at his home in Colorado. Such records illustrate the patterns of internal migration that have brought individuals from urban centers in the Midwest and elsewhere to rural Colorado communities.

Education

Education in Strasburg is served by local schools that form part of the community's civic infrastructure. The presence of schools in the town has historically been an important factor in sustaining the community through periods of rural population change. Strasburg's schools serve both the town itself and the surrounding rural areas of eastern Arapahoe County, providing educational continuity for families engaged in agriculture and other local industries.

Local Services and Infrastructure

Strasburg maintains the basic infrastructure expected of a functioning rural Colorado community. Local water services are provided to residents and represent one of the essential utilities that support both residential and agricultural activities in the area. The presence of dedicated water infrastructure reflects the ongoing investment in maintaining Strasburg as a viable place to live and work on the eastern Colorado plains, where water access has always been a critical consideration.

Funeral and memorial services for the community are provided by local establishments, including Love Funeral Homes and Monuments on East Colfax Avenue, which serves Strasburg and the surrounding region. The presence of such services is indicative of a self-sufficient small town with the community institutions needed to support its residents across the span of their lives.

Notable Heritage and Identity

Strasburg's identity is closely tied to its role in the history of transcontinental railroad travel and the settlement of eastern Colorado. The town's founding in 1875 in the wake of railroad completion places it firmly within the broader story of American westward expansion during the post-Civil War era. This heritage distinguishes Strasburg from purely agricultural communities that developed later or without a direct railroad founding narrative.

The 1917 Union Pacific depot, now preserved at the Comanche Crossing Museum, serves as the town's most recognized landmark and its primary connection to that founding era. Local residents and historical organizations have worked to maintain this heritage, recognizing that the railroad story is not only Strasburg's origin story but also its most distinctive contribution to Colorado history.

The broader Comanche Crossing heritage connects Strasburg to one of Colorado's most significant transportation milestones. The completion of the rail line to Denver transformed the region's economic and demographic trajectory and set in motion the growth of Colorado as a territory and eventually a state. Strasburg, positioned along this corridor, participated in that transformation and continues to honor it through preservation efforts and community memory.

See Also

• Arapahoe County, Colorado
• Union Pacific Railroad
• Colorado Front Range
• Comanche Crossing
• History of Colorado