Keota, Colorado

Keota is a mostly abandoned town located on the prairie in the Pawnee National Grasslands in Weld County in the U.S. state of Colorado.

Elevation is 4961' above sea level. 'Keota' is an Indian word meaning "Gone to visit" or "The fire goes out". Keota is located approximately 50 miles east of Greeley on County Road 103. Pawnee Buttes, a pair of prominent sandstone escarpments which are significant nesting areas for hawks, falcons, and eagles, is located nearby.

History

Keota was established as a homestead in 1880 by two sisters, Mary and Eva Beardsley and sold to the Lincoln Land and Cattle Co. in 1888. Keota was a station stop on the "Old Prairie Dog Express" on the Colorado-Wyoming Division of the Burlington-Missouri Railroad. The railroad (used mainly for cattle shipping) was abandoned and the trackage removed in 1975. Keota lost its incorporated status in 1990. There were four different newspapers at four different times from 1908-1975. The last operating post office closed in 1890. The school was established in 1888 and closed in sometime in the 1930's. The foundation is still there. The Dean Bivens family, who maintained the roads, moved out in September, 1999. As of 2008, the town is home to several residents in modern houses surrounding the historic townsite. There are remains of the general store, several houses, and foundations on what was the northside of the town. The "downtown" area's warehouses and shops where the railway went through are gone now.