Kirk, CO

 

 

            Out there somewhere is one of the coolest little towns from a century and then some more years ago.  During the late 1800’s, towns would spring up around a community.  A Post Office would start and soon there would be stores and shops.  Occasionally the commercial buildings would be a few miles from the Post Office and this became the town.  It appears this is what happened with Kirk. 

            The map shows a previous Kirk Post Office couple of miles north of the present day Kirk.  A Post Office would start in a farmhouse but the town would spring up at another location and eventually the Post Office would move to the town.

            Here on the central plains of Eastern Colorado the little town of Kirk still survives.  Located on a secondary state highway and junction with a country road lies the little village of Kirk.  It is pretty much what a pioneer community would have looked like a couple of centuries ago.  On the corners are the stores.  A grocery store, a bank, meat processing and an empty shop, all that missing is the livery stable and a lumber yard.  The grain elevator and feed store stand at the south entrance to town on the north is a CO-OP. 

 

            The little village is about three blocks long and two blocks wide.  There are a few residents that live there. Populations was unknown but in the vicinity of 50 people live there.  There are a couple of churches, town park with playground and ball filed.  The school is long gone, consolidated with some neighboring towns. 

The occasional car passes through and there are shoppers in town on occasion.  The Post Office stays busy.  The newspaper has rolled up the mat.  The big farm truck rumbles trough more than cars.  Road crews pass through checking on roads and signs, a sheriff’s deputy cruises town and stops at the grocery for coffee n a roll. 

Here time has stood still and a small village has survived the bigness of the big box mind set. 

There empty stores that still stand on main street.  Showing when Kirk was a busier town and there were more people in the area. 

 

            The bank is a fairly non discreet building and fairly new.  With the blink of an eye, one could drive right past and not notice. 

            Across the corner from the bank is the meat processing locker.  The meat locker used to be an icon in small town America.  Today they are fading into the sunset of memories.

            There are a variety of homes scattered around the little burg.  For whatever reason, these little wide spots have junkyards.  Kirk is no different, the house surrounded by junk cars sits on the edge of town.  

 

            Out on HWY 36 is a sign indicating there is a little town back down the road a ways.  For those that turn, be ready for a short trip back in time.  For here, is what a lots of the little ghost town on the plains used to be like. 

 

 

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