eastern colorado

Chimung, Colorado

Almost to the eastern end of Colorado, next to Kansas, is an empty spot.  This is where the railroad town of Chimung used to be.  Nearby is a cattle feed lot and the railroad has a siding there.  Oft times the railroad will use the name of the town but in this case, the siding was named Jim.  So question, was Chimung named after Jim Chimung?  Someday I may find out.

Chimung was a busy little town in the 1870’s.  There were numerous shops and stores, blacksmith, livery and bank.  When the railhead moved on west, the workers moved on and Chimung began to fade into the prairie. 

Today one can stand by the tracks, listen to the silence, hear the occasional bird chirp and watch the breezes wiggle the grasses.  Outside of the railroad siding, the area is void of life.  Even the rails get rusty between trains.  It is a place of empty solitude, that most people drive on past.