The
Valley Community
The Valley Community shows two
different locations for their Post Office in the NE corner of Kit Carson
County. One location is the far end of
the county, next to the line with Washington/Yuma County. The other is south about 5 miles, next to the
Lincoln County line. At the locations
indicated on the map, there are no signs that anything had existed at these
locations.
Rural Post Offices, like this were
usually operated out of the farmer’s house.
Sometimes a store would arise, but for the most part, these little farm
Post Offices would consolidate into a larger community.
With the arrival of the dirty 30’s
many of these farms became vacant after being blown out. Another farmer would buy it at auction and
add it to his farm. Over time the old
farm building would be torn down and become farm land.
This is what appears to of happened
to the building that housed the Valley PO’s.
The use of the valley name did not get lost. Near one of the locations is the Valley Farm
and Ranch. Drive up over the ridge of
one of the nearby farms is a small valley.
It appears a nice stream had flown through there at one time.
Before settlement, small streams and
springs were quite common on the prairie of Eastern Colorado. With settlement came tillage and water
wells. Much of this activity has
directed the water to other places but with a heavy rain, some of these creeks
still run. It is amazing to see a dry sand
creek full of water rushing down the valley.
Sprinkled in the area are a few
farms and a few remains of farms and ranches that used to be. The windmills still indicate where the water
is and the gathering of the bovines. Trees
line the homes, many times hiding them in their cool shade. Old equipment still dots the land and rolling
pastures of grass.
Years ago an old wagon road sliced
through this area, connecting trails in the south to the northern trails. It is a land of flat fields to open rolling
pastures with the occasional grove of trees.
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