Boyero,
Colorado
Boyero
was built by the railroad as the Kansas Pacific built across the Colorado
prairie. It became a section point for
the road gangs that maintained the rails.
Structures were built, homes and shops popped up. The train town was on its way to becoming a
prosperous little community for the railroad workers and the ranchers in the
area.
The
Smoky Hill Trail had shifted south to follow along the tracks and the Golden
Belt Route made Boyero a place to stop for supplies. A school was built as were churches with
numerous homes. With the advent of the automobile
in the early 1900’s, Boyero found itself at the crossroads of a couple of state
roads plus the US highway. Gas stations
and repair shops opened and the railroads kept the towns people busy.
It
became a shipping point for livestock.
Cattlemen were keeping things busy.
There were saloons, a dance hall and fine eating establishments in the
little town which had grown to almost 500 people.
Water in the area
was very hard and alkali, not good for the steam engines. So a cistern was built and the railroad
brought water in by tank car for their steam engines. They also allowed the townspeople to use
water from the cistern also, since most worked for the railroad.
Then the state
highway department wanted to straighten out the highway. In the process, Boyero became isolated, five
miles off the main highway. One of the
state roads was re routed, it was the beginning of the end for the country
town. No longer were travelers passing
through, some businesses closed. Then
the railroad began to change their divisions and sections. Not as many workers for the rails were
needed.
People were moving
and there were empty houses dotting the town.
Ranchers in the area helped to keep the town afloat for a time yet it
was not enough to keep any of the businesses open.
There are a couple
of families that still live in the town that call Boyero home. The Post Office is gone and they have to go
down the road a bit for mail pick up at a kiosk. The antique store the rancher’s wife kept in
a small house has closed and most of the town is in ruins.
Some of the
streets can still be seen, a few relics dot the empty lots. Over there where there had been homes is now
a corral and cattle hang out in the pen.
The old highway
runs through the middle of town is now a dusty country road. All signs of the railroad buildings are
gone. The Boyero sign still stands next
to the rails. Sitting on the other side
of the tracks on a big sweeping bend in the creek is the old boarding
house. It still stands stately, well
worn and showing some signs of roof neglect.
There are couple of other sheds nearby and depressions in the ground
where other buildings had been.
Cross the tracks
is where the main part of Boyero had been.
Couple of shops still stand, in the beginnings of collapse. The weeds hold a variety of relics and out
buildings. At the north end is the
stately livery stable and house. Both
show signs of severe weathering but enduring.
They are built of rock with wooden roofs. The street that goes past, leads back to the
ranchers house that still lives there.
It is a classic
prairie ghost town and because it sits off the highway, down a dirt road, few
people will make the effort to go look at.
Yet in the spring, when the green up begins, it is a wondrous area. The groves of trees along the sand creek are
home to countless birds and critters.
The eagles float overhead, along with the hawks and falcons. The kestrels and merlins flit among the
grasses and the Meadowlark will serenade the visitor with a tune of the grass
lands. In the trees the deer can be
seen, on far hill the antelope watch the traveler. Coyotes and foxes scurry along looking for
their next meal.
Each passing year
a bit of the town disappears. The store
had stood for years. The roof collapsed
and a few years ago the store front collapsed onto itself making a big pile of
kindling wood. One of the local ranchers
sold out a while back, so there is now another empty home in the area.
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