Crook

Crook, Colorado is a small statutory town and agricultural community in northeastern Logan County, a few miles south of the Colorado–Nebraska line and just north of the South Platte River.

History

A post office called Crook was established on May 26, 1882, marking the emergence of a settled community in what had been open cattle country along the South Platte. The townsite itself was formally laid out in 1907 by Leon Loizeaux, president of the Cedar Valley Land and Irrigation Company, and Crook was later incorporated as a statutory town on September 23, 1918. Crook, Colorado was named for General George Crook, a prominent U.S. Army officer who served in the American Civil War and in the Indian Wars and whose name also appears on counties and towns elsewhere in the West. Because the word “crook” also means a criminal or swindler, the town frequently appears on lists of unusual or humorous place names, giving it a modest notoriety beyond its small size. Crook has remained small throughout its history; U.S. Census figures show 128 residents in 2000, 110 residents in 2010, and 133 residents in 2020. Recent estimates put the population at roughly 120–125 people in the mid 2020s, indicating a very slight decline since the 2020 Census but remaining close to that recent peak of 133.

Major industries

Before irrigation, the surrounding country was primarily cattle range and natural hay meadow, with ranching as the dominant economic activity. After early 1900s irrigation projects, agriculture diversified, and Crook’s modern economy centers on irrigated crops such as hay, corn, sugar beets, and alfalfa, along with continued livestock operations and basic service businesses for travelers along U.S. 138.

Geography

Crook is located at approximately 40.8589 degrees north latitude and 102.8010 degrees west longitude, placing it in the northeastern corner of Colorado within the Sterling Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town lies just north of the South Platte River along U.S. Highway 138, only a short distance south of the Nebraska state line, and stands at an elevation typical of the High Plains in this part of the state. Crook is described as the oldest settlement in Logan County, predating many neighboring communities that later grew larger, and it sits amid a network of irrigation ditches that transformed once open range into intensively farmed river-bottom land. Its location on U.S. 138 gives it a modest role as a waypoint between Sterling and the Nebraska line, but the built up part of town remains compact, with most residents living within a few blocks of the highway and grain and farm related facilities.

Obscure and Notable Facts

In 1887, a colony of about 200 Hollanders settled just outside Crook, constructing thirteen building complexes and a two story office and hotel as part of a planned farming community; the venture failed within a few years, and the entire colony departed, leaving only traces in local memory. Today, Crook is sometimes depicted as a near ghost town, with retired local farmers still living there while many businesses have closed, so that the town is often described as being largely abandoned except for a gas station and café that continue to serve both locals and travelers.