Julesburg

Julesburg, Colorado is a small town in Sedgwick County in the far northeastern corner of the state, long known as a key river crossing, stage stop, and later a rail and farm hub. It has the unusual distinction of having been founded and relocated four different times along the South Platte River corridor.

History

The first Julesburg began as a trading post and saloon established by half French Canadian, half Native trapper Jules Beni around 1858 at a major South Platte River crossing used by emigrant trails. This early settlement grew into a busy way station on the Overland Trail and Pony Express route, serving travelers between the Missouri River and the new mining camps of Colorado. The settlement took the name “Julesburg” from its founder, Jules Beni, who operated the trading post and stage station at the Upper California Crossing of the South Platte. Later versions of the town, even after multiple relocations and a temporary name of “Denver Junction,” reverted to the Julesburg name in recognition of Beni’s original post and local legend. During the heyday of the third Julesburg as a railhead and end of track town in the late 1860s, the population reportedly swelled to nearly 3,000 residents, packed with railroad workers, gamblers, and various camp followers. Modern population counts are far smaller; recent census data place present day Julesburg at roughly 1,200–1,300 residents, reflecting its role as a quiet agricultural and service center rather than a boomtown.

Major industries

Julesburg’s earliest economy revolved around freighting, stagecoach services, and trade with emigrants and Native Americans along the Overland and California–Oregon trails. As the town settled into its fourth and current site along the Union Pacific lines, agriculture—especially irrigated farming and related shipping—became the dominant economic base, a role it continues to play today.

Geography

Present day Julesburg lies near the junction of Interstate 76 and U.S. Highway 385 at approximately 40°59′15″ north latitude and 102°15′06″ west longitude. It occupies a small area within the South Platte River valley just a few miles west of the Colorado Nebraska state line, marking one of Colorado’s northernmost towns. The town sits on the north side of the South Platte River, close to the historic Upper California Crossing, a key ford used by Oregon, California, and Overland Trail travelers. Its current (fourth) location, chosen in 1886, was deliberately sited on higher ground to reduce flood risk while taking advantage of the junction between the transcontinental Union Pacific line and the Denver branch.

Obscure and Notable Facts

Julesburg has been called “The Wickedest City in the West” for the third town’s raucous 1860s railhead era, when saloons, gambling halls, and brothels flourished and both men and women often walked the streets armed. The first town was burned in 1865 during raids linked to the Colorado War, after which residents created successive “second” and “third” Julesburgs before the final 1886 townsite; local markers and museum exhibits today trace these four incarnations, making Julesburg’s shifting footprint one of the more unusual town histories in Colorado.