Crawford Colorado
Crawford Colorado was officially recognized as a town by the State of Colorado back in October 1910, despite the fact that there had been a Post Office there for 28 years before that. A visit to Crawford is just a short drive from Grand Junction, Montrose, Aspen, Crested Butte and Gunnison Colorado. A small town with a population under 1000, Crawford Colorado offers it’s visitors lots of blue sky and clean, crisp air!
More Town Facts
| Region: Southwest | County: Delta | |
| Latitude: 38.704235 | Longitude: -107.610925 | Elevation: 6,558 ft. ( 1,999 m) |
The town was named after Captain George A. Crawford, who suggested as he passed through the area, that the land next to the Smith Fork Valley would be a good place for a town. Apparently others felt the same way and in 1883 a Post Office was built and it was called Crawford. Harry Grant, a local resident and Baptist minister was the first Crawford Postmaster.
Initially, the majority of the town was built on the south side of the Smith Fork Valley. Eventually, the town shifted to the north side, where it currently exists. Mrs. Elizabeth S. Ong opened a store in 1892 on the south side of the valley and gradually, she began to sub divide and sell lots in what is the present location for the town of Crawford. In 1900, Mrs Ong donated the land for the Crawford Methodist Church and town cemetery. Because of all she had done for the town, Elizabeth Ong came to be known as the “Town Mother”. By 1907, the town had grown to 160 residents.
Recreation around the town of Crawford is abundant! Crawford State Park, Needle rock, the West Elk Wilderness area and the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park are all nearby. The West Elk Loop Scenic Byway begins just outside Crawford leading you through some of the most dramatic landscape that Colorado has to offer, right into the Curecanti National Recreation Area.
If you’re considering a visit to the Crawford area, you might want to schedule it during Crawford’s Pioneer Days celebration which takes place in June of each year. You’ll get a kick out of the Outhouse races, melodrama’s baking contests, auctions and other special activities associated with this yearly celebration.
But no matter when you visit, you’ll really enjoy the town of Crawford and the beautiful rural country that surrounds it!
